mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2023
Patrick T. McHenry (Republican, NC) \u2014 2022-7-20

. Mr. Chair, the report accompanying the FSGG appropriations bill includes ``an increase of $6 million above the budget request for USPS to carry out pilot programs to modernize its current postal banking services, including surcharge-free automated teller machines, wire transfers, check cashing, and bill payment.'' prgtoken This ``Postal Non-banking Financial Services Modernization Pilot Program'' is yet another attempt by progressives in Congress to expand the U.S. Postal Service's core mission into the financial system. This concept is ultimately harmful to American consumers because it will crowd out private sector financial innovation to reach underserved communities. prgtoken That's why Rep. Luetkemeyer and I offered an amendment to prohibit funding in this bill from being used to carry out the Postal Non- banking Financial Services Modernization Pilot Program. Unfortunately, our amendment was not made in order to the bill we're considering today. prgtoken have long called for USPS to be able to offer consumer banking services such as checking and savings accounts and extensions of credit to consumers and small businesses. These functions are beyond the Post Office's core competencies, will subject taxpayers to potential losses, will undermine the private sector's ability to compete with taxpayer-subsidized banking services, and pose a threat to consumers' privacy when it comes to financial data. prgtoken In 2018, the previous Administration created a special task force to specifically review the Post Office and identify necessary reforms. The Treasury Department was directed to release the Task Force's recommendations, which it did in its report, ``United States Postal Service: A Sustainable Path Forward.'' The Task Force's recommendations were clear: ``given the USPS's narrow expertise and capital limitations, USPS should not pursue expanding into new sectors, such as postal banking, the USPS does not have a demonstrated competency or comparative advantage, or where balance sheet risk would be added.'' prgtoken Moreover, the Post Office agreed. In response to a widely criticized and highly unusual report by the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General (OIG), the Post Office made clear that despite any recommendations to the contrary from the OIG, the Post Office's core mission ``is delivery, not banking.'' Postmaster General DeJoy reiterated this position. prgtoken Progressives argue postal banking is needed to address the decreasing number of bank branches and the rise in the number of people without access to a checking account or short-term credit. automatically believe that means that the government should provide these banking services, including through the Post Office. What fail to acknowledge is financial institution branch closures and consolidations result from overly burdensome government regulation, which won't be reconciled using more government.
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
John Boozman (Republican, AR) \u2014 2022-7-20

I rise today to honor the life of R.D. Kinsey who passed away on July 11, 2022, at the age of 69. Mr. Kinsey was a husband, father, veteran, civil servant and beloved leader in the State of Arkansas with a reputation for wisdom and compassion. prgtoken A native of South Florida, Kinsey moved to Arkansas after his service in the U.S. Air Force. After he was honorably discharged in 1972, he realized his passion and desire to uplift and advocate for his fellow veterans. prgtoken Stepping into a new platform of service with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Kinsey spent much of his time counseling combat veterans even prgtoken before post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries were formal diagnoses. prgtoken Kinsey's friends recognized him as a man who actively worked to make positive changes for veterans throughout his career. Upon his retirement from civil service in 2000, he continued to blaze trails within the American Legion, serving in local, State, and national capacities. He was instrumental in founding American Legion Post 74 in North Little Rock, where he served as founding commander and commander for 14 years. prgtoken He made an annual trip to Washington, DC, during the American Legion's testimony to Congress about its legislative priorities and advocated on behalf of Arkansas veterans. prgtoken In 2018, he became the first African-American State commander of the American Legion of Arkansas. Kinsey was not focused on the tag-line and pressures that may arise from being the first minority to sit in the State commander seat because, in his words, ``All our blood runs the same.'' This was one of many examples of how he led his life with humility and selflessness. prgtoken During his time in the Air Force, Kinsey specialized in security, where he fought to protect his fellow airmen in combat. During his time serving veterans, he fought to strengthen the benefits they earned. Service, advocacy, and security were his life's tenets. prgtoken At the celebration of the American Legion's 100th anniversary, Kinsey said his time as commander was his way of giving back blessings to help others and what could be a more rewarding experience than to be able and help a veteran in need. prgtoken He served in the greatest capacity alongside his wife, Dianna and their two daughters, Meredith and Allison and their grandsons. He was a loving father, caring coworker, servant leader, gracious husband, and friend to all. His wife recently said that his motto was ``For God and country.'' I hope we can learn from his example to remember the American blood flowing through all of us and work together to make this country better than we found it. prgtoken I join R.D Kinsey's family, friends, and all Arkansans in mourning his passing. His fingerprint will forever mark Arkansas. From Florida, North Little Rock, Washington, and everywhere in between, his legacy will carry on with current and future gene
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
James Lankford (Republican, OK) \u2014 2022-7-20

if this body were to look at the tests and the homework, the quizzes, and the essays of the Department of Homeland Security and give them a grade based on their performance for the last year and a half, what would the grade be? prgtoken DHS says they have six missions, and they detail out those missions. One of those missions reads: Secure U.S. borders and approaches. Then they give this little piece behind it to describe that. prgtoken The Department of Homeland Security secures the Nation's air, land, and sea borders to prevent illegal activity while facilitating lawful travel and trade. What would their grade be on that? And is anyone going to hold them to account for their grade or is this body going to continue to just ignore what is happening on the southern border? prgtoken It is the role, it is the task, it is the responsibility of the Department of Homeland Security to help secure our Nation, but this Department is currently facilitating illegal immigration, not stopping illegal immigration. prgtoken I wish I was wrong on that, but I am not. In fact, as recent as the last 2 weeks, I met with DHS leadership who described to me the new method they have laid out so you can apply for asylum, come to the United States and come to any airport in the country. So you wouldn't have to come through the southern border; you would just come in. But it would be the same process as what is happening on the southern border where people from 150 countries just this year have crossed our border. They have been checked in by Border Patrol, who know full well they are not legally present here. Then they are released into the country and given 8 years until their hearing--8 years. prgtoken Instead of responding to be able to slow down the more than 2 million people who have illegally crossed in just the last year, this administration is actually working to say it is actually not enough people. They are increasing the access points to increase the number of people rather than decrease. prgtoken The administration was proud to be able to say in May and in June that the numbers went down slightly from what they were in the previous months. The problem with that is, the previous month was a record, and so was the month before that. If you look at just the June number that, yes, was slightly down from May, it is still the highest June ever recorded by the administration. prgtoken We are being overwhelmed with the number of people coming in illegally across our border. The administration is currently releasing people, and their sole focus seems to be on making illegal immigration more efficient rather than more enforced. prgtoken What grade would you give DHS? A more specific question: , do you want to stop illegal immigration? Because I don't think you do. And I think it is clear that the policies you put in place are directly leading to this record influx of illegal immigration from all over the wo
Unanimous Consent Agreement (Executive Session)
Lisa Murkowski (Republican, AK) \u2014 2022-7-20

I am happy to come to the floor today to join my colleague the Senator from Alaska, Mr. Sullivan, as well as my colleague from Kansas, to talk about where we are with this administration or where, unfortunately, we aren't when it comes to prioritizing American-made energy. prgtoken As has been noted here on the floor by my colleagues, the President has just returned from the Middle East. It wasn't for a sightseeing trip; it was really all about oil. He was talking about oil. Above all, the President made that trip to ask the leaders of several foreign nations, members of OPEC, to increase their production levels. prgtoken OK, we get it. Gasoline prices are way too high. We know that. We have hit national records in recent weeks. They are averaging right now about $5.32 a gallon in my State. That is actually down a little bit from where we were last month, but it is up over 50 percent from where we were last year. prgtoken As has been said repeatedly, and we don't need to say it here on the floor of the Senate, people are feeling it in their homes. They are feeling it in their pocketbooks. Families are. Businesses are. Whether you are in places like Anchorage or Fairbanks, your budgets are stretched thinner and thinner and thinner. prgtoken It is increasingly difficult for small tourist operations, whether you are trying to take people out on sightseeing trips in the air or on the water. Our fishing fleets have to fill up their fishing vessels. But especially, particularly, our outlying villages--these villages that are off the road system--that already faced high prices, now the prices are astronomical. prgtoken I met with some leaders from the Northwest Arctic Borough just a few days ago, and they shared with me that in many of their communities, the communities were paying about $5.25 on average. But these were prices that were locked in from last fall when the last fuel barge came into those northern waters and was able to make its way up the river systems. Now, with the first spring barge comes literally--literally-- in 1 day going from $5.25 to over $8 a gallon. That is a lock-in price that they are going to be living with until that next barge. prgtoken Think about what that means when you are a community that is locked into these extraordinarily high prices. When that last fuel barge comes, you are going to have small villages that are going to be looking to see how much--not how much do we need to get through the winter but how much can we afford? They don't have much of a tax base. How much can we afford? prgtoken My theory is that they are only going to be able to buy as much as they can, and it is not going to be enough to get them through the winter. So halfway through the winter, in the darkest and coldest, when everything is locked in the ice, they are going to run out of fuel. And you have to be able to keep the heat on or everything breaks. So how do you get the fuel? You fly it
UNLEASH AMERICAN ENERGY INDEPENDENCE
Tracey Mann (Republican, KS) \u2014 2022-7-20

I thank the gentleman and my friend from Louisiana for hosting this Special Order hour and for all that he is doing to get the conservative voice out there. prgtoken , I rise today to deliver the 13th installment of my farm bill impact series during a time when the effects of a poor wheat harvest in Kansas are only compounded by crushing inflation. prgtoken This is insult added to injury for Kansas wheat farmers. Producers are laboring under the burden of skyrocketing input costs while they work hard to keep our country fed, fueled, and clothed, and they deserve a workable solution to this inflation crisis before the situation gets any worse. prgtoken Farming is already a risky, volatile business without the added burden of inflation, and USDA estimates that input costs will continue to rise at astronomical rates throughout 2022. prgtoken For an example of the risk of volatility--the wheat harvest just ended in Kansas, and the results were a fraction of the yield that farmers in the Wheat State hope for and bank on for normal seasons. The farm bill, which Congress will reauthorize in 2023, exists, in part, specifically for situations like this past wheat season--to provide emergency assistance to the people who feed, fuel, and clothe the world even when Mother Nature doesn't cooperate. prgtoken The weather in Kansas can be extreme and unpredictable, which means that growing wheat in the Wheat State can be a difficult prospect at times. prgtoken I had an intern in my office this summer named Parker Vulgamore who is a rising senior at Kansas State University where he serves as the student body president. He is also a member of the sixth generation of his family's farm in Scott City, which lies in my district. prgtoken Vulgamore Family Farms is a wheat, corn, and sorghum operation, with wheat being a staple. This year, due to an exceptional drought and extreme conditions throughout the growing season, much of the wheat never grew past 3 inches tall. prgtoken You don't have to farm to know that that is not good. What is typically a highly anticipated 3- to 4-week wheat harvest only lasted a day and a half. Many wheat farmers in Kansas barely even ran their combines this year--they harvested what they could, cut their losses, and moved on. prgtoken This is where farm bill emergency assistance programs like crop insurance come in. Crop insurance serves producers and consumers alike because it helps prevent producers from going out of business and grocery store aisles from sitting empty. prgtoken Farm bill programs like crop insurance have secured our national food supply and helped generation after generation of producers avoid bankruptcy when times get tough. We are in those times right now. prgtoken Inflation is skyrocketing in America. President is trying to impose his farm killer tax, and at the same time, producers are going out of business. The chance to reauthorize the farm bill for 2023 has come at a c
Prescription Drug Costs (Executive Session)
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2022-7-20

I am hearing a lot of news reports, and if they are correct, it sounds like the majority party has a very partisan bill that they want to call a drug pricing bill. prgtoken And I am also told that this is moving along because it looks like the Parliamentarian is currently reviewing that proposed legislation to see if it fits into the process of reconciliation. prgtoken If the majority party passes its partisan bill, it will be bad policy for patients and taxpayers, but that doesn't mean we don't have answers to the problems that they are trying to solve. prgtoken But first of all, let me say what the Senate-proposed legislation-- what we know about it--would do. It would put taxpayers at risk for more spending. It would fail to enact any bipartisan accountability of Big Pharma and powerful middlemen that we call pharmacy benefit managers or PBMs for short. prgtoken Yes, a bipartisan bill limiting pharmaceutical increases is possible. And their bill has been developed in secret, with no markup or open debate. prgtoken Now, this partisan bill and this process are a far cry from bipartisan drug pricing ideas that I have developed over the past few years. prgtoken In the past 12 months alone, I have passed five bipartisan drug pricing bills out of committee that will lower prices and create more competition and hold Big Pharma and PBMs accountable. prgtoken In addition, I have a comprehensive bill to lower prescription drug prices that could pass the Senate with at least 60 votes. My bill is bipartisan; it has been negotiated; and it is comprehensive. prgtoken The bill is called the Prescription Drug Pricing Act. It is also known as Grassley-Wyden, but I want to be fair to Wyden. I am not sure that he would claim that he negotiated that bill, but I still like the bipartisan part of it. prgtoken The Senate should act today on this bipartisan bill to lower drug prices because this is what Grassley-Wyden would do: It would lower costs for seniors by $72 billion. It would save the taxpayers $95 billion. Those are CBO figures. prgtoken It establishes an out-of-pocket cap, eliminates the donut hole, and it redesigns Medicare Part D, that needs some redesigning after 19 years. This legislation will hold Big Pharma and powerful PBMs accountable. prgtoken Now, too often, cheaper alternatives like generics are available, but Big Pharma and these middlemen have an incentive to push the patient into higher-cost drugs, and patients pay the cost. My bill ends that incentive and is very pro-consumer. prgtoken A third point I want to make, it ends taxpayer subsidies to Big Pharma. It does it by capping annual price increases of Medicare Part B and D drugs at inflation. In other words, drug companies can't raise prices two or three times a year 5 to 10 percent--once a year at no more than CPI. prgtoken A Kaiser Foundation study found that half of the drugs in Medicare Part B and D increased higher than inflation over the perio
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
Susan M. Collins (Republican, ME) \u2014 2022-7-20

I am pleased to join my close friend and dear colleague Senator Manchin in introducing bipartisan legislation to reform the archaic and ambiguous Electoral Count Act of 1887, the important law that governs how Congress tallies each State's electoral votes for President and Vice President. prgtoken On January 6 of 2017, I was amused to learn that I had received one electoral vote for Vice President of the United States, an office for which I obviously was not a candidate. But on January 6, 2021, I realized that my unearned vote from 4 years earlier was really not funny at all. Rather, it was an indication of deep structural problems with our system of certifying and counting the electoral votes for President and Vice President. These unfortunate flaws are codified in the 1887 Electoral Count Act. prgtoken In four of the past six Presidential elections, this process has been abused, with Members of both parties raising frivolous objections to electoral votes. But it took the violent breach of the Capitol on January 6 of 2021 to really shine a spotlight on the urgent need for reform. prgtoken Over the past several months, Senator Manchin and I have worked with a terrific, bipartisan group of Senators who are united in our determination to prevent the flaws in this 135-year-old law from being used to undermine future Presidential elections. prgtoken I want to express my gratitude to my friend Senator Manchin and to all the members of our bipartisan group for their hard work, their constructive work, to craft this legislation. Specifically, I want to thank Senators Portman, Sinema, Romney, Shaheen, Murkowski, Warner, Tillis, Murphy, Capito, Cardin, Young, Coons, and Sasse for their work over several months. I also want to thank Senators Klobuchar and Blunt, who head the Rules Committee, for their advice and counsel throughout this process, and Senator Lindsey Graham for his insights and for joining as a cosponsor. prgtoken The legislation that we are introducing--the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act--will help ensure that electoral votes totaled by Congress accurately reflect each State's popular vote for President and Vice President. prgtoken Our bill includes a number of important reforms, but I want to highlight just a few. prgtoken First, it reasserts that the constitutional role of the Vice President in counting electoral votes is strictly and solely ministerial. The idea that any Vice President would have the power to unilaterally accept or reject or change or halt the electoral votes is antithetical to our Constitution and basic democratic principles. prgtoken Second, our bill raises the threshold to lodge an objection to electors to at least one-fifth of the duly chosen and sworn members of the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. Currently, only a single Member in both houses is required to object to an elector or a slate of electors. prgtoken Third, o
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
Vicky Hartzler (Republican, MO) \u2014 2022-7-20

. Madam , on Tuesday, July 19, 2022, I was unable to vote. Had I been present, I would have voted: prgtoken NO on Roll Call No. 365 ; NO on Roll Call No. 366 ; YEA on Roll Call No. 367; NO on Roll Call No. 368; NO on Roll Call No. 369; YEA on Roll Call No. 370; YEA on Roll Call No. 371; NO on Roll Call No. 372; NO on Roll Call No. 373; YEA on Roll Call No. 374; YEA on Roll Call No. 375; YEA on Roll Call No. 376; YEA on Roll Call No. 377; and YEA on Roll Call No. 378.
TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2023
Mark E. Green (Republican, TN) \u2014 2022-7-20

. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to amendment No. 137. prgtoken Unlimited quantities of food and medicine are already permitted in Cuba, yet this egregious amendment would allow the financing of agricultural exports to the island. The Cuban regime controls 100 percent--a single company controls all agricultural imports. It is owned by the military. It is controlled by the enforcers of the Communist regime. prgtoken Tens of thousands of Cubans tried to protest just 1 year ago, and thousands of them are in prison. Children are imprisoned by this Communist regime.