mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
SECURING GROWTH AND ROBUST LEADERSHIP IN AMERICAN AVIATION ACT--MOTION TO PROCEED--Continued
Tim Kaine (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2023-9-27

I appear in a very timely way to make clear that our military will be paid if the House s do not shut our government down. But in the off chance that they do, because of , in the last shutdown we had, we got a bill passed that guaranteed that all of them will at least receive backpay. In earlier shutdowns, that was never a guarantee. So people were forced to come to work not knowing whether they would be paid. prgtoken But during the last shutdown, in early 2019, I forwarded a bill to the floor. I used a procedural objection to recess at the end of a week. And using that objection, we were able to get a guarantee in place that all Federal employees, including members of the military, will not be punished when ne'er-do-wells and malefactors in the GOP decide to shut the government down. prgtoken Why do I make it so partisan? It is because only the GOP ever threatens to shut government down. In 2013, 2018, 2019, right now--only the GOP threatens to default on the national debt. We in the Senate, with a little cooperation from our colleagues, will pass an overwhelmingly bipartisan continuing resolution within the next couple of days. And if the House will only do their job and agree to be as bipartisan as the Senate is, nobody needs to worry about losing a paycheck. But at least we have put a guarantee in place that nobody serving our Nation, whether in uniform or otherwise, will be at risk of losing pay because of an unnecessary shutdown. prgtoken Just a few months ago, the and the President negotiated a deal to avoid a default, and they set the stage to fund government spending bills. Since then, bipartisan colleagues in the Senate Appropriations Committee have worked in an impressive way. prgtoken The Presiding Officer is part of that team, working impressively and in a bipartisan manner to pass 12 appropriations bills out of committee. prgtoken But now, Members of the House are backtracking on the agreement that we just made 4 months ago. We made an agreement on spending limits, and the Senate Appropriations Committee has written their bills to those numbers. And yet the House is using Federal shutdown as a bargaining chip to undo the deal they just voted for and to try to get more draconian cuts and unnecessary policies in this year-end deal. prgtoken I am a Senator from Virginia. Some of the hardest effects of shutdown will be seen in my State, and they are already starting. Even before we get to midnight on Saturday, September 30, my office has been flooded with more than 600 constituent comments expressing their concerns about government shutdown. And what I would like to do is just share some of the stories that I am hearing from Virginians. prgtoken April, from Orange County, writes: My husband is a member of the Army Reserves and [he] is preparing for a deployment to Africa next year. His training has been delayed due to funding with the cl
SECURING GROWTH AND ROBUST LEADERSHIP IN AMERICAN AVIATION ACT--MOTION TO PROCEED--Continued
Alex Padilla (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2023-9-27

it has been 2 months since I first came to the floor to call for the confirmation of Tara McGrath, President 's nominee to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California. prgtoken On that day in July, my colleague from Ohio chose, as he does today, to put political gamesmanship over the safety of the American people and to hold her nomination hostage to leverage completely unrelated issues. prgtoken Two months later, clearly, nothing has changed. And as a result, since early August, the Southern District of California has gone without a confirmed U.S. attorney. That is despite the fact that a highly qualified candidate was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee after a confirmation hearing, after the proper vetting and review, and is awaiting a full vote on the Senate floor. prgtoken Yet, because my colleague has chosen to politicize our Justice Department and the confirmation process and hinder the work of multiple law enforcement offices as they await confirmation of their leadership, law enforcement is now forced to work harder than necessary to keep our communities safe. That includes the Senator's own home State of Ohio where the Northern District is currently without a Senate-confirmed U.S. attorney for the longest stretch in that office's history. prgtoken Now, in my own State, the Southern District of California has become tangled in this political mess. prgtoken Make no mistake, these delays damage the effectiveness of U.S. Attorney Offices across the country. Like the prgtoken confirmation of hundreds of our military leaders, these crucial law enforcement nominations are being treated like pawns in their political game. prgtoken If we truly care about public safety in our communities, if we truly care about enforcing the law, and if we truly care about cracking down on fentanyl and saving American lives--a claim I hear constantly from my colleagues--then confirm Tara McGrath in the Southern District and allow for the swift confirmation of a host of U.S. attorneys that are still being held up. The people of California and the people of the United States deserve better than this. prgtoken So I call on my colleague to stop weaponizing the Senate's procedures, to confirm Ms. McGrath and all the qualified nominees before us, and take seriously the job that Americans have sent us here to do. prgtoken .
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2024
Stacey E. Plaskett (Democrat, VI) \u2014 2023-9-27

. Mr. Chair, this amendment would strike Section 8149 from the bill, removing language banning the Department of Defense from classifying or facilitating the classification of any communications by a United States person as misinformation, disinformation, or malinformation, and banning the Department of Defense from partnering with nonpartisan, nonprofit, outside experts to identify these threats. prgtoken As we know, misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation are three of the most important and far-reaching weapons of America's adversaries in Beijing, Tehran, and particularly the Kremlin. prgtoken According to the State Department, Russia has operationalized the concept of perpetual adversarial competition in the information environment by encouraging the development of a disinformation and propaganda ecosystem. This ecosystem then creates and spreads false narratives to strategically advance the Kremlin's policy goals. There is no subject off limits to this firehose of falsehoods. Everything from human rights and environmental policy to assassinations and civilian-killing bombing campaigns are fair targets in Russia's malign playbook. prgtoken Only truth disarms these disinformation weapons, and the House of Representatives must support our government to ensure that foreign adversaries do not use the American people to disseminate lies with the goal of destroying our democracy without identifying them as misinformation, disinformation, or malinformation. prgtoken Here are some truths: The Federal Government of the United States of America and the Department of Defense that we are working here to fund today are unequivocally responsible for the protection of American citizens from all enemies, all threats foreign or domestic. All threats mean all threats, whether the threat is kinetic, economic, infectious, in cyberspace or on Main Street. It is our job to provide the defense of the Nation and its people. prgtoken We must continue to come together to seek and promote the truth, and I urge my colleagues to approve this amendment. prgtoken Mr. Chair, .
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2024
Delia C. Ramirez (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2023-9-27

. Mr. Chair, as the proud daughter of immigrants, the wife of a Dreamer, the Representative of a district proud of its immigrants and how they contribute to our economy, I am disgusted with the s' relentless persecution and scapegoating of immigrants. prgtoken While we should be looking for ways forward to keep providing essential services for our districts, s want to play games with lives and livelihoods because of their inability to lead. prgtoken They are repeating false claims that the border is open and conditioning government funding on dangerous and irresponsible requests that will neither make the border more secure nor protect our security. prgtoken There is a dissonance between this party of fiscal responsibility that is driving us to a shutdown while immigrants--supposedly our economic downfall--are contributing more than $20.4 billion in taxes just in Illinois. prgtoken With 11 million more immigrants ready to boost our economy through needed pathways to work, it is time to leave the political theater behind. People are tired of it. Let's recognize the positive fiscal contributions of immigrants to our Nation and do the work our constituents sent us here to do.
SECURING GROWTH AND ROBUST LEADERSHIP IN AMERICAN AVIATION ACT--MOTION TO PROCEED--Continued
Jacky Rosen (Democrat, NV) \u2014 2023-9-27

it has been nearly 6 years since my hometown of Las Vegas experienced an unimaginable tragedy--an attack that ripped families apart, destroyed lives, and left its mark on our State forever. prgtoken During any given weekend, our city is just buzzing with tourists and visitors from all across the country and all around the world. prgtoken And on the night of October 1, 2017, tens of thousands of people came to attend a music festival. But that night--that night--would be different--a night that would forever change our city, because that night a gunman opened fire on a crowd of concertgoers. In just 10 minutes--10 minutes--58 innocent people were struck down, hundreds of others were injured by gunfire, and hundreds more were hurt in the chaos that followed. prgtoken In the years since, we lost more individuals as a result of this tragedy, the deadliest mass shooting in American history. prgtoken Just think about what that means. It means families will forever have an empty chair at their kitchen table--families who will relive this horrific night each and every year, families who didn't get to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and families who never got to say good-bye to their loved ones. prgtoken That night also changed the lives of everyone here. People who were attending or working at the festival and first responders--well, they ran towards the danger. The full extent of the damage caused by this brutal attack can never truly be measured. prgtoken But in this dark moment, we saw our community go above and beyond to help others. Las Vegas--actually our entire State--we rallied together not just in the immediate aftermath but in the days, weeks, months, and even years after. prgtoken In the chaos and confusion of that night, our heroic first responders--police officers, firefighters, paramedics--ran into the scene to help. And their efforts that night saved lives. prgtoken And on the following day, we saw lines of people--lines of people-- around entire blocks willing to donate blood. prgtoken And one story really sticks out to me. I remember speaking to a woman waiting to give blood in line. And when I went up to talk to her, she lifted up her arms like this to me, and she had tears in her eyes, and she said: I don't have much, but I have my blood to give. This is what I can give. prgtoken I remember her face to this day. It stays with me. And this kind of selflessness, this really embodies the incredible spirit of our community. And that woman's donation and the stories that she will tell and me meeting her has left an indelible imprint on me. prgtoken We come together to mourn those we lost and to support those who survived. This horrible moment showed the country why we are Vegas Strong. And I am here today to honor the memories of those who were impacted by that terrible night. prgtoken So as we remember and reflect on this event, we must also commit ourselves to action. And in the ye
Amendment No. 173 Offered by Mr. Roy
Betty McCollum (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2023-9-27

. Mr. Chair, the Department of Defense appropriation bill, we are sending a message, a clear message, and I support that message. What the gentleman from Wisconsin is talking about, Mr. Chair, is the Department of State, and that is not germane to this bill. prgtoken There are bills on the floor where it will be germane, and that is my biggest concern with this amendment. I don't want to be a party to not respecting the chairs of the authorizing committees or the chairs and ranking members of the Appropriations Committee that oversees that funding. prgtoken That is not what this bill is about today. For that reason alone, to respect the different roles that we have in this body, this amendment, although well-intentioned by my colleague from Wisconsin, is not germane to this bill. We should not overstep our jurisdiction. We should stay with what we are doing with China and Taiwan in the Defense bill, which the chair has marked out clearly. prgtoken I support that, but I do not support starting to dictate what the authorizing committee and the Appropriations Committee for State- Foreign Ops should be doing. prgtoken Mr. Chair, .
PROTECTING HUNTING HERITAGE AND EDUCATION ACT
Jon Tester (Democrat, MT) \u2014 2023-9-27

I rise today in support of my bipartisan legislation to protect funding for hunter safety programs. prgtoken Senator Cornyn is going to make a UC here in a bit. I just want to thank him and Senator Murkowski for the work that they have done on this bill. It has been incredible. prgtoken You know, in Montana and across rural America, our schools have long offered hunter safety classes and taught our kids gun safety and personal responsibility, but recently the administration and the bureaucrats here in this city who really don't understand rural America very well decided to block funding for these important education programs. prgtoken I want to be clear. That was a poor decision that will hurt thousands of students who benefit from these resources and these programs every year. That is why I am pushing for this bipartisan fix that would require the Department of Education to restore a school district's ability to use Federal dollars for school archery or gun safety or hunter education programs. prgtoken Look, folks, when s and came together to pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, we did so to ensure that our kids are safe when they go to school. This commonsense bill will make sure that we stay true to that intent by educating future generations on the importance of responsible gun ownership and hunting, which will only make our students and our communities safer. It will protect Montana's longstanding and proud tradition of hunting and shooting sports, which are essential to Montana's way of life. prgtoken I would urge my colleagues in this room today to support this bipartisan solution. prgtoken With that, .
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2024
Hakeem S. Jeffries (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2023-9-27

. Mr. Chair, I thank my good friend, the distinguished gentleman from the great State of Texas and the all-American city of Laredo for yielding and for his continued leadership. prgtoken I also have great respect for the distinguished gentleman from Ohio, the chair of the subcommittee, and of course the top on the Appropriations Committee from Connecticut. prgtoken At the beginning of this Congress, House made it clear that we are willing, ready, and able to find common ground with the other side of the aisle, our colleagues, whenever and wherever possible, to make progress for everyday Americans, to build a healthy economy, to address cost-of-living issues that consume the American people that we were sent to Washington to work on, that President has made progress on with House and Senate , but of course, there is still more work to be done. prgtoken From the beginning of this Congress, House have made clear we are ready, willing, and able to find common ground with the other side of the aisle, to make progress for the American people, but we have also made it clear that we are going to fight extremism whenever necessary. We are headed toward an extreme MAGA government shutdown in just a few days. prgtoken Now, we can avoid it, because there is a bipartisan bill that is working its way through the Senate right now that will continue to fund the government in a way that makes sense for the American people, that would provide funding at the fiscal year 2023 levels for 6 weeks beginning on October 1st, to give us time for the appropriations process to run its course, to find an agreement to fund the government in a bipartisan way. prgtoken It is a continuing resolution right now pending before the Senate, strongly bipartisan, that doesn't contain any of the extreme policy poison-pill riders that House s have been trying to jam down the throats of the American people but have no part in any bipartisan agreement, particularly when we are faced with a possible government shutdown that will hurt the American people. prgtoken It is a continuing resolution that also meets the needs of everyday Americans by providing robust funding for Americans who have been adversely impacted by extreme weather events all across America in blue States and in red States, because extreme weather events aren't partisan in nature, and we should be there for the people of Florida and California and Hawaii and Vermont and the Northeast and the Midwest and the Deep South, those everyday Americans who have been impacted by extreme weather events. prgtoken That is what the bipartisan continuing resolution pending in the Senate will do, and it will allow the Ukrainian people to continue their brave, valiant, and courageous effort to push back against illegal Russian brutal, violent aggression. prgtoken We have a bipartisan continuing resolution working its way through the
HONORING DR. CONSTANCE E. CLAYTON
Dwight Evans (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2023-9-27

I rise today to honor the life of Dr. Constance E. Clayton, a remarkable woman who made an indelible impact on the Philadelphia school system and the lives of countless students as the first African American and first woman to lead the School District of Philadelphia (1982 through 1993). prgtoken During her tenure as superintendent, Dr. Clayton achieved remarkable feats. In an era where few Black women held positions of power, Dr. Clayton fearlessly took on the challenges of a school district plagued by patronage, labor strife, and division. Dr. Clayton brought a sense of stability to a system that had often been engulfed in turmoil. Prior to prgtoken her tenure, the relationship between the district and the teachers' union was toxic, with strikes occurring almost yearly. However, under Clayton's leadership, strikes became a thing of the past, as she worked tirelessly to foster a more productive relationship between the two parties. prgtoken Dr. Clayton is credited with stabilizing the district's budget and spearheading a standardized curriculum that aimed to benefit the many students who frequently moved from one school to another within the city. prgtoken Dr. Clayton was a true trailblazer, a dedicated education advocate, a humanitarian, and a mentor to many. Her career and achievements served as an inspiration, especially to women and African-American women who aspired to break barriers and make their mark in the world. prgtoken Dr. Clayton's impact extended far beyond the School District of Philadelphia. As an advocate for people of color and women in leadership, she paved the way for future generations, inspiring young girls everywhere. prgtoken Her unwavering commitment to improving the lives of students through education is a testament to her remarkable leadership style described as regal and no-nonsense. Dr. Clayton demanded excellence and did not tolerate mediocrity. There was never any doubt that her primary concern was for the well-being and future of Philadelphia's children. She was the embodiment of the School District of Philadelphia. prgtoken Dr. Clayton was the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including 19 honorary doctorate degrees. In 1992, the Constance E. Clayton Professorship in Urban Education was established at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education, making her the first African-American woman to have a chair named for her at an ivy League institution. prgtoken Not only was Dr. Clayton a visionary in education, but she was also a patron of the arts, with affiliations to art museums throughout Philadelphia. Her passion for both education and the arts exemplified her dedication to creating a well-rounded educational experience for students. prgtoken Dr. Clayton passed away on September 18, 2023. We mourn the loss of a remarkable individual who made significant contributions to our community. Dr. Clayton's legacy will continue to inspire and guide us as we st
SECURING GROWTH AND ROBUST LEADERSHIP IN AMERICAN AVIATION ACT--MOTION TO PROCEED--Continued
Thomas R. Carper (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2023-9-27

. Good afternoon, . I am here today to urge my Senate colleagues to join me in considering the confirmation of two excellent people to serve on the Postal Regulatory Commission, which is the governing body for the U.S. Postal Service: Robert Taub, who is currently a commissioner and we are seeking to reconfirm him; and also Thomas Day, who has come through our Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and, I think, unanimously recommended for a position on the Postal Regulatory Commission. prgtoken Both of these public servants have spent literally decades bettering our country. prgtoken Mr. Taub has served on the Commission since 2011, and he actually served as its chairman for, I think, more than 6 years. prgtoken Mr. Day has spent--listen to this--over 35 years at the Postal Service--35 years at the Postal Service--and another service, as I recall, in uniform for our country. prgtoken I would like to add that we have unanimously confirmed Mr. Taub not once but twice previously, and there is no doubt that he has served our country well. prgtoken I want to share three stories with you, if I could: a little bit about the history and the importance of the Postal Service; another about Mr. Taub's role in making the Agency what it is today; and a third about Mr. Day's influence on the function of our postal system across this country. prgtoken In 1787, the Founding Fathers of our country gathered in Philadelphia literally to draft a constitution to be able to outline how a new country might be formed and actually operate and work for the betterment of people who lived here then and in the future. They drafted the Constitution, and they sent that Constitution out across the 13 colonies and asked the colonies to look at it, kick the tires, find out what they liked and what they thought ought to be changed. prgtoken The first State to actually take it up and affirm--ratify, if you will--that Constitution was the colony that is now Delaware, the State of Delaware. prgtoken On December 7, 1787, after a week or so of debate at the Golden Fleece Tavern, the Founding Fathers of Delaware said: We like this Constitution. They maybe tweaked it a little bit and sent it on down to the other colonies, who followed suit. Delaware was, for one whole week, the entire United States of America. Then we opened it up. We let in Pennsylvania and Maryland. And the rest, I think, has turned out pretty well, for the most part, until now. Hopefully, we will continue to exist for many, many years, decades, centuries into the future. prgtoken One key element of the Constitution was the creation of the Postal Service. Our first Postmaster General was actually, believe it or not, Ben Franklin. Ben Franklin. prgtoken The establishment of the Postal Service represented an important early effort to bind us together as a nation--to bind us together as a nation--to unite us in communication with one another. That work continues