mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
John Boozman (Republican, AR) \u2014 2021-6-24

our farmers, ranchers, and foresters are the greatest stewards of the land, and many have been working for a long time to preserve natural resources and protect the environment through on-farm practices. And now, more than ever, farmers, ranchers, and private forest landowners are looking to explore opportunities to benefit financially through emerging voluntary environmental credit markets. prgtoken New opportunities to generate benefits through environmental practices hold a great deal of promise. However, producers and landowners must navigate a complex and costly landscape in order to access these markets. prgtoken The Growing Climate Solutions Act provides a framework for producers to access technical assistance, guidance, and resources in these emerging markets as they investigate whether to pursue this new opportunity. prgtoken USDA certification of entities who will assist farmers in how best to navigate these markets will improve market integrity and provide farmers and ranchers more confidence as they take the first steps. The information gathered by USDA through the certification process will serve as a reliable resource to producers seeking to learn about both the entities involved and the practices being implemented to generate credits that are transacted in voluntary environmental credit markets. prgtoken These markets and the key players are evolving very quickly, and this bill directs USDA to first assess the current state of voluntary environmental credit markets because it is important that we all have an understanding of the landscape first. prgtoken Further, this bill is farmer-friendly. It acknowledges that for farmers and ranchers to be successful, there cannot be a one-size-fits- all approach. A corn farmer in Indiana, a cherry farmer in Michigan, and a rice farmer in Arkansas have different soil types and varying potential for carbon sequestration. So this bill recognizes the diversity of agriculture and the practices that may be employed by farmers. It provides educational resources for producers who decide this new market opportunity works for their unique business model. prgtoken The bill ensures farmers comprise a majority on the USDA advisory committee and protects the information farmers and ranchers share as part of the program. prgtoken For these market to work, they must work for our farmers, foresters, ranchers, and landowners. In order to do that, they must be at the table. This bill provides our stakeholders that voice. prgtoken Finally, this bill epitomizes a great deal of bipartisan work, while addressing the pressing needs of farmers, ranchers, and foresters. I thank Senators Braun and Stabenow for helping us to make this the best bill possible. prgtoken Many farmers and stakeholders are excited about this legislation, as are many Members who cosponsored the bill and voted to report it out of committee. prgtoken The bipartisan nature of the work of the committe
TRIBUTE TO JASON SUSLAVICH
Dan Sullivan (Republican, AK) \u2014 2021-6-24

I would like recognize an important prgtoken member of my staff, my former director of national security policy, Jason Suslavich. I, along with the rest of my team was saddened to have Jason leave our office this February. prgtoken While born in Winchester, MA, Jason was quick to embrace the Alaskan spirit. Up north, Jason traded his beach walks for hikes and his golf clubs for a fishing rod. Like a true Alaskan, he loved his wild Alaska seafood and overall good cooking and could talk for hours about his favorite dishes at his favorite restaurants throughout the State. One of his favorites was the osso bucco at Orso--and could speak tirelessly about it. And did. prgtoken In high school, Jason was the all-State wrestling champion and was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. His dedication and tenacity expanded beyond the wrestling mat into his academics. At John Hopkins University, Jason majored in international studies, which he has applied throughout his career. prgtoken Jason's work in Alaska politics began over a decade ago in Congressman Don Young's office. As the Congressman's legislative assistant, Jason laid the foundation for his career in the Senate, building productive coalitions and facilitating bipartisan collaboration. prgtoken One year into my first term. Jason joined our office. At this time, I was still learning the ropes in the Senate. His work ethic, experience, and dependability made my life a lot easier and made him an irreplaceable asset to my team. prgtoken Jason was good-natured, a team player, and a legendary prankster. From day-to-day tricks to years-long plots, Jason was committed to the craft of mischief--just ask his nemesis, Mike Anderson. prgtoken Jason's contributions to our office--and to the State of Alaska, particularly building on our three pillars of military might--were enormous. His leadership lives on with Team Sullivan. He is greatly missed. prgtoken If this past year has taught us anything, it is the importance of trusting our intuition. After 13 years working for Alaska s delegation, Jason has decided to chart a new journey--working in the aerospace sector. He has loved space since he was a child. In this next chapter, Jason can dedicate time to his great passions: space exploration, the strength of our Nation, the Boston Red Sox, and most importantly, his beautiful and brilliant wife Sarah. prgtoken Jason may not be working in my office, but he will always have a home in the Last Frontier. His dedication to the State has forever solidified him as a welcome friend and honorary Alaskan. prgtoken Please join me in wishing Jason much success and happiness in the future.
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF THE RULE SUBMITTED BY THE OFFICE OF THE COMPTROLLER OF CURRENCY RELATING TO ``NATIONAL BANKS AND FEDERAL SAVINGS ASSOCIATIONS AS LENDERS''
Patrick T. McHenry (Republican, NC) \u2014 2021-6-24

. Madam , the balance of my time. prgtoken The true lender rule specifies that when a bank makes a loan, the bank is the true lender. The rule clarifies what was uncertain and, therefore, made those loans more expensive. prgtoken This gives certainty to the marketplace. It is a good thing. The true lender rule is a good thing. prgtoken Under the true lender rule, we have fintechs that have been enabled to make loans in coordination with banks and regulated like the people that they work with, like the banks that they work with, which means the loans fall under Federal consumer protection laws, under Federal usury laws, under Federal laws. prgtoken One case in point, what the true lender rule enabled was one out of four African American-owned businesses accessing credit through fintechs. prgtoken I would ask Members to review a few pieces of evidence that I have here. prgtoken Madam , I would refer the Members to a study conducted by NYU highlighting the important role that fintechs play in supporting African American-owned small businesses. prgtoken I would also refer the Members to letters in opposition to S.J. Res. 15: a June 8 letter from the American Bankers Association, Consumer Bankers Association, Electronic Transactions Association, Independent Bankers of America, Midsize Bank Coalition of America, and National Bankers Association; an April 2, 2021, letter from FreedomWorks, Americans for Tax Reform, National Taxpayers Union, Center for a Free Economy, American Commitment, and Citizens Against Government Waste; a letter from the Structured Finance Association; a letter from the Independent Community Bankers of America; a May 11, 2021, letter from the American Bankers Association; a May 7, 2021, letter from the prgtoken Americans for Prosperity; and a June 22, 2021, letter from the Competitive Enterprise Institute, which consists of a number of additional signatories. prgtoken None of those people are payday lenders, by the way, which is the most spurious argument about the true lender rule. If you want to get at payday lending, go talk about valid when made. That would be the sound argument from there. At least it has some relationship tangentially to payday lending. True lender does not. These are different loans that are being described by my colleagues across the aisle. prgtoken Let's be clear. The National Banking Act enacted in 1864 established the principle by which and explicitly granted national banks the ability to transfer loans State-by-State. If you don't like that model, then repeal the 1864 National Banking Act instead of making these false arguments about the true lender rule, which simply provides clarity about the National Banking Act. prgtoken My colleagues across the aisle would have you believe that this is a complex scheme cooked up by the previous administration to get around consumer protection laws. That is not true. We are talking about 157 years of banking law here i
VIRTUE SIGNALING
David Schweikert (Republican, AZ) \u2014 2021-6-24

this evening, I am going to try to do something that is a little bit different, and parts of it are going to be incredibly annoying. I am going to hurt some feelings, but my theme is actually very simple. prgtoken There are general solutions to so many of the things we consider problems, but we are going to have to deal with something, and it is a true problem around this place. And that is, I am going to use the word ``virtue signaling'' and sort of folklore. prgtoken We sometimes know what we know, but the fact of the matter is that technology, science, all of what we were told was wrong, yet we can't get it out of our heads, or, as a society, we care more about the symbolism than actually curing the problem. And I really do believe if we could embrace that thing called a calculator, math, thinking, science, there are some amazingly good things we could do. prgtoken But, first, we got to step up and admit that we have been making up a lot of crap. And that is me being slightly on the vulgar side. But it is a frustration I have where often I see our speeches behind these microphones, and we are virtue signaling because that is often what is expected from our voters. At least we think that is what is expected, but I bet you our voters would be elated if we would actually give them the truth and then show them the math. prgtoken I am going to show a couple of things to first set up my argument, and then walk through a couple things that I think are incredibly optimistic for our future as a country, but maybe even the entire world. prgtoken So, first off, let's just use this. I have done versions of this before, but it is important as a thought experiment. prgtoken Do you care about plastic in the ocean? prgtoken I think everyone in America cares about plastic in the ocean. Except we have a small problem. We do this virtue signaling of let's ban plastic straws. But the fact of the matter is, the data says that straws that come from North America don't end up in the ocean. We do actually an amazingly good job grabbing our waste and putting it in the landfills or incinerating or taking care of it. But if you actually look at the real math, 90 percent of the plastic in the world's oceans comes from 10 rivers: 8 in Asia, 2 in Africa. prgtoken If you actually gave a darn about plastic in the ocean, what would you do? prgtoken You would actually go to those 10 rivers--8 in Asia, 2 in Africa--and either add value, use our technical assistance, use our foreign aid, and go and deal with the plastic in the ocean. prgtoken But, instead, we give speeches here, we award, we allot cities like D.C. that ban plastic straws. That is pure virtue signaling. It doesn't actually do anything, yet we parade around like we did something. prgtoken Instead, this body could actually have an incredible impact on plastic in the ocean. Go to the 10 rivers that are 90 percent of the plastic, and actually get our foreign aid, our technical aid, eve
BARRY'S BUNS
Jefferson Van Drew (Republican, NJ) \u2014 2021-6-24

. Madam , I want to recognize Barry's Buns, and its owners Joel and Jen Singer. Barry's Buns just opened a new location in Wildwood Crest in South Jersey, and I was able to meet with Joel and Jen and attend the grand opening. The inspiration for the name ``Barry's Buns'' comes from Joel, who's middle name is Barry. He also says that he was born to be a baker. Joel has always wanted to have his own bakery, and when he was just 14 years old, he started his own cheesecake business. He graduated with a degree in Pastry Arts and was the Assistant Pastry Chef at the Rittenhouse Hotel. Joel drew inspiration to open up his own business from his father, who before his passing had his own farmers style market. Joel developed a passion for customer service from watching his dad, and when a location opened up in Pennsylvania, he knew it was time to start his own bakery. Jen handles the business side of Barry's Buns and its day-to-day operations. Now, Joel and Jen own two locations, and I know that South Jersey will continue to provide overwhelming support for Barry's Buns. God Bless Joel and Jen and God Bless America.
ECONOMIC RECOVERY AFTER THE PANDEMIC
Bob Good (Republican, VA) \u2014 2021-6-24

as a Nation founded on a history of rugged individualism, the American people are resilient and self- reliant. They will flourish and prosper absent the intrusion and heavy- handed weight of the government. prgtoken Apart from national defense, safety, and security, the less our government does, the better, especially here at the Federal level. prgtoken In fact, our country would be far better off if we had just paid this President and his administration to stay home, and they did nothing over these past 5\1/2\ months. It is sadly true that the less this government does to us while pretending to do things for us, the better off we will all be. prgtoken Incredibly, this administration's disastrous economic policies have produced fewer jobs in their first 5 months of the year than the administration produced in the last 5 months of 2020 when the government restrictions and lockdowns in the name of the China virus were far more widely and strenuously enforced. prgtoken Unfortunately, at present time, we have employers, businesses, and job creators literally competing with their own government for employees because of the enhanced $300 a week Federal unemployment benefit. prgtoken Every business owner that I talk with in my district tells me that this is a major, ongoing problem. Every business has up signs saying: ``Help Wanted,'' ``Employees Needed.'' prgtoken We even have this problem in my home district in the city of Charlottesville, in Albemarle County, with the Postal Service. They can't get people to come to work for the starting wage of $18 an hour for a mail carrier because they are getting paid $17 an hour to stay home and not work. prgtoken However, the tone-deaf, economically illiterate , especially those I serve with on the Education and Labor Committee, they tell businesses they simply need to raise their wages so far above what the Federal Government is paying folks not to work--again, $17 an hour in my home State of Virginia--that folks will finally refuse the free income not to work and return for a higher paycheck--this as businesses are struggling to recover from the government shutting them down for a year, again, in the name of the China virus. prgtoken We need to fully reopen our economy, end all restrictions, open our schools so parents can go back to work, and stop sending confusing and harmful messages, like requiring masks on public transportation. prgtoken In this very House, it was only a couple of weeks ago that we were pretending that even in a Special Order, speaking to an empty Chamber with no one near you--within how many feet?--you needed to wear a mask to keep us safe because we wanted to appear to the American people back home that we were doing something, the theater of wearing masks just a few weeks ago. prgtoken That is continuing now on public transportation. What kind of a myth and harmful message does that send to folks? prgtoken We need to stop paying folks not
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF THE RULE SUBMITTED BY THE EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION RELATING TO ``UPDATE OF COMMISSION'S CONCILIATION PROCEDURES''
Virginia Foxx (Republican, NC) \u2014 2021-6-24

. Madam , such time as I may consume. prgtoken Madam , have claimed that EEOC's conciliation rule could subject employees to retaliation. This claim could not be further from the truth. prgtoken First, the rule explicitly states that employees may remain anonymous in the conciliation process if they so choose. In such cases, settlement discussions would proceed with the employee or employees making claims of discrimination remaining anonymous. prgtoken Second, the existing statutes to which the conciliation rule applies all make it illegal for an employer to retaliate against an employee for filing a charge with EEOC or participating in EEOC proceedings. An employer would be compounding its legal exposure if it unwisely tried to act against employees for making a complaint to the EEOC. prgtoken The claim that the conciliation rule will expose employees to retaliation is a red herring. prgtoken Madam , I urge my colleagues to vote against this misguided resolution, and .
SEEKING URGENT RESPONSE TO CALIFORNIA'S DROUGHT
David G. Valadao (Republican, CA) \u2014 2021-6-24

. Madam , I rise today to request an urgent response to California's drought. prgtoken Since returning to Congress, I have introduced two pieces of critical water legislation. I have stood here before my colleagues asking the House majority to address the drought. I have requested hearings be held and sent letters. Yet, the majority has done nothing to help those suffering from this crisis. prgtoken Communities in my district, like Avenal, Coalinga, and Huron, totally rely on 100 percent of their water from the delta. That is about 37,000 of my constituents relying solely on the delta for water. prgtoken My bill, the NEED Water Act, would allow communities like these and communities growing our food the ability to purchase and transfer water more easily. prgtoken As if water wasn't scarce enough, now communities in my district, like Teviston, are completely out of water. They are forced to rely on bottled water delivery programs to receive water because their wells have failed. It is only a matter of time before there are more towns in my district in the same situation as Teviston. prgtoken I implore my colleagues across the aisle to work with me to combat this crisis. This is an emergency, and it is unacceptable to stand back and watch these communities suffer and completely run out of water while the real solutions available can bring immediate relief.
EQUAL ACCESS TO CONTRACEPTION FOR VETERANS ACT
Mike Bost (Republican, IL) \u2014 2021-6-24

. Madam , such time as I may consume. prgtoken Madam , I rise today in support of H.R. 239, the Equal Access to Contraception for Veterans Act. This bill is sponsored by Congresswoman Julia Brownley. I thank her for introducing it. prgtoken The Equal Access to Contraception for Veterans Act passed the House last year with the support of the administration. prgtoken It would eliminate copays for birth control at the VA healthcare system. In doing so, it would remove a barrier to care for women veterans. It would bring VA in line with the Department of Defense and the private sector. It would correct a fundamental unfairness that means women pay more for birth control at the VA than elsewhere. And it would not in any way contradict or undermine the prohibition against abortion and abortion counseling at the VA that already exists in law and regulation. prgtoken Women are the fastest-growing group of servicemembers and veterans. They are raising their right hands to serve this country in record numbers. Ensuring they are cared for as veterans is one of my top priorities as the lead on the VA Committee. prgtoken We have made progress in making the VA safer and more welcome to women, but we still have a long way to go. Women veterans die by suicide at two times the rate as nonveteran women. Most of the veterans who die by suicide are not engaged in VA care at the time of their death. That is why connecting more veterans with the VA is key to stopping veteran suicide. prgtoken One of the primary ways we can connect more veterans with VA is by removing barriers that prevent them from seeking the care and benefits they have earned. This bill will help to do that. prgtoken Women seeking birth control in the private sector do not pay copays. prgtoken Women seeking birth control on Active Duty do not pay copays. prgtoken This bill will make it so women seeking birth control at VA do not pay copays either. That is all this bill does. Once again, that is all this bill does. prgtoken Why would we want a woman to pay more for birth control as a veteran than she did while on Active Duty? prgtoken Why would we want a woman to pay more for birth control at the VA than she would in the private sector? prgtoken Is that any way to thank her for serving her country and defending our freedoms? I don't think so. prgtoken Neither does Leader McCarthy, neither did the administration. Neither do many of my conservative pro-life lawmakers both in this Congress and last Congress. prgtoken To be clear, this bill does not require allowing VA to provide any additional form of birth control other than those already available at the VA. prgtoken And once again, it does not in any way contradict or undermine the prohibition against VA providing abortions and/or abortion counseling to veterans. That is vitally important to me. I know it is for many of my colleagues, as well. prgtoken I have really weighed this out and p
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR (Executive Session)
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2021-6-24

I am here with Senators Cornyn and Leahy to ask unanimous consent. prgtoken As if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of S. 831 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration; further, that the Grassley amendment at the desk be considered and agreed to; and that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.