mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
DISCLOSE ACT
Amy Klobuchar (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2022-9-21

I rise today in support of the DISCLOSE Act and the need to take action to get secret money out of our elections. prgtoken I want to thank Senator Whitehouse for his leadership on this legislation--and testimony at the Rules Committee hearing I held on it this summer--as well as Leader Schumer for holding this vote. Senator Whitehouse has championed this bill since 2012, and I have been proud to support it alongside him in every Congress. prgtoken This vote could not come at a more important time, as we are seeing an unprecedented flood of money into our elections. Over $14 billion was spent during the 2020 elections, the most expensive in our country's history. prgtoken As we approach the general election in November, with 48 days left, this is already the most expensive midterm election ever. One estimate expects that nearly $10 billion will be spent just on political advertising this election cycle, more than double the $4 billion in the 2018 midterm elections. prgtoken As spending on elections increases, the sources of the spending are less accountable than ever before. One investigation found that more than $1 billion was spent on the 2020 elections by groups that do not disclose their donors at all. prgtoken Americans know there is way too much money in our elections, and--for our democracy to work--we need to know where this money is coming from. But since the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United opened up the flood of outside money, no significant improvements have been made to our disclosure laws or regulations. prgtoken Unlimited, anonymous spending in our elections doesn't encourage free speech; it drowns out the voices of the American people who are seeking to participate. And this unrelenting secret spending will continue unless we take action to address it, which is why we need to pass the DISCLOSE Act. prgtoken The DISCLOSE Act would address this tidal wave of secret money by requiring outside groups that spend in our elections to disclose their large donors--those that contribute more than $10,000--to the public. prgtoken Importantly, the bill also makes it harder for wealthy special interests to hide their contributions or cloak the identity of donors; and it cracks down on the use of shell companies to conceal donations from foreign nationals. prgtoken I held a hearing on the bill in the Rules Committee this summer, where we heard about the effects that secret money is having on our democracy--and why we need to pass this legislation. prgtoken Senator Whitehouse testified at that hearing, and he spoke powerfully about the impact that secret money is having on our government-- affecting all aspects of our lives, from the makeup of our courts to people's healthcare decisions to addressing climate change. prgtoken We also heard from Montana's Commissioner of Political Practices Jeff Mangan, who told us how his State's version of the DISCLOSE Act passed in 2015 with bipartisan suppo
UNITED STATES COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2022
Anna G. Eshoo (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2022-9-21

I rise in support of S. 3895, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Reauthorization Act. This bipartisan legislation reauthorizes USCIRF through 2024 and demonstrates strong congressional support for its mission of promoting religious freedom as a core objective of U.S. foreign policy. prgtoken As the daughter of immigrants who fled religious persecution abroad, I believe the U.S. has a responsibility to stand up for the rights of religious minorities around the world. That's why I'm proud to have joined Congressman Chris Smith in introducing H.R. 7829, the House companion of S. 3895. I'm grateful to Rep. Smith for partnering with me on this legislation and for his unwavering commitment to ensuring that all people can practice the religion of their choice without fear of persecution. prgtoken In 1998, Congress established USCIRF, an independent commission dedicated to promoting religious freedom through U.S. foreign policy. In the years since its founding, the Commission has lived up to its mandate by issuing incisive reports about religious freedom conditions abroad, advising Congress and Executive Branch officials, and sounding the alarm when religious persecution occurs. Importantly, the Commission is independent from the State Department, ensuring that its assessments of religious freedom conditions abroad are not influenced by, or perceived to be influenced by, other U.S. foreign policy interests. prgtoken We live in an era in which religious freedom is threatened in much of the world. The Chinese government is perpetrating genocide against Uyghur Muslims; Christians in Iraq and Syria have been subjected to ethnic strife and the ravages of war; and the Burmese junta continues its horrific genocidal campaign against the Rohingya minority. It's clear that USCIRF's work is as important today as ever before. prgtoken By reauthorizing USCIRF on a bipartisan basis, Congress will demonstrate strong support for the Commission and its critical work to promote religious freedom abroad. I urge my colleagues to stand with the persecuted religious minorities of the world by supporting this legislation.
CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF CARMEN LOUISE BOSSENBROCK
Kim Schrier (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2022-9-21

I would like to share the story of Gunnery Sergeant Arthur Branson Summers, a U.S. marine killed in action in World War II. After 76 years, his body has returned home to his family members and has been laid to rest in East Wenatchee, Washington. prgtoken Gunnery Sergeant Summers of Company I, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, was killed in the winter of 1943 in the Betio Island battle with Japanese forces. Sadly, Summers was 1 of 1,000 servicemembers who died that day and 1 of almost 500 whose remains were never found. Tragically for his family, friends, and loved ones, they were deemed nonrecoverable in 1949. prgtoken But this changed in 2009 thanks to the tireless work of the nonprofit organization History Flight. After a small piece of military rain poncho was found near the site, History Flight began excavations in 2009 and discovered the body of Gunnery Sergeant Summers along with several other lost servicemembers. His remains were brought home to his family, nephews David and Donald McCannel. He received an honorable burial in East Wenatchee, Washington. prgtoken Gunnery Sergeant Arthur Branson Summers answered our Nation's call at a time of great need, and for his service, valor, and sacrifice, we are forever thankful. prgtoken I would like to recognize History Flight for their work to return Summers to his home and to thank David and Donald McCannel and their families for providing Gunnery Sergeant Summers an honorable burial on American soil. prgtoken On behalf of a grateful Nation and the entire Eighth District, we are proud to have Gunnery Sergeant Summers in his final resting place in East Wenatchee, Washington. Honoring the Issaquah All-Stars and the Bonney Lake/Sumner Little League Teams
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 8873, PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION REFORM ACT
James P. McGovern (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2022-9-21

. Madam , my colleague from Pennsylvania mentioned me by name in his speech. And I just want to say, because I think it is important to clear things up, please do not compare my objections or the objections of others in the past to what happened on January 6. It is insulting. prgtoken Our objections were symbolic. What happened on January 6 was violent. It was an attempt to overthrow the government of the United States of America. It was an attempt to basically overturn the will of the American people. prgtoken Madam , we are here today because democracy faces a crisis of legitimacy, not just here at home, but around the world. prgtoken According to Freedom House, 2021 was the 16th consecutive year in which more countries declined in freedom than gained. Democracy's reach has ebbed and flowed through the decades, but it is clear that right now we are in a democratic recession. prgtoken More countries are turning toward authoritarianism than ever before. Countries we had thought were free are losing ground. Even the United States, the global bastion of democracy, has been labeled a backsliding democracy for the first time our history. This fact alone should set off alarm bells in all of our heads. prgtoken I have seen what happens when democracies fall, and I have seen the good that can come when the United States upholds democratic values around the world. prgtoken We can't preach democracy abroad when democracy is under attack at home. Because the deal is, there are people sowing the narrative that democracies cannot handle the problems of this century. There are people who advocate for authoritarian regimes that ignore the will of the people. In the global struggle between democracy and autocracy, these bad actors are a cold reminder that it isn't inevitable that democracy prevails. We have to fight like hell to make sure that it does. prgtoken Madam , all this is to say that the world is watching what we do here today. We have to make a choice, and if we make the wrong one, the consequences will be grave. No one is coming to save us. We have to save ourselves. prgtoken The Presidential Elections Reform Act addresses some serious issues with our Presidential elections. It used to be that our leaders would respect the will of the voters--win or lose. In a functional democracy, that is how it works. But now, people who don't like the results of an election feel empowered to lie and reject those results--sometimes violently. prgtoken The dismantling of our democracy won't happen all at once; it will continue to erode bit by bit until one day we will look around and see that it is too late. And the thing is, it starts with the elections. prgtoken Our elections are the keystone of our democracy. They are how the will of the people becomes the action of the government. We have a responsibility to shore up the institutions of our democracy against the forces that seek to erode them. prgtoken The Presidential Election Re
Recognition of the Majority Leader (Executive Session)
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2022-9-21

35 years ago this month, every nation on Earth came together for the first time in human history to sign onto a global accord to save the planet's dying ozone layer. It was a convergence unlike any before, uniting not just every member of the United Nations but, in time, also the European Union and even the Holy See. prgtoken That accord, of course, was the Montreal Protocol, hailed by then-UN Secretary General Kofi Annan as ``perhaps the single most successful international agreement to date.'' prgtoken Today, the Senate will finish the work of ratifying the Kigali Amendment to the protocol when we vote later today here on the floor. prgtoken Ratifying the Kigali Amendment will require two-thirds of the Senate, and I want to thank every single Member, ic and alike, who voted yesterday to move forward on this measure. Our country, our businesses, and our planet will benefit because of it. I hope we can see that same level of support today. prgtoken In a year where we have already seen plenty of major bipartisan bills become law, the Kigali Amendment might just be one of the most important bipartisan achievements to date--less heralded, but maybe more important--because this measure will go a long way to lowering global temperatures while also creating tens of thousands of American jobs and deal with the fact that China rarely participates in global cooperation when it comes to putting their own economy and jobs ahead of ours. prgtoken As I have explained, the Kigali Amendment will signal the commitment of the United States to phase down the use of dangerous industrial chemicals known as HFCs by 80 percent over the next 15 years. HFCs are found practically in every home in America and around the world, inside the vast majority of refrigerators, air-conditioner units, aerosols, insulating foams, and more. prgtoken Experts say that if we can meet the goals set forth by the Kigali Amendment, we can reduce global temperatures by about half a degree Celsius by the end of the century. That is huge. We struggle to get that reduction prgtoken down, to get that increase down. And this is a big, big step forward for that. Half a degree might sound like a rounding error to some, but in truth, it is very, very, very significant. prgtoken But equally significant, however, are the tens of billions in new investments that will be up for grabs if we ratify this amendment. prgtoken Every year, millions and millions of refrigerators and AC units are sold around the world, and the United States ranks near the top of refrigerator exports. All of these products will need viable HFC refrigerant alternatives moving forward, and we need to take every step available to make sure those alternatives are provided by American companies and American workers, driven by American ingenuity. prgtoken By one measure, ratifying the Kigali Amendment will generate nearly $39 billion in investments here in America in the
Abortion (Executive Session)
Jacky Rosen (Democrat, NV) \u2014 2022-9-21

in the months since the conservative majority on the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, the assault on reproductive rights by anti-choice, MAGA s has been relentless. prgtoken Anti-choice States across the country have already enacted strict and rigid abortion bans that strip our rights away, threaten to jail women and their doctors, and put women's prgtoken health at risk. And just as we have always known, this threat is not just at the State level. prgtoken Last week, legislation was introduced in this very Chamber that would enact a national abortion ban, one that would strip women of the fundamental right to control their own bodies. This abortion ban--and that is exactly what it is, a nationwide abortion ban--poses a real and serious threat to the rights of women across this country. This is a dangerous nationwide government mandate that would threaten women and their doctors--threaten them--with jail time, including those in my State of Nevada. prgtoken Pro-choice States like Nevada, where the people voted overwhelmingly to protect reproductive freedoms as part of State law, would be forced--forced--to abide by this Federal mandate. Because Federal law supersedes State law, this legislation would override the will of Nevadans and the freedom--the freedom--that they have had for decades. prgtoken If anti-choice s in Congress have their way and their national abortion ban passes--listen to this--then Nevada's doctors could be prosecuted; Nevada's women could be jailed; and Nevada's women could die as a result of a lack of access to care. prgtoken So let's be clear. The only thing standing in the way of their national abortion ban is the pro-choice majority in the U.S. Senate, and I will do everything I can to fight this legislation threatening our reproductive rights not just in Nevada but across the country. prgtoken That is why I helped to introduce the Let Doctors Provide Reproductive Health Care Act, along with Senators Murray, Padilla, and the Acting President pro tempore, Senator Lujan, to protect doctors in States like Nevada, where abortion remains legal and protects women from facing prosecution and potentially jail by anti-choice States. No doctor--let me repeat this. No doctor should ever be jailed for providing women with the reproductive and often lifesaving care they need wherever these women are from. No doctor should ever be jailed for providing care. prgtoken Anti-choice s in the Senate have blocked these efforts in the past as they have continued to push for dangerous bans. prgtoken Today--today--we have another opportunity to protect doctors and their patients by passing this legislation--without obstruction or delay--because let's be clear: We will not--we will not--give up. We will not allow a national abortion ban to pass the Senate. We will not allow doctors to face prosecution for doing their jobs. We must--we must--protect a woman's righ
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR
Christopher Murphy (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2022-9-21

reserving the right to object. I have such respect for my colleague from Oklahoma. We are often on the same side of issues related to matters of national security and the Middle East, but I disagree with his analysis that he has presented here today. Let me make just a remark or two about his immediate request and then make a few remarks about the broader work to try to protect the world from a nuclear weapons-armed Iran. prgtoken First, as I understand it--and I just had a few days to take a look at the underlying legislation--it would significantly remove the administration's discretion to waive sanctions or to enter into certain oil sales or authorize business with Iranian financial institutions in that only a treaty entered into by the United States would provide that authority to the administration. prgtoken I think that is generally bad policy. prgtoken We can imagine a whole set of diplomatic engagements with any nation, including Iran, in which an executive may wish to toggle sanctions or licenses in order to provoke some behavior beneficial to the United States. prgtoken That is, in fact, why we regularly build waivers into our sanctions statutes. So to suggest that on Iran policy, the President is going to have no ability to impact sanctions or licenses until a treaty is entered into ties the administration's hands--both and ic administrations--in a way that I simply don't think is helpful. prgtoken I understand my friend's argument. prgtoken He is not a supporter of the JCPOA, and he does not desire for the United States to enter back into a nuclear agreement with Iran. And at the heart of this request is the essence of President 's Iran policy--the idea that if we just keep hammering Iran with sanctions that either their behavior will get better or they will at some point choose to come to the table and do a comprehensive deal--the nuclear program, their ballistic missile program, their support for terrorism. prgtoken Now, I think that was a credible argument back during the administration. Many people said shouldn't give Iran anything until Iran comes to the table on everything. prgtoken This Congress went a different way. We ended up taking a vote that, by our rules, allowed for the nuclear agreement to go forward. But we now have the benefit of the opposition's argument to the JCPOA having been tested for 4 years. basically took that philosophy--keep sanctioning Iran; don't worry about the fact that it is unilateral, and eventually Iran will come to the table on everything. He tested that for 4 years, and it was an unmitigated disaster--an unmitigated disaster. Not only did Iran not come to the table on everything, they came to the table on nothing. Their behavior in the region got much worse and much more adversarial to U.S. interests. prgtoken Just look at the reality on the ground in a place like Lebanon or Yemen or Iraq or Syria. At the en
CONGRATULATING THE LAS VEGAS ACES
Dina Titus (Democrat, NV) \u2014 2022-9-21

I rise today to acknowledge and congratulate the Las Vegas Aces on winning the Women's National Basketball Association Championship this past Sunday. prgtoken On September 18, 2022, the Las Vegas Aces defeated the Connecticut Sun 78-71 in game four of the WNBA finals. The Aces won the championship three games to one and secured the first major professional sports championship in the history of the city of Las Vegas. prgtoken Even before the playoffs, the Aces had an incredible season led by rookie head coach Becky Hammon, who became the first former NBA player and rookie head coach to win the NBA championship. prgtoken Every member of the team, including Kiersten Bell, Sydney Colson, Chelsea Gray, Dearica Hamby, Theresa Plaisance, Kelsey Plum, Iliana Rupert, Aisha Sheppard, Kiah Stokes, Riquna Williams, A'ja Wilson, and Jackie Young was critical to the success of the Aces this year. prgtoken Since coming to Las Vegas in 2018, the Aces have played well, but, unfortunately, up until now they were unable to win at all. prgtoken In 2020, during the COVID-shortened season and without key players due to injury, the team still made the WNBA finals but were ultimately turned back. prgtoken In 2021, the team was set for greatness, but, unfortunately, fell short in heartbreaking fashion in game five of the Western Conference Finals. prgtoken In the lead-up to the 2022 season, the team lost key players to free agency, and former coach Bill Laimbeer retired, but the organization shifted its focus and approach and took the league by storm. prgtoken Led by prolific three-point shooting, the Aces dominated the regular season and ended with a league best record of 26-10, securing the Commissioner's Cup along the way. prgtoken Heading into the playoffs, the team was primed for success. prgtoken Led by forward A'ja Wilson, who won this year's regular season Most Valuable Player, also Defensive Player of the Year, and first-team All- WNBA honors, fellow All-WNBA honors guard Kelsey Plum, and WNBA Most Improved Player Jackie Young, the Las Vegas Aces dominated the playoffs. prgtoken In the finals, Chelsea Gray delivered a tremendous performance, averaging 18 points per game in the series and winning the WNBA finals Most Valuable Player. In the championship-clinching game, Riquna Williams scored a crucial 17 points, with her incredible three-point shooting, to lift the Aces to victory. prgtoken Following this victory, Aces players Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, and A'ja Wilson, who competed and won gold medals for the United States in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, joined an exclusive club of players who won both Olympic gold and the WNBA championship. prgtoken In closing, I congratulate owner Mark Davis who, through continued investment and caring, has put women's basketball on the map in Las Vegas; Coach Becky Hammon; all the amazing players, led by the A'ja Wilson; and the entire Las Vegas organization led by its president, Nikk