mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Super Bowl LVI (Executive Session)
Deb Fischer (Republican, NE) \u2014 2022-2-16

like many Americans, Nebraskans were rooting for the Bengals on Sunday. Everyone loves a good underdog story. The Bengals hadn't won a playoff game in more than 30 years until this season, and they were effectively the visiting team in a Super Bowl that was played in Los Angeles against the L.A. Rams. prgtoken Outside of Ohio, Nebraska may have more connection to the Bengals than any other State. To start, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has deep roots in Nebraska. Both of his brothers, Jamie and Dan, played for the Huskers in the early 2000s. His mom Robin grew up in Tecumseh, NE, and Burrow has uncles and other relatives scattered around southeast Nebraska. prgtoken His grandfather Wayne is a farmer in Johnson County. Wayne has watched every Super Bowl for 56 years, going back to Super Bowl I in 1967. This year was the first time he has attended the big game in person to cheer on his grandson and the Bengals. prgtoken Maybe best of all, Joe Burrow's dad played for the Nebraska Huskers in the seventies before going on to a career in the NFL and the Canadian Football League. Later, as an assistant coach, he was part of the Husker team that took on No. 1 Miami in the 2002 Rose Bowl. Husker football fans remember that game as the last time Nebraska has played for a national championship--not good. Five-year-old Joe Burrow was there in Pasadena to support his dad, making Sunday's Super Bowl the second time he has traveled to L.A. for a national title game. prgtoken Even by themselves, Joe Burrow's Nebraska connections would have been enough to make Husker Nation pull for the Bengals, but Bengals Coach Zac Taylor is another reason that Nebraskans were with Cincinnati on Sunday. He was the Huskers' starting quarterback for the 2005 and 2006 seasons, throwing for nearly 6,000 yards and 45 touchdowns. He was also the last Cornhusker to win the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year Award. prgtoken He credits his success as a player to Nebraska's coach at the time, Bill Callahan. Now, he has Brian Callahan, Bill's son, on his staff as his offensive coordinator. Troy Walters, the Bengals' wide receivers coach, was Nebraska's offensive coordinator from 2017 to 2019. prgtoken Another Bengals player with Nebraska ties is Stanley Morgan. He signed with the Bengals in 2019 after a stellar college career with the Huskers, and he is easily one of the best receivers in Husker football history. Morgan rewrote Nebraska's wide receiver record books from 2015 to 2018. He holds the record for career receptions and receiving yards and also for single-season receiving yards. With that last record, he eclipsed the previous total Nebraska football legend Johnny Rodgers set on his way to winning the Heisman Trophy in 1972. Now Morgan has a bright future ahead of him in the NFL. prgtoken Nebraska's connections to this Bengals team is strong. The team came up just short on Sunday, but Nebraskans are proud of what they accomplis
Crime (Executive Calendar)
Rick Scott (Republican, FL) \u2014 2022-2-16

reserving the right to object. prgtoken Throughout his administration, President has shown a shocking disregard for congressional authority and oversight. prgtoken Following his botched and deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan, the administration has refused to take accountability or provide answers to Congress or the American people. The President repeatedly shifts blame and hides from the truth. His administration demands to have closed, so-called classified hearings, even though none of the material being discussed is classified information. prgtoken We still don't even know how many Americans are trapped in Afghanistan. We don't know how many Americans are trapped in Afghanistan. abandoned them behind enemy lines. prgtoken It is wrong. It left many Americans with no faith in President 's ability to lead or appoint qualified individuals to serve in these important roles. prgtoken That is why I cannot and will not consent to allowing this nominee to move forward in an expedited manner. We should take a vote so every Senator can get on the record with their support or opposition to this nominee. prgtoken Therefore, I object.
Ukraine (Executive Session)
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2022-2-16

yesterday, President addressed the country about the ongoing crisis that Russia has created on its border with Ukraine. prgtoken There was much in the President's remarks that I appreciated. He was right to candidly remind the Russian people that neither the United States nor NATO nor Ukraine wants a war. He was right to emphasize that the world will not shrug or stand idly by if Vladimir Putin tries to invade his neighbor or redraw the map of Europe through deadly force. prgtoken We have spent much time discussing Russia's alleged security concerns and not enough time examining the legitimate concerns of Russia's neighbors, many of whom have a long history--a long history--of being invaded by Moscow. The concerns of these free, sovereign states matter as well, and the President would do well to amplify their voices and their historical experiences. prgtoken So it is fine for President to engage in good-faith diplomacy, provided we are skeptical about Putin's intentions. Thus far, Putin's behavior is proving how little he can be trusted and how little he is interested in diplomacy as anything other than a gambit to divide the West or a pretext for war. prgtoken The United States must keep sending these strong messages, verbally and with concrete actions, both right now before any hostilities and then with prgtoken devastating force if Putin does, indeed, plow ahead. prgtoken The United States and our partners should waste no time in helping Ukraine prepare for war--weapons, materiel, advice, logistics, and intelligence. We should be building the infrastructure to help Ukraine sustain their resistance to Russian aggression if and when it comes. prgtoken I welcome the President's deployment of additional forces to the territory of NATO allies situated along our alliance's eastern flank. I recommended he take such action months ago. And I am particularly grateful to the Kentuckians of the 101st Airborne Division who are leaving Fort Campbell this week to join NATO reinforcements in Eastern Europe. prgtoken As our diplomats work to halt the train of Russian aggression, it is the brave men and women of the U.S. military who give their words added weight. prgtoken I am hopeful that President will rise to the occasion. As a bipartisan group of colleagues and I made clear in a joint statement yesterday, the President would have overwhelming, bipartisan support to use his existing Executive authorities for tough sanctions against Russia in the event of conflict. prgtoken We should acknowledge Putin's use of energy as a weapon. If the President is serious about providing relief for Americans at the pump or blunting Putin's manipulation of energy markets, he will stop his administration's anti-energy policies that make it harder for our own producers to explore, to produce, and to export energy to vulnerable allies. prgtoken While our eastern flank allies have consistently taken a clear-eyed ap
Border Security (Executive Session)
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2022-2-16

we are currently in the midst of the worst border crisis in our Nation's history. prgtoken It is no exaggeration to say that the situation at our southern border is out of control. In December, U.S. Customs and Border Protection apprehended more than 178,000 individuals attempting to cross our southern border illegally--178,000 in 1 month--which is more than double the number of individuals apprehended by the Border Patrol the previous December. prgtoken This is no isolated incident. Almost from the day the President took office, our Nation has been experiencing an unprecedented border surge. In fiscal year 2021, the Border Patrol encountered more than 1.7 million individuals attempting to cross our southern border--the highest number ever recorded. prgtoken The situation at our southern border is a security, enforcement, and humanitarian nightmare. Our Border Patrol officers have done heroic work this past year, but they are stretched incredibly thin and are having to spend too much time caring for migrants and not enough time patrolling the border. This heightens the chance that dangerous individuals--from terrorists to drug smugglers, to human traffickers-- will slip across the border into the country unnoticed. prgtoken Drug trafficking across our southern border is a major problem and a problem that affects our entire country. There is a massive increase of fentanyl being smuggled across the border in States around the country, with total seizures up 134 percent and as high as 1,000 percent in South Texas. Alarmingly, fentanyl overdoses are now the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45. prgtoken I have talked with local law enforcement officials in South Dakota who report that they regularly seize drugs that they can trace back to cartels trafficking them across our southern border. In other words, it is not just border States that are affected by security problems at our borders. Every State in our Union is threatened by lax border security. prgtoken Addressing the situation at our southern border should be one of this administration's top priorities, but the President has been almost completely AWOL on this issue, as has his supposed border czar, the Vice President. He seems to be hoping that if he ignores this crisis long enough, it will go away. But it hasn't gone away. In fact, it shows no signs of stopping. prgtoken It is hard to overemphasize the depth of the President's dereliction of duty on this issue. After all, it is the President's job to deal with national security and border enforcement. Yet the President continues to do essentially nothing to address the situation at our southern border. He can't even be bothered to visit the border. In fact, there is reason to believe that the President has never, never visited the border--not as President, not as Vice President, and not even as a Senator--beyond driving by it once on the way to a campaign rally in 2008. prgtoken
Unanimous Consent Request--Executive Calendar (Executive Calendar)
Tom Cotton (Republican, AR) \u2014 2022-2-16

I am surprised to hear the Senator from Illinois continue to refer to this as a political issue or a political story when we have career law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line to defend Federal property from leftwing street militias. And they are worried if they can put the food on the table for their children, if they can buy them gifts at Christmas, if they can put braces on them, if they can send them to summer camp. prgtoken I don't consider that a political issue; I consider it standing up for law enforcement--not just these four but every deputy marshal around the country who forms the backbone of the Marshals Service, the backbone of the Marshals Service all across the country, who have to wonder if maybe they are going to be the next one to be hung out to dry by the Department of Justice if they confront a rioter with the wrong politics. prgtoken This is not a political issue. prgtoken Now, the Senator from Illinois continues to speak about confidentiality and attorney-client privilege as if this is all information that has been communicated to these four marshals and they just don't want to share it with us here in the Senate. That is not the case. Three of them, I would say, haven't heard anything. In a lawsuit that is almost 18 months old, they have been told nothing yet. That is why they have had to go out and retain their own counsel. prgtoken One of them was denied representation with no more basis than saying it is not in the interest of the United States of America. Well, forgive me if I don't trust Vanita Gupta to determine what is in the interest of the United States when it comes to defending law enforcement. prgtoken These marshals are told that these determinations are final and there is no appeal and there is no recourse. Well, I am the recourse now. prgtoken The Senator from Illinois keeps talking about these urgent law enforcement needs in his own State of Illinois. I would point out that the position that is empty has been empty since 2018. If it was so urgent, the Senator from Illinois could have cooperated with the administration and tried to fill it then. These U.S. attorney positions that are empty--President fired all U.S. attorneys a year ago. If it was so urgent to have Senate-confirmed U.S. attorneys in position, he could have asked them to continue to serve until he was able to find suitable replacements. prgtoken The Senator from Illinois also said: Well, Senator Cotton got his letter responded to. I am not looking for some courtesy exchange of letters here; I am trying to protect four U.S. marshals who defended the Portland courthouse from a leftwing street militia, who have been hung out to dry, imperiling the confidence of all marshals across the country in whether or not their political leadership at the Department of Justice will back them up when they are in a controversy. The Department still won't answer that. They won't <
HEALTH CARE FOR BURN PIT VETERANS ACT
Jerry Moran (Republican, KS) \u2014 2022-2-16

I rise this afternoon here on the Senate floor to mark what will soon be the passage, in just a matter of moments, of a vital veterans bill and to thank my colleagues--both s and --who came together to support the Health Care for Burn Pit Veterans Act. This is an important bill, and it will remove hurdles for post-9/11 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, in particular, who were exposed to burn pits, so they can receive healthcare from the VA without delay. prgtoken This legislation is cosponsored by every single member of the Senate VA Committee, and I commend each of my Senate colleagues in their support for this legislation. prgtoken Supporting our veterans has a way of bringing us together, and I am so glad that is true. I am on the floor this afternoon with the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, and I appreciate how he and my Senate colleagues understand the urgency of this bill and are quickly moving to pass it by unanimous consent. prgtoken Post-9/11 veterans are the newest generation of American heroes to suffer from toxic exposure encountered during military service; and passing this legislation marks just a first step--a first step--of a phased approach to solving the complex challenges of caring for those veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic exposures. prgtoken For way too long, we have heard from veterans who got sick after exposure to burn pits and need lifesaving care. There is a bipartisan consensus on our committee that this phased approach--delivering healthcare now and reforming the benefit system next--is the most effective pathway forward for toxic exposure veterans and all other veterans as well. prgtoken Servicemembers are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for their country. We know that. We respect that. We honor that. We must match that level of commitment by crafting thoughtful and effective solutions to make certain we hold up our end of the bargain and continuously work toward the best outcomes for those who served and sacrificed. prgtoken I once joined a roundtable in Wichita, KS, with local members of the Vietnam Veterans of America and was moved by their stories--not only of their own health consequences from Agent Orange but their concerns of how their exposure was affecting the health of their children and grandchildren. From that veteran feedback, I introduced the Toxic Exposure Research Act with Senator Blumenthal, which was signed into law in 2016. prgtoken I have since heard from many veterans in Kansas and across the country who are sick and dying from the effects of toxic exposure caused by burn pits. Addressing the needs of veterans exposed to burn pits cannot wait. This legislation could be lifesaving for those exposed or suffering. When our men and women in uniform go into harm's way on our behalf, we owe it to them to take care of them when they come home for whatever injuries are incurred during their service
Energy (Executive Calendar)
John Barrasso (Republican, WY) \u2014 2022-2-16

I come to the floor today to specifically talk about Americans' need for more American energy. prgtoken For the last year, the American people have been suffering from ongoing inflation. They are paying the price, they are feeling the pain, and it all started on day 1 of the administration, when he took out his Executive order pen, and he killed a pipeline bringing energy from Canada to the United States. prgtoken And as this war on American energy has continued, we are now at a point where inflation is the worst it has been in 40 years. So it is no surprise that the President's approval rating has dropped to a low of only 40 percent in America. prgtoken Well, this incredible rise in prices for energy, as well as all of the other components--whether it is gas, whether it is groceries--but if energy gets more expensive, we know that it costs more to manufacture things, it costs more to grow things, it costs more to transport things from where they are grown or manufactured to market. prgtoken So much of this inflation has been brought on as a result of the policies related specifically to American energy. prgtoken When you look at the laws that he has promoted, the executive actions that he has taken from day 1, going all the way up to a speech he gave just yesterday, this is a President who is dancing to the tune of the climate elitists and wants to keep American energy in the ground. prgtoken Energy prices are up overall about 30 cents on the dollar since took over. They have gone up 8 months in a row. Gasoline prices are up by about a dollar a gallon, if not more so, since took office. prgtoken I was at a high school in Greybull, WY, and started talking about energy prices. I asked if they know what the cost of a gallon of gasoline was, and the student body knew to within nine-tenths of a penny how much the cost of gasoline was in their hometown of Greybull, WY. prgtoken You can see it right up there, and people know the price, and they have been watching, since took over, the price of energy going up; and we have also seen 's approval going down. prgtoken This isn't a coincidence. This is a direct result of the anti- American energy policies of this President and the in this body and this administration. prgtoken On his first day in office, his very first day in office, killed the Keystone Pipeline. He blocked new oil and gas leases on public lands. He has gone after energy exploration in Alaska. prgtoken And for the senior Senator from Alaska to come to the floor and go to an Energy Committee and say: It is hard to believe, but we are using more energy in the United States today, she said, from Russia than we are from Alaska, that is a result of the actions of this administration. prgtoken So what has happened with all of this? What has the impact been to American families? prgtoken Well, they are struggling. They are suf
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
Susan M. Collins (Republican, ME) \u2014 2022-2-16

. . I rise today to introduce the Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act of 2022 with my colleagues Senator Sinema and Senator King. This legislation would allow individuals seeking asylum to be eligible for employment authorizations starting 30 days after applying for asylum, provided their applications are not frivolous; they are not detained; and their identities have been verified, with their names run through the federal--government's terrorist watch lists. This change would allow asylum applicants to work, support themselves, and contribute to society without being as dependent on assistance from local governments while their claims are being adjudicated. prgtoken Under current law, asylum seekers must wait extended periods of time after filing their applications before they are allowed to apply for work permits. These long waiting periods were originally adopted by the Clinton administration--and then extended to a full year by the administration--out of concern that some migrants might apply for asylum primarily as a means of getting a work authorization. Clearly, this change has only transferred the burden of care for these asylum seekers onto communities across the Nation. prgtoken One such community is Portland, ME. Over the span of several months, a historic surge of asylum seekers has arrived in Portland after crossing our southern border. Currently, hundreds of asylum seekers are being housed in emergency shelters by the city of Portland. These asylum seekers could give a much needed boost to Maine businesses that are facing labor shortages--our State's unemployment rate is just 4.7 percent--but the lengthy work authorization process prevents these asylum seekers from getting jobs, even to support themselves. prgtoken While the Federal Government has provided assistance to Portland and other communities around our country dealing with a surge in asylum seekers, it would be a better solution if those seeking asylum were able to join the workforce and achieve self-sufficiency as quickly as possible while awaiting the outcome of their cases. prgtoken It is my hope that the changes proposed by our bill will lessen the burden on the budgets of communities hosting asylum seekers, while allowing these individuals and their families to support themselves as they want to do, bringing needed skills to the cities and towns in which they settle. I encourage my colleagues to support it.