mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
EVENTUALLY THE RAIN WILL STOP
David G. Valadao (Republican, CA) \u2014 2023-3-8

. Madam , this week, California is preparing for more atmospheric rivers that are bringing much-needed rain to our State. prgtoken This is welcome news to the Central Valley farmers who have suffered through the last 3 years of exceptional drought. prgtoken While I am grateful for this rain, and I know my fellow farmers are, as well, we have all seen this situation before. Eventually this rain will stop. prgtoken That is why it is critical to capture and store as much of this rain as physically possible so we don't put ourselves in this type of situation with another man-made water shortage again. prgtoken Extreme environmentalists and Sacramento bureaucrats have grossly mismanaged our water with complex and contradictory laws and regulations that control how much we are able to pump and what storage projects we are able to move forward with. prgtoken While I am grateful for the Governor for his temporary relief that he pushed for a few weeks back, we cannot let this water go to waste. We must maximize what can be moved at all times through the delta and invest in water storage infrastructure and conveyance projects so we can capture and store this critical resource. Thousands of livelihoods and the future of agriculture production in California and countless Americans we feed depend on it.
DISAPPROVING THE ACTION OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COUNCIL IN APPROVING THE REVISED CRIMINAL CODE ACT OF 2022
Mike Lee (Republican, UT) \u2014 2023-3-8

Washington, DC, is our Nation's Capital. There is perhaps no city in America more capable of demonstrating the idea of the United States as a melting pot than is the District of Columbia. Here, you find people from every walk of life. It is the seat of our national government, where people from across the country come to work, seek an education, engage with history, witness what goes on here, and take look at our Nation's monuments and historical venues that can be found here. prgtoken Washington, DC, in short, belongs to all Americans. Tragically, a visible increase in crime has plagued DC. It is backed by numbers, felt by residents, and seen by millions of visitors. prgtoken Since March of last year, crime in DC is up 25 percent. Homicides are up 30 percent, and motor vehicle theft is up 110 percent--110 percent. prgtoken Despite being in the midst of a crime wave, the DC City Council passed a bill that reduced criminal penalties for violent crimes, including homicide, robbery, and carjacking. prgtoken Now, what message does that send? prgtoken It is such poor logic that Mayor Bowser opposed the bill, admitting that ``this bill doesn't make us safer.'' She is absolutely right; it doesn't make us safer. Yet the DC City Council chose to override her veto and force this through to make it the law of the land, even though it doesn't make us safer. It makes things much, much worse, and it makes things worse in many of the same ways that DC residents are already suffering. prgtoken When the DC City Council is to the left of Mayor Bowser, we have a serious problem. When carjackings are up 110 percent, this shouldn't be a partisan issue. Even President telegraphed in a recent tweet: I don't support some of the changes D.C. Council put forward over the Mayor's objections--such as lowering penalties for carjackings. If the Senate votes to overturn what DC Council did--I'll sign it. prgtoken President is right. Now is not the time to get soft on crime. prgtoken This is, by the way, a good time to demonstrate that this is not or should not be a partisan issue. How fitting is it that this bill, once it is passed by the Senate, is expected to be the first piece of legislation signed into law by President during this Congress. It is also fitting that the House sponsor of this bill is none other than second-term Congressman Andrew Clyde, a and a member of the House Freedom Caucus. So if this bill is able to unite the House Freedom Caucus and President , it is doing something right. prgtoken Now, it is not often that I find myself in the company of President and Mayor Bowser. We have already seen this play out with the campaign to ``defund the police.'' Cities with this disposition quickly discovered that lawlessness begets anarchy. Since the campaign began, crime has skyrocketed, and police resignations have soared. What started as a series
PROTECTING SPEECH FROM GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE ACT
Andrew S. Clyde (Republican, GA) \u2014 2023-3-8

. Mr. Chair, the gentleman from New York's remarks in opposition to my amendment are puzzling. prgtoken I think my commonsense amendment should pass with broad bipartisan support as it simply requires transparency and accountability via the mechanism of a report to Congress. That is not a novel idea. It is actually a very good one. It keeps the average American citizen informed. prgtoken Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Comer).
GET OUR FISCAL HOUSE IN ORDER
Russ Fulcher (Republican, ID) \u2014 2023-3-8

. Madam , not long ago, America was the largest energy producer in the world. Gas was affordable, and groceries weren't worth an entire paycheck. These are not faraway memories from our country's bygone golden era--this was the reality for Americans just a few years ago. prgtoken Government spending has increased over $9 trillion since President has taken office. This predictably resulted in the highest inflation in four decades. American families have had to bear the brunt of this crisis, yet my colleagues on the other side of the aisle still seem to have no plan to tackle inflation outside of spending more taxpayer money. prgtoken House s have been clear about our mission in 2023: set our fiscal house in order so that we can lower the cost of living for Americans. We can find solutions to our debt crisis by working on new budgetary framework focused on fiscal restraint. prgtoken s' commitment to America offers tangible solutions to set us on that path--from strengthening our supply chains to enacting progrowth policies.
OUR NATION'S ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
Glenn Grothman (Republican, WI) \u2014 2023-3-8

I know normally this hour is taken up with speeches that I think are not bipartisan enough. I have decided to take this time to congratulate President on his decision not to veto the bill we are sending over to him, which will prevent the District of Columbia from decreasing the penalties for severe crimes committed in this city. prgtoken I think what President has done is finally recognized what a lot of us have been saying over the last few years. The District of Columbia is just plainly and simply not capable of self-governance at this time. I am glad President agrees with us on that topic. prgtoken Right now, the District of Columbia has the second-highest spending per capita in the country on its schools, trailing only New York. Nevertheless, its test scores are abysmal. prgtoken The over 200 murders last year in the Nation's Capital is also an embarrassment, and that number has skyrocketed this year so far as of mid-February. prgtoken I will tell you, this is the Nation's Capital. There is no city we should care about more than the District of Columbia. It should be a shining light to represent the United States. People come here from all around the world. prgtoken I remember once I took a trip to Taipei, the large capital city of Taiwan. I was there with some friends. I asked our tour guide if there was anywhere at night we should not go, expecting there were some places we could not walk to without danger. We were told there was nowhere in Taipei we can't go. Nowhere in Taipei is not safe. prgtoken I was kind of embarrassed about my country because I thought, well, I was safe going to Taipei, but if I had visitors coming from Taiwan to Washington, D.C I would be talking for quite a while, explaining all the places we couldn't go here. prgtoken I don't know whether people are aware that Vladimir Putin makes fun of our country for allowing such decline in the District of Columbia, not only how embarrassingly high our crime rate is but how embarrassingly low our test scores in the schools are, how embarrassing it is to have so many homeless people wherever you look. prgtoken I hope President builds on this new conversion in which he is admitting the District of Columbia is not capable, apparently, of setting appropriate punishments for crimes here. prgtoken I look forward to working with President on perhaps things we can do to improve the decisions by the local school board on their schools, maybe make some changes in their welfare policies that lead to so many homeless people here. prgtoken In any event, like I said, I would like to end tonight's speeches on an upbeat message, thanking President for his conversion to the understanding that the people here in the District of Columbia, who, by the way, he is not a perfect man, but they voted 6 percent for in the last election. I kind of wondered what type of people would do that, but they did. prgtoken In any
PROTECTING SPEECH FROM GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE ACT
John W. Rose (Republican, TN) \u2014 2023-3-8

free speech is the cornerstone of a free and thriving society. prgtoken Unfortunately, recent revelations made in the Twitter files show that free speech under the First Amendment is under attack--even by those within our own Federal Government. prgtoken Our Founding Fathers fought hard to enshrine the right to free speech in our Constitution. As social media companies and Big Tech corporations collude with rogue Federal officials to censor and deplatform members of our free society--including Members of Congress and other conservative voices--we must continue to do everything we can to fight to protect the First Amendment for everyone. prgtoken The Protecting Speech for Government Interference Act does exactly that. It is a victory against the modern-day attacks on our freedom, and it is a victory for all freedom-loving citizens of the United States who embrace and accept the right to free speech. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the bill.
WILLOW PROJECT
Dan Sullivan (Republican, AK) \u2014 2023-3-8

I am coming to the floor for the final time to give remarks about the Willow Project. I will explain it a little bit in my remarks. prgtoken The President is getting ready to make a decision--a huge decision-- on a big project in Alaska--really, an inflection point for our State's future. He is likely to make that decision any day. So I am just going to come down and kind of wrap up the arguments that we have been making. prgtoken I really want to thank a number of folks: Senator Murkowski, of course, who, with me--we have been focused on this issue for 2 years, the entire time of the administration--2 years, arguments every day, including a meeting with the President last week, last Thursday; Congresswoman Peltola, who has done a really strong job in this regard, particularly in the meeting last week with the President. Some of my ic colleagues have been weighing in on this project. I really appreciate that. I know it takes a lot of courage. prgtoken I am going to talk about some of the far-left lower 48 environmental groups that don't support it based on nothing--no facts, no data. But stand up to them, go to the White House and say: Come on, . Come on, administration. You have to make sure Alaska has this. prgtoken So my colleagues, I am not going to name you. I don't want to get you in trouble or anything, but thank you. I really, really appreciate this. prgtoken As I mentioned, we had a meeting with the President last week, and, at the beginning of the meeting, in addition to handing the President a unanimous resolution from the entire Alaska Legislature--the entire State senate, the entire State house; , s, Independents; Native, non-Native--all passed a resolution saying to the administration: Please support the Willow Project. prgtoken There were three pads. I handed that to the President. I also handed him this map that describes really the context, as I said to the President, of what is happening in Alaska under this administration. prgtoken I was respectful. We were in the Oval Office. Of course, you are going to be respectful with the President and his team. The Oval Office is a very historic place, obviously. But I said, respectfully: , in every region of the State, every industry--oil, gas, mining, hunting, fishing; you name it--there have been 45 Executive orders and Executive actions--it is now 46; there has been another one since the meeting we had last week--looking to shut down Alaska. It is exhausting, to be honest. No other State is getting that kind of attention. prgtoken I walked through some of these, but I just, again, respectfully, wanted the President to know, and that is it. Every time we meet with senior White House officials and say--these are the days we have met with senior White House officials--``Hey, how about a ceasefire?'' we just get more, more. prgtoken There is no other State in the
UKRAINE FREEDOM CRUCIAL
Joe Wilson (Republican, SC) \u2014 2023-3-8

. Madam , last week, The Washington Times featured a thoughtful open letter from Clifford D. May, president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, to President . He wrote: ``Dear , first, kudos to you for going to Kyiv.'' ``For the past year, you've been providing the Ukrainians enough weapons to prevent them from losing but not enough . . . to drive out the [Putin] invaders. Why not ask such military experts as retired General Jack Keane what's necessary to get the job done as fast as possible?'' ``The moral argument for supporting Ukraine is obvious to most people but you still haven't made clear why its defense is a vital American national interest. . . . The rulers of neoimperialist Russia, Communist China, and Islamic Iran share a goal: the diminishment--if not death-- of the United States.'' prgtoken In conclusion, God bless our troops who successfully protected America for 20 years as the global war on terrorism continues moving from the Afghanistan safe haven to America. prgtoken Congratulations, Ambassador Georgi Panayotov, for the Library of Congress National Bulgaria Day reception.
DISAPPROVING THE ACTION OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COUNCIL IN APPROVING THE REVISED CRIMINAL CODE ACT OF 2022
Marsha Blackburn (Republican, TN) \u2014 2023-3-8

I am so pleased to come to the floor today in support of Senator Hagerty's legislation. It is so appropriate that we take this up, and I look forward to supporting the legislation as we vote later today and seeing this move to passage, seeing this become law, and seeing this add to protection for the citizens who live here in DC. prgtoken Over the past few years, our Nation has certainly witnessed a devastating increase in violent crime. Compared to mid-2019, America's largest cities have experienced a 50-percent increase in homicides and a 36-percent increase in aggravated assaults. It is unimaginable that, given the rise in violence in this country, the elected officials of the DC City Council think it is a good idea to reduce the amount of jail time for violent and deadly crimes. This includes carjackings, and Senator Hagerty referenced one that was taking place in front of the protesters who were out there because they opposed this bill. prgtoken Now, these crimes are rampant here in our Nation's Capital. In fact, as of this morning, the Metropolitan Police Department tells us that motor vehicle theft is up more than 100 percent compared to last year. Homicides are up 33 percent. If you look at the direction those stats have gone over the past 10 years, it is not encouraging--incidences of sex abuse up 120 percent, property crime up 30 percent. prgtoken You don't have to live in the District to know that something has taken hold here, and reducing penalties for terrorizing innocent civilians is not the way to break free. Citizens should not feel unsafe in their communities, no matter where they live. prgtoken Today's vote is about protecting the people from this failed leadership, but it is also about holding the DC City Council accountable for prioritizing a cynical political maneuver over the safety of the very people they represent. This body has made a name for itself, this DC City Council, this legislative body for the District of Columbia. They have made a name for themselves because they have cherry-picked some violations and have chosen to impose some truly ridiculous restrictions on what District residents can and cannot do. They don't deserve the benefit of the doubt here. prgtoken Right now, the council is ready to retreat, but it would be a dereliction of our duty as Senators to allow them to do that. That is why we are supporting Senator Hagerty in his resolution of disapproval and in his work to stop this foolishness from the DC Council. prgtoken We also have a duty to update and improve existing laws to combat criminals as their tactics evolve. prgtoken Earlier this year, I introduced the REPORT Act, which will go a long way in helping law enforcement tackle child exploitation online. The past few years of hearings with the Consumer Protection Subcommittee have made it clear that we need to modernize our child safety laws. prgtoken The explosion of social media and the expansion
DISAPPROVING THE ACTION OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COUNCIL IN APPROVING THE REVISED CRIMINAL CODE ACT OF 2022
Shelley Moore Capito (Republican, WV) \u2014 2023-3-8

I am so glad the Senator from Tennessee is on the floor with H.J. Res. 26. I want to thank him for being insightful to know how important this is going to be to this Congress, to this city, to this country. So for his steadfast work on this issue, and I look forward to supporting the resolution. We are also going to be talking a lot on the floor about this. So I thank him very much. prgtoken I rise today to talk about an issue that I actually came to the floor on 3 weeks ago and that is just very, very relevant, especially today, and that is out-of-control crime and a disregard for law and order that, unfortunately, President has enabled in his own backyard. prgtoken Under the administration's soft-on-crime agenda and rhetoric, Washington, DC, the capital of our beautiful country, has seen a 25- percent increase in crime, a 33-percent increase in homicides, a 121- percent increase in sexual abuse, and a 108-percent increase in motor vehicle theft--just this year, and we are just starting. prgtoken To make matters worse, in the midst of ongoing crime, the DC Council thought that now was an appropriate time to rewrite the Criminal Code. Instead of enforcing law and order in light of all of these statistics and supporting our police officers and making residents and visitors of the District feel safe, the DC Council found it fitting to lessen the punishment for violent criminal offenses--hard to believe, isn't it?-- and embolden those who dare to break the law instead of heeding local calls for increased safety and policing from their residents. prgtoken It really doesn't get any more tone-deaf than that. Believe it or not, when the DC Council originally passed their irresponsible Criminal Code overall, prgtoken Mayor Muriel Bowser vetoed the bill--the Mayor of the city of DC-- claiming that ``this bill does not make us safer.'' prgtoken She knows. She sees these statistics every single day and talks to her police officers every single day. prgtoken Well, Mayor Bowser, my colleagues and I could not agree with you more. It is obvious that the DC Council's legislation is the complete opposite of what is needed to control the out-of-control crime. prgtoken Now, I am sure that you have seen that, in the face of an imminent bipartisan and bicameral rejection of their policy, the DC Council, then, has attempted to withdraw their Criminal Code revision legislation. That is a glaring--a glaring--admission by the council that they knew what they were doing is absolutely wrong. prgtoken But do you know what? It is simply too little, too late. Regardless of this unprecedented and potentially unlawful move, the Senate is poised to reject the DC Council's sweeping and irresponsible ``Revised Criminal Code of 2022'' on a bipartisan basis. We certainly saw that in the House. prgtoken This vote, led by my colleague Senator Hagerty of Tennessee, gives every Member of the U.S. Senate the chance
DISAPPROVING THE ACTION OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COUNCIL IN APPROVING THE REVISED CRIMINAL CODE ACT OF 2022
Thom Tillis (Republican, NC) \u2014 2023-3-8

I rise today to voice my support for the resolution we are talking about on public safety in Washington, DC. prgtoken The DC Revised Criminal Code Act is another example of how the far left is so out of touch that they want to reduce penalties for violent crime in DC while residents, Federal employees, Members of Congress, our visiting constituents, and even our visiting diplomats are facing greater risk. prgtoken There are a number of concerns I have with the crime bill that the DC Council passed over the objections of the DC Mayor, many of which have already been discussed at length by my colleagues. prgtoken But one of the most puzzling to me is why you would ever reduce penalties for carjacking. DC city officials saw from 2019 to 2020, the number of carjackings in DC more than doubled from 152 to 360. They are not following trends either. In 2021, it went up to 425; and in 2022, it went up to 485. Despite the fact that carjackings have more than tripled in the last 4 years, far-left radicals on the DC City Council thought now was the time to reduce penalties for carjacking. That is one of only several examples we can go to that my colleagues have talked about. prgtoken That tells me that the DC City Council is blind to crime happening right in front of them--right outside their front door--or that the carjacking industry has some really good lobbyists here in Washington. prgtoken Now, to make it worse, only a month ago, President 's Office of Management and Budget issued a statement opposing this resolution and in support of letting radical DC activists on the council let the bill go into effect. Not only that, but at least on two occasions, President 's U.S. attorney in Washington, DC, expressed support for letting the radical proposal proceed, even while raising concerns about how extreme the policies were. prgtoken I am appealing directly to President . First, I want to thank him for agreeing to sign this resolution when we send it to the President's desk after a successful vote. I am also asking the President to prove his commitment to public safety by working with my colleagues and me on commonsense, bipartisan proposals that keep communities safe. I think that I have a track record of bipartisanship here that the President should take as a good-faith offer. We need to get to work. prgtoken One of the bills that I would like to get support for is a bill that I filed last Congress--and I am going to file again--called the Protect and Serve Act. We need to get it into law because it creates penalties for those who assault or kill a police officer, the brave men and women in law enforcement. prgtoken We need to show our commitment to law enforcement and to law and order in this country, and I believe the Protect and Serve Act will send a clear signal to friends and foes alike that we care about law enforcement. We need the thousands of law enforcement jobs that are not being f