mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR--Continued
Josh Hawley (Republican, MO) \u2014 2020-12-18

I am here on behalf of the millions of working people in this country who are out of time, who are out of luck, and who are just about out of hope. I am here on behalf of the millions of working people who have borne the worst of this pandemic, the people who got sent home back in March and April and May, when other businesses got to stay open, and when companies like Amazon and Facebook were making billions of dollars. These are the workers who lost their jobs, the workers who lost their pay, the workers who were told: Too bad for you. prgtoken These are people who right now are missing shifts at work to try to care for kids who are distance learning because of COVID, who are trying to care for a relative who may be sick. These are the people who are always asked to make it work, who are always asked to hold it together and, you know what, they do. prgtoken These are proud people, the working people of our Nation. These are strong people. These are the people who have rallied to this Nation's defense in every hour of need, in every moment of danger, who have sent their sons and daughters to go fight our wars, who have given their time and their talents and their treasure at every opportunity for this Nation. prgtoken And now they are in need. They are the backbone of this Nation, and they are in crisis. I am talking about the 8 million Americans who have fallen into poverty since this summer; 12 million families--working families--who are now behind on their rent; the 35 percent of working families in America who have had to go ask for food assistance in the last couple of months because of this pandemic. Those are the people I am talking about. prgtoken I am talking about people like Susan, who is a single mother, a working mother, from my State in Northeast Missouri, where she lives. She wrote to me the other day, and she is trying to home school her kids who are home because of COVID. She doesn't have internet because she is in a rural part of the State. She doesn't have broadband. She is trying to feed her family. She is trying to stay up with her job, but she has to miss shifts at work because she has got kids at home whom she is trying to home school and supervise. Now she has fallen behind on her rent. She told me, and these are her words: I am not asking for handouts. I am just asking for a chance to get back on my feet. prgtoken Earlier this week, a friend of mine down in Southeast Missouri, the boot heel of Missouri, in a town called Charleston, was helping to distribute food to families in need. He said that there were 30 church groups--30--who lined up to come get food for their congregations, and over 60 families--this is a small town--there were over 60 families who stood in line, and as they were loading food into the trunks of people's cars, many of them were crying. prgtoken What these people ask for, what these Americans ask for is not for government to solve al
BOSTON TEA PARTY
Doug LaMalfa (Republican, CA) \u2014 2020-12-18

this week in 1773, Sam Adams and the Sons of Liberty organized the Boston Tea Party, one of the most iconic protests in American history. They dumped 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor in an uprising against an oppressive government and taxation tyranny. prgtoken Three years ago this month, s built upon our Founders' ideals and passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. We delivered pro-growth, pro-jobs, and pro-America policies to end the economic slowdown of the previous administration. prgtoken Following tax reform, the middle class experienced record financial growth, household incomes soared by nearly 8 percent, and Americans had a greater say over their own paychecks. prgtoken Our Founders knew lower taxes would be better for the economy of 1773, and s proved through the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act 3 years ago that Sam Adams and the Sons of Liberty were correct.
TRIBUTE TO FRONTLINE WORKERS DURING CORONAVIRUS
Vicky Hartzler (Republican, MO) \u2014 2020-12-18

. Madam , I rise today to honor the long-term care and nursing home workers of Missouri's Fourth District, who have witnessed the devastating effects of the coronavirus pandemic on a daily basis. These frontline healthcare workers cope with the deaths and illnesses brought on by this virus and are witnesses to the heartbreaking losses family members experience whose loved ones pass away without benefit of that final embrace before saying good-bye. prgtoken For these noble and selfless individuals, the impact of COVID-19 isn't restricted to emotional wounds opened through witnessing the suffering of others, but by the personal physical health risks posed by being on the front lines to conduct their day-to-day activities. prgtoken These frontline workers in our nursing homes and long-term care facilities are heroes who have chosen to possibly put themselves in peril by answering the call. They have been a source of encouragement, hope, and help to our Nation's greatest generation, a lifeline amidst a challenging time. prgtoken On behalf of myself and the caring families of Missouri's Fourth District, thank you. We appreciate you, and we pray God blesses you in a very special way during this special season and throughout the year.
TRIBUTE TO MIKE ANDERSON
Dan Sullivan (Republican, AK) \u2014 2020-12-18

. . I would like recognize a critical member of my staff, Mike Anderson, who left my office in August to pursue a legal career his hometown of Anchorage, AK, something he has aspired to do since a young age. prgtoken Communications director was a more than appropriate title for Mike. He directed so much of our communication, both internally and externally. You would often find Mike going from staff member to staff member, asking them questions, relaying information from one team to the next. In our office, if you had a question about what anybody was up to, you would ask Mike. That is a special quality. We miss it very much. prgtoken Mike is no stranger to Alaska political offices. Fresh out of college at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, he took a job with Congressman Don Young, and then worked for Senator Lisa Murkowski. In 2014, I was looking for someone to help with communications on my campaign. It was the first time I had run for office, and I was running against an incumbent with big name recognition. Mike came on board. He took a chance on me--it is something I will never forget. prgtoken He had been taking law classes at night at the Catholic University of America for the past few years working in my office. He balanced it all, was on the clock around the clock, and did it with grace and humor. He was our office communicator, but he was also the office friend--the person you would go to for advice on things big and small, the person you would call on for an assist if you needed to move. It helped that he is a short 6'8". Mike always showed up. Working together--as one team, one fight--we got big things done for our State. prgtoken Mike is going to make a great lawyer in Alaska. As a State, we have so much potential: the biggest fisheries in the country, the largest energy fields, an array of military complexes, and fascinating Alaska Native legal issues. More than anything, Alaska needs good leaders with integrity--hard-working people like Mike, who love their State and give it their all. We haven't seen the last of Mike. He will always be a part of our team. And I am sure that we will always work together to make sure Alaska thrives. prgtoken So good luck to you, Mike. You left a mark and a hole. Best wishes on a bright future ahead.
LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM
Steve Scalise (Republican, LA) \u2014 2020-12-18

I thank the gentleman for yielding. prgtoken As the gentleman from Maryland pointed out, we know government funding expires at midnight. Clearly, we have been working for days in a very productive way to get close to an agreement on both funding of government as well as COVID relief. We are not quite there on all of these details, but we are eager to see if we can get this resolved. prgtoken As the gentleman knows, everybody, Members on both sides are very interested in finding out what the schedule will be. I appreciate that update, and I imagine that means we will stay tuned and see if, between now and 5 p.m we can get that resolved.
DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS-22 VOLLEYBALL TEAMS
Pete Olson (Republican, TX) \u2014 2020-12-18

. Madam , I rise today to do something Texans love to do: to brag about my home State. I am going to brag about two Texas-22 volleyball teams that made the Texas finals this past weekend. prgtoken The Fulshear Chargers have played 4 short years of high school volleyball. It took them only 3 years to win the State title in class 4-A. That was last year. This year, they moved up to class 5-A. A downgrade? No. They went to the 5-A State finals, losing to undefeated Lovejoy. prgtoken In 6-A, the Seven Lakes Spartans were amazing. Despite having half the team down with COVID and not being able to practice for 2\1/2\ weeks, they won the 6-A championship, the first team ever in the 101- year history of the Katy Independent School District to win the State title. prgtoken Madam , 1 million neighbors in Texas-22 and Santa Clause congratulate and are darn proud of our Spartans and our Chargers. They have proved once and for all: Don't mess with Texas-22 volleyball teams. prgtoken Ho, ho, ho.
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR--Continued
Thom Tillis (Republican, NC) \u2014 2020-12-18

I am obviously disappointed in the objection from my friend and colleague from Illinois, but I do believe that we have to start recognizing that something bad is happening--48 murders, hundreds of assaults, ambushes, premeditated attacks. prgtoken I do understand the idea that maybe you could prosecute it through existing law, your Federal or State law, but we have an epidemic of ``abolish the police, defund the police,'' marginalizing the police, that suggests to me that even if there are pathways now to properly prosecute these brazen criminals, we have to cut through some of the rhetoric that, honestly, I believe is the responsibility for some of these unprecedented numbers of murders and assaults. prgtoken So although I am disappointed with the objection today, I look forward to working with my colleague on the Judiciary and others to do everything we can to pass the Protect and Serve Act and to send a very clear message to these increasingly less safe communities and more threatened law enforcement officers that we are going to do everything we can to make our communities safe and to make a police officer's job as safe as it can be. prgtoken Thank you. prgtoken .
2020 ELECTION
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2020-12-18

there has been a lot of finger wagging across the aisle by both Senate and House about accepting election results. Most of that has been related to whether or not would concede the results of the election to . But, obviously, there is somewhat of a double standard because these same are mum about a looming challenge to the certified results of the election of Iowa's Second Congressional District. prgtoken Representative-Elect Miller-Meeks won by six votes, and that was after careful recounts conducted and certified on a bipartisan basis according to Iowa law. On election night, the ic candidate lost. A few days later, two counties were recounted, and the ic candidate still lost. Then the ic candidate asked for a recount of all 24 counties, and after that recount, the ic candidate lost. A day later, the secretary of state of Iowa certified the election, just like the secretaries of state of our 50 States certified their elections in the Presidential election. prgtoken Now the ic opponent chose not to make a case under Iowa law to a judicial panel headed by the chief justice of Iowa, presumably because there was no legal case. prgtoken Now what happens? The next step is that candidate, under a 1969 Federal law, can ask the House of Representatives to set aside Iowa's election law and overturn Iowa's certified election results through a purely political process, which could presumably have a ic majority of 222 in the U.S. House overturn the votes of 400,000 Iowans. prgtoken Now, getting back to what seems to be a double standard, if ic leaders do not nip this in the bud now, they have no room to point fingers at any other Member of Congress. prgtoken .
Coronavirus (Executive Calendar)
Rick Scott (Republican, FL) \u2014 2020-12-18

today what I want to talk about is religious freedom. Religious liberty is our prgtoken first freedom under the Constitution of the United States. Americans have the right to freely exercise religion, a sacred right that I will always fight for. prgtoken There is no pandemic exception to the First Amendment. Unfortunately, we have seen liberal Governors and mayors across the country use the coronavirus pandemic to go after churches, synagogues, mosques, and other houses of worship. For months, they have argued that houses of worship should not meet and congregants could not sing. They have condemned in-person worship services as a threat to public safety, all while they applaud massive political protests. prgtoken We saw it happen right here in the Nation's Capital. Mayor Bowser refused to grant a waiver to the Capitol Hill Baptist Church for religious gatherings but supported mass protests that violated her own orders. The church had to sue the city in Federal court for the right to gather, and the court ruled in favor of the church. prgtoken It is simply hypocritical and unconstitutional to target religious institutions while letting other businesses operate. We know those on the left will take every opportunity to infringe on Americans' First Amendment rights, but we won't let it happen. prgtoken This year has been challenging, and for many of us, our faith and our communities have helped us through it. Government doesn't have the right to take this away from American citizens. prgtoken I am proud to lead a resolution today with 15 of my colleagues to call out those who have wrongly tried to prevent Americans from practicing their faith. This is about rights granted to Americans under our Constitution. prgtoken What is the one thing every American believes in and has agreed to uphold. It is our Constitution, which we have each sworn to uphold as elected officials also. prgtoken We each took the same oath of office: I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God. prgtoken There is no reason anyone should object to upholding our Constitution. I will always fight for the religious liberty of all Americans, and I look forward to my colleagues passing this important resolution today. prgtoken However, I now am going to wait because I understand one of my ic colleagues is going to come object to upholding the Constitution and the First Amendment, the Bill of Rights. This is shocking to me. prgtoken As if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 806, su
GOVERNMENT SPENDING
Rand Paul (Republican, KY) \u2014 2020-12-18

the Federal Government brought in $3.3 trillion in revenue last year and spent $6.6 trillion for a record- setting $3.3 trillion deficit. If you are looking for more COVID bailout money, we don't have any. The coffers are bare. We have no rainy day fund. We have no savings account. Congress has spent all of the money. Congress spent all of the money a long time ago. prgtoken The economic damage from the pandemic is not the reason for this runaway spending. This has gone on for decades. Today's money is gone, so Congress is spending tomorrow's money. When you look at a graph of our projected spending, you see a big spike this year. The spike is a mountain of money doled out to pay for the economic ruin of the government mandates. prgtoken When we talk about spending tomorrow's money, this is not just money we will need next month; this is money we will need in a decade--money we will need in one, two, and three generations from now. For national defense. For infrastructure. This is money that your children and grandchildren will pay back with interest, and it is going up by more than a trillion dollars every year. prgtoken Instead of enjoying the same wealth and opportunity that we have enjoyed in this country, our children will be stuck paying our bills-- with interest. Every taxpaying American already owes $136,754 today, and they are staring at a red-ink projection into the future. We are $27 trillion in total debt today. How do we expect a child to have economic opportunity when crushing debt is their inheritance from Congress? prgtoken The numbers are mind-boggling. It is hard to conceive of a billion dollars, much less a trillion dollars. How big is a billion? Well, a billion seconds ago was 1988 and Reagan was still President. A billion minutes ago, Jesus walked the shore of the Sea of Galilee. A billion hours ago, man still lived in caves. But a billion dollars ago--as spent by the Federal Government--that was just 80 minutes ago. That is right, the Federal Government spends a billion dollars every 80 minutes. prgtoken All of this should be setting off alarm bells, but the only alarm bells in Congress are sounding the alarm for more spending, more debt. No cuts. No offsets. No pay-fors. No prioritization. Just debt. Spend all the money and leave the future to figure itself out. Our budget deficit for 2020 was $3.3 trillion, and we are projected to have a deficit of nearly $2 trillion in 2021. And that was before any additional spending on another round of coronavirus bailout money. prgtoken By refusing to acknowledge the debt crisis, we are only hastening the day of economic reckoning. Total debt was 55 percent of GDP 20 years ago; today it is 128 percent. The World Bank estimates there is a tipping point of debt to GDP at about 77 percent. Every percentage point after that costs about one-tenth of 1 percent of economic growth. We are at 128 percent, which means Congress's continued borrow
SAFEGUARDING TOMORROW THROUGH ONGOING RISK MITIGATION ACT
Rodney Davis (Republican, IL) \u2014 2020-12-18

. Madam , the balance of my time. prgtoken Madam , I do say, first off, I truly appreciate the words and the passion from my good friend from the U.S. Virgin Islands (Ms. Plaskett). I am disappointed to see that this bill came back from the Senate without the provisions that we supported on her behalf in the committee. prgtoken Madam , I, too, would like to echo to the Senate and to the House as we move into the future: Let's address this concern. There is bipartisan support for what Ms. Plaskett is asking for. prgtoken These are the types of bipartisan issues that we usually try and solve in the House, but, unfortunately, we got this from the Senate. We will let them be the ones to admit they screwed this up with a technical error. prgtoken But let's fix it. That is the key. Let's work together to make that happen. prgtoken Madam , in closing, S. 3418 will help support critical mitigation projects in local communities, including rural communities that are hit and devastated by these natural disasters. This will save lives and prevent damage and loss to farmers, businesses, and homeowners across the country, and it is also going to save, long term, billions upon billions of taxpayer dollars that are going, time and time again, to help communities recover from events we know are going to happen. prgtoken Let's do something on the front end and save taxpayer dollars for the next generation on the back end. prgtoken Madam , I would be remiss if I didn't thank the staff on both sides of the aisle for their work to get this bill to a good place and with the Senate: on the majority side, Aaron Davis; on our own side, Johanna Hardy; and in my office, Jimmy Ballard. I really appreciate all these folks and what they have done to help districts like mine. prgtoken I also thank some folks who really worked hard on this bill, too, that are with me here today from the committee: Corey Cooke and her number one fan, her puppy, Coda Cooke; and also Tara Hupman and her number one fan, her puppy, Chester Hupman. I certainly hope my number one fans, when I get home, Rider and Julia Davis, one day get a chance to meet theirs. prgtoken But it takes people working together to get things done, and these are the types of issues that show our success in this institution. prgtoken Madam , .
RECOGNIZING THE SHEPHERD COMMUNITY CENTER
Todd Young (Republican, IN) \u2014 2020-12-18

I rise to recognize Shepherd Community Center's 35 years of service to individuals and families on the near eastside of Indianapolis, IN. Since 1985, this faith-based, inner-city ministry has operated with the mission to ``break the cycle of poverty on the near Eastside of Indianapolis by engaging and empowering the community to cultivate healthy children, strong families, and vibrant neighborhoods through a Christ-centered approach that meets the physical, emotional, spiritual, and academic needs of our neighbors.'' prgtoken Shepherd Community Center serves the near Eastside of Indianapolis, where poverty rates in the area reach as high as 38.6 percent and 8 of 10 children rely on school as their primary source of food during the week. Shepherd provides hope and support to its neighbors through a unique and holistic approach Shepherd calls its Continuum of Care. The Continuum of Care is a full set of programs that allows Shepherd to be continuously engaged in the lives of neighborhood children, teens, and their parents. It is designed to help area families overcome the challenges they may be facing in all areas: physical, emotional, spiritual, and academic. prgtoken Shepherd's approach has consistently yielded positive results, and families in its programs have become stronger physically, emotionally, spiritually, and financially. Shepherd's students also attain higher academic achievement. In an area where only 33 percent of entering freshmen graduate high school and only 75 percent of those who graduate go on to college, nearly 90 percent of Shepherd's seniors graduate and go on to college, job training, or the military. prgtoken Shepherd's history dates to the fall of 1984, when the Westside Church of the Nazarene sent a group of volunteers to Central Nazarene Church to serve a Thanksgiving meal. In February 1985, that simple meal blossomed into an organization: Central Nazarene Mission. A few years later, the name was changed to Shepherd Community Center. Reverend Dean Cowles was the founding director and served in that role for Shepherd's first 4 years. Reverend John Hay, Jr. served for the next few years. Following Hay's departure, Cowles returned and served yet another 4 years. After a few years of transition, Reverend Jay Height was named executive director in 1998 and continues to serve today. prgtoken And my friend Reverend Height has been a tireless champion for families on the near Eastside every day since then. In a 35th anniversary year when the COVID-19 pandemic compounded the challenges facing families in the area, Reverend Height and the Shepherd Community team met those challenges head on, and arm-in-arm with their neighbors. In a recent article in the Indianapolis Star, Reverend Height said, ``Hope is a precious commodity. When it's lost, the consequences for human life are devastating.'' prgtoken I agree, Reverend Height. And I know the countless families of Indianapolis t