mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Joni Ernst (Republican, IA) \u2014 2024-2-5

as ranking member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, each week I recognize an outstanding Iowa small business that exemplifies the American entrepreneurial spirit. This week, it is my privilege to recognize Monona County Iron of Mapleton, IA, as the Senate Small Business of the Week. prgtoken In 2005, Monona County Iron was founded in Mapleton as a single building on Sioux Street. Over the years, the small business has expanded from a handful of employees to multiple buildings with more than 40 employees. Monona County Iron provides tungsten inert gas welding services to the manufacturing, construction, and automotive industries, as well as fabrication and metalworking services for projects in Texas, Washington, and across the Midwest. prgtoken Monona County Iron facility is active in the Mapleton and Monona County communities, and the team proudly supports the Maple Valley- Anthon Oto community schools. Recently, they fabricated the ``MVAOCOU'' letters for the school district with students in Mr. Miller's Construction Systems class. In addition to supporting local schools, Monona County Iron contributes to the Monona County Fair. In 2023, they sponsored the Monona County Iron Award trophies. The team has also collaborated with the Monona County Farm Bureau, the Monona County Cattlemen's Association, Monona County 4-H, and the Monona County Demolition Derby. Due to the hard work of leadership and employees, the business celebrated its 19th business anniversary in 2024. prgtoken Monona County Iron's commitment to giving back and providing high- quality services is clear. I want to congratulate the entire team for their continued dedication to excellence in their field and for supporting future generations. I look forward to seeing their continued growth and success in Iowa.
WEDNESDAY IS NATIONAL GIRLS AND WOMEN IN SPORTS DAY
John W. Rose (Republican, TN) \u2014 2024-2-5

Wednesday is National Girls and Women in Sports Day, a time to highlight House s' efforts to protect the right of women to compete against other athletes on an equal footing. prgtoken Last April, s passed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023. It makes clear that allowing a biological male to compete in a sport designated for women or girls is a violation of Title IX. The bill requires schools to only recognize a person's reproductive biological sex at birth when determining athletic eligibility. prgtoken It is simple: If you were born a biological male, you compete against biological males. In fact, the vast majority of Tennesseans call that common sense. prgtoken This weekend, my family and I attended a Lady Vols basketball game. It reminded me of how proud I am to fight to prevent them from ever having to compete unfairly against biological men.
125TH ANNIVERSARY OF NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
Elizabeth Warren (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2024-2-6

I rise today to recognize Northeastern University, on the occasion of its 125th anniversary. prgtoken Northeastern University began as the Boston YMCA Evening Institute for Young Men in 1898, established to meet the industry's emergent need for skilled workers in the vocational trades. Today, Northeastern is a global research university and a recognized leader in experiential lifelong learning that integrates real-world experience with education, research, and innovation. Launched over a century ago, Northeastern's signature cooperative education--co-op--model now spans every continent and more than 3,500 employer partners where students work, study, and research. prgtoken With an R1 Carnegie classification, the university's research enterprise, focused broadly on the domains of health, security, and sustainability, as well as cutting-edge fields like artificial intelligence and robotics, wireless technology, and the life sciences, has quintupled during the past 15 years and pushed the bounds of scientific discovery. Since 2011, Northeastern has embarked on an ambitious expansion across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Today, Northeastern's global university system comprises 13 sites, making it the only U.S. research university with comprehensive campuses on both coasts and a leader in preparing graduates with global experience. prgtoken The university's success extends beyond learning and discovery to intercollegiate athletics, as reflected, most recently, by the Huskies' sweep of the 2023 men's and women's Beanpot ice hockey tournaments for a record sixth time. prgtoken Northeastern counts a long and proud tradition of partnership with the Nation's armed forces that includes a U.S. Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps--ROTC--unit, extensive collaboration in defense and homeland security research, and a nationally recognized student veterans organization dedicated to helping returning veterans transition to higher education and achieve professional career success. prgtoken On the 125th anniversary of its founding, the university's investments in entrepreneurship, women's empowerment, civic engagement, public art, and sustainability have made an extraordinary contribution to the economic and social fabric of the city of Boston, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the United States, and the world. They are a credit to the nearly 300,000 Northeastern alums living, working, and making a difference in communities around the globe. prgtoken On the occasion of this milestone, I am proud to recognize Northeastern University.
REMEMBERING RAYMOND JACOBY
Peter Welch (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2024-2-6

I would like to recognize the recent passing, and honor the life of an extraordinary Vermonter, Raymond ``Ray'' Bradley Jacoby. Ray touched the lives of many in our State, and his presence in his community will be deeply missed. prgtoken Ray dedicated much of his professional career to volunteerism and nonprofit service. Ray was the executive director of the Chittenden County United Way in Burlington, VT, for 10 years in the 1970s and 80s. In this role, he worked to make financial stability, healthcare, and affordable education accessible to everyone, coordinating with community partners to provide crucial assistance to Chittenden County residents. prgtoken Throughout his life, Ray was also a devoted attendee, employee, and supporter of YMCA summer camps. As a young boy, he attended YMCA camps across New England. Later in his life, he served in nearly every camp position, from counselor-in-training to camp director. After his retirement from the United Way, he worked with YMCA Camp Abnaki in North Hero, VT, for years. He helped the camp to raise funds and provide support to the staff to ensure campers had the best experience possible every summer. prgtoken Ray will be remembered by many for his contributions to his community, commitment to his work, and devotion to his family. It is with both great sadness and honor that I celebrate the life of Raymond Jacoby and extend my deepest condolences to his family and loved ones. His impact on Vermonters will never be forgotten.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H. RES. 863, IMPEACHING ALEJANDRO NICHOLAS MAYORKAS, SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY, FOR HIGH CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 485...
James P. McGovern (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2024-2-6

everything we have heard from the other side has confirmed that this impeachment is a predetermined political stunt. Again, this is the first time in American history an impeachment could go to the floor of the United States House of Representatives with no evidence, no proof, no elements of a crime, nothing at all. Not my words, . It is your own colleagues who say that. prgtoken Here are a few more quotes. Jonathan Turley, a top legal adviser, says: ``There is also no current evidence that he [meaning Secretary Mayorkas] is corrupt or committed an impeachable offense.'' prgtoken 's own impeachment defense lawyer, Alan Dershowitz: ``I urge principled s who care about the Constitution to oppose those in their party who are seeking to impeach and remove Mayorkas based on nonconstitutional accusations.'' prgtoken leaders told their donors behind closed doors that they were going to impeach Mayorkas before they even began their sham investigation. They raise money off of this. They promised Marjorie Taylor Greene last year that they were going to impeach, no matter what, in order to help , to distract from his legal troubles and their own incompetence. prgtoken I get why they need to change the subject. was the worst President in my lifetime, probably in history. He tried to overturn the election results when he lost. He said he wants to be a dictator ``on day one'' and he invokes Adolph Hitler, saying: Immigrants poison the blood of our country. prgtoken He had the worst jobs record since the Great Depression. He told everyone to drink bleach and take horse medicine during COVID. He has been indicted more times than elected and is currently in trial for 91 felony charges. That is after being ordered to pay $83 million after a jury of his peers decided he was a rapist. prgtoken That is the leader of the Party. That is who this impeachment is about, ; not Secretary Mayorkas, a good, honorable, decent man. is a corrupt, dishonorable, disgraceful man. prgtoken This is all about helping s rile up MAGA voters and distracting from their inability to govern and address the critical issues facing our country. prgtoken Instead of legislating, they are being led by Marjorie Taylor Greene and the extreme MAGA chock-full-of-nuts caucus to pursue this baseless, extreme, and harmful impeachment charade that distracts from actually securing the border. prgtoken Do we have a problem at the border? Absolutely. and President want real, comprehensive solutions to fix it, but the MAGA extremists have shown no interest in working with House to address the challenges facing the American people. prgtoken What we need is s to stop playing political games. That is the exact opposite of what is happening here, the exact opposite of this cynical, reckless, impeachment stunt. prgtoken We are going to co
POVERTY AND INEQUALITY
Steve Cohen (Democrat, TN) \u2014 2024-2-6

. Madam , I thank the gentleman for yielding. I am pleased to join you because this is such an important topic and a topic that I have been talking about for a long time. prgtoken The income inequality in our country has grown and grown, and the tax cuts of , which I voted against, contributed to it greatly--tax cuts that gave the wealthy much more money, corporations and individuals, and did not help the poor and didn't really help the middle class much. prgtoken My district is in Memphis, Shelby County and Tipton County, just north of Memphis. Because of that, I am no stranger to high levels of poverty and inequality. prgtoken According to the 2023 Poverty Fact Sheet by the University of Memphis, 21.4 percent of Memphians live in poverty. The overall poverty rate for Black and Latino Memphians is almost double that of White and Caucasian residents; roughly 27 percent for Black and Latino residents, compared to 10 percent of Whites. prgtoken The child poverty rate is 32.7, a number that has been declining in recent years due to the child tax credits, but still far too high, and we don't know how much the child tax credits will be available to people this coming year. prgtoken In 2022, the child poverty rate in African-American and Latino communities was three times that of White families, 30 percent to 10. What hope does that give young African-American and Latino children? prgtoken The root causes of poverty often come down to access and opportunity. Childhood poverty is directly related to the financial status of the children's parents. prgtoken Many young adults in Memphis have parents and grandparents who are prohibited from buying houses in certain areas, redlining, which is still a practice in Memphis, and has been highlighted recently when one of the banks in Memphis was charged with such and pled guilty to such, I believe. That has restricted access to home loans and mortgage protections, as well. prgtoken Because of redlining, many families did not have the opportunity to buy desirable houses. These policies were legal until 1968, so it is not ancient history. prgtoken The impact of redlining continues as many families were unable to build generational wealth. prgtoken Now, poor families need access to services like citywide internet, subsidized childcare, and supportive mortgage rates. prgtoken And we tried to do some of those things, but unfortunately, it has not been a bipartisan effort. It has mostly been an effort by . prgtoken Tennessee is nationally ranked as a low-tax State, but that is not the case for the poorest families. The taxes are regressive. It is a sales tax-dependent State that taxes the poor in the most regressive manner. prgtoken The poorest 20 percent of Tennessee residents pay a significantly higher percentage of their income in State and local taxes than any other group in the State. prgtoken Low-income families are paying high amounts of taxes, while at the same ti
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE
Pramila Jayapal (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2024-2-6

I rise in strong opposition to this resolution to impeach Secretary Mayorkas. prgtoken This resolution is as ridiculous as it is dangerous. It has no evidence of high crimes and misdemeanors. Are we really debating impeaching a Cabinet Secretary because House s don't like the policies that he advances under a democratically elected President? prgtoken Far from alleging true high crimes and misdemeanors, this resolution relies on the same tired and untrue talking points that have demonstrated for months are not true. With this Marjorie Taylor Greene sham impeachment resolution, the majority is bending to the will of the most extreme members of their Conference simply because they don't like the policies that Secretary Mayorkas is pursuing. prgtoken Secretary Mayorkas is an excellent and dedicated public servant, working tirelessly to protect our national security and to address a broken immigration system. prgtoken This Congress, the least productive Congress in the history of the United States, having passed only 27 bills that have been signed into law, despite over 700 votes in this body, is simply trying to distract the American people from the fact that they are not doing a single thing to address the lives of ordinary Americans across this country. prgtoken I keep thinking that the House cannot debase itself further, Mr but it appears that we have not reached rock bottom yet. Vote ``no'' on this sham of an impeachment.
ORDERS FOR WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2024
Jeff Merkley (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2024-2-6

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 12 noon on Wednesday, February 7; that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; that upon the conclusion of morning business, the Senate resume consideration of the motion to proceed to Calendar No. 30, H.R. 815.
FUNDING FOR ALL IN NEED
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2024-2-6

. Madam , the American people might wonder just what happened here today. prgtoken Well, first of all, the southern border deal never got anywhere, and all of the logistics and all of the cloak and dagger and what was going to be in it failed to even get the attention of the of this House or any of the Members. prgtoken Yet, all of a sudden, an unfounded legislative initiative that was allegedly to advocate for the needs of the people in the Mideast wound up on the floor of the House. You wonder what we did today. It wound up on the floor of the House with no conscience, no thought, no commitment, and that is why I was not able to vote for it. prgtoken I was willing to join an amended initiative to ensure that all of the people that are in need in the Mideast would be taken care of; that we would have the funding for Israel; that we would have the funding for the Palestinians and the aid that is needed in Gaza and the ability to deal with the crisis of debt that they have been facing; that we would have the money for Taiwan; and, yes, that we would have the money for Ukraine. prgtoken I have been to the border of Ukraine. I have seen the violence against the children. I have seen Russia steal children. I have seen parents die in the streets. It is necessary that we do this right, and that is funding for all of those that are in need, and do it now. prgtoken The of the House needs to work in a professional way for the prgtoken American people to show we care about the nations and we care about the Mideast.
IMPEACHING ALEJANDRO NICHOLAS MAYORKAS, SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY, FOR HIGH CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS
Raul Ruiz (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2024-2-6

. Madam , I rise to call out the hypocrisy and extreme political stunts s are displaying with this baseless and unconstitutional impeachment against the Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas. prgtoken Instead of seeking bipartisan solutions, they voted to cut border security funding. Let me repeat that: cut border security funding. They are now bringing an impeachment that lacks basis in law just to pull another one of their political stunts. prgtoken Secretary Mayorkas has dedicated his career to public service and our country. During his time in the Department, he led the development and implementation of DACA and led the Department's successful response to Ebola and Zika outbreaks. prgtoken He has worked tirelessly on combating human trafficking and developed an emergency relief program for orphaned youth following the tragic January 10 earthquake in Haiti. prgtoken Secretary Mayorkas has done the work he was tasked to do by the President and more. prgtoken Stop wasting time on yet another extreme political farce. Start working with for a bipartisan, real solution.
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE
Bennie G. Thompson (Democrat, MS) \u2014 2024-2-6

s use the language of invasion and great replacement theory, but invasion in the Constitution means invasion during an act of war by a foreign nation or insurrection from within. prgtoken I direct my colleagues to Federalist Papers Nos. 4 and 43 if they want to learn why the entry of migrants escaping crisis for a better life is not invasion. prgtoken , .
Nomination of Amy M. Baggio (Executive Calendar)
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2024-2-6

today, the Senate will vote to confirm Amy M. Baggio to the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon. prgtoken Judge Baggio received her B.A cum laude, from Wake Forest University and her J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School. After law school, she became a public defender in Portland, where she represented clients in State court. prgtoken From 2002 to 2012, she served in the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the District of Oregon in Portland. She handled both trials and appeals in that role, representing her clients in Federal district court and before the Ninth Circuit. In 2012, Judge Baggio opened a solo practice in Portland, where she worked until 2019. During her time as a litigator, she tried 12 cases to verdict, including 8 jury trials. prgtoken In 2019, Judge Baggio was appointed to the Oregon State Circuit Court in Multnomah County by then-Governor Kate Brown. Judge Baggio was subsequently elected to the position in 2020. Over the past 5 years, she has handled civil, criminal, and family law matters, and she has presided over more than 40 trials. prgtoken The American Bar Association unanimously rated Judge Baggio ``well qualified'' to serve on the District of Oregon. She has deep ties to Oregon and enjoys the strong support of both of her home State Senators, Mr. Wyden and Mr. Merkley. Her extensive litigation background and experience as a State court judge will serve her well on the Federal bench. prgtoken When Senator Wyden introduced Judge Baggio at her confirmation hearing, he noted that she has never had a party before her file a request for a different judge, a testament to her fairness. I strongly support this nominee, and I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting her nomination.
ISRAEL SECURITY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2024
James A. Himes (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2024-2-6

maybe I can help my confused friend from New York so that he might understand what is at stake here and why are going to vote ``no.'' prgtoken I stand here with some trepidation because, for a decade and a half, I have stood here and proudly voted to support Israel, and Israel has been attacked. I know that we will pass Israel aid. prgtoken Make no mistake, what we are seeing today is a profoundly cynical political maneuver. For my friend from New York, let me explain it. prgtoken Mr. Calvert, Ms. DeLauro, and I were in the White House when the --all of 2 days as of the House--looked at the National Security Advisor and said that we will do border first, Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel. He demanded that. The White House said, no, we shouldn't bind those things up because that creates the possibility that we don't get any of that done. prgtoken Then, we made very real progress. We have a bipartisan package that does all of those things. It counters Putin's murderousness in Ukraine, supports Taiwan, stands with Israel, and provides humanitarian aid. It offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to do a border and immigration deal, an immigration deal that the Border Patrol union has endorsed. prgtoken My colleagues trot out the Border Patrol every day and say, look at these poor guys. prgtoken The Border Patrol union has endorsed this bill. This should pass. It is a historic opportunity to stand up for what we believe as Americans, but then something happened. called. prgtoken called the , and the said it. He said, we know how he feels about Ukraine. He said, don't do the border deal, a border deal negotiated with one of the most conservative Senators in the United States Senate. prgtoken Mr. Calvert, Ms. DeLauro, and I heard Mitch McConnell say: This is a better deal than we get if is President and we have the House and the Senate, but called. prgtoken I need to put another name out there: Neville Chamberlain, 1938, ``peace for our time'' because he kowtowed to a dictator. That is what is at stake. prgtoken We will hang the legacy of Neville Chamberlain around our necks if we don't seize this historic opportunity to do a comprehensive security bill and reject this political cynical maneuver.