mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
UKRAINE
Rob Portman (Republican, OH) \u2014 2022-6-13

for the 15th straight week, while the U.S. Senate has been in session, I come to the floor to talk about what is going on in Ukraine. This is the war that Russia continues to wage against the people of Ukraine. I am going to talk about what has happened in the last week--some of it is very concerning--but also about what we can do right now to help more, to help our ally Ukraine, to help President Zelenskyy and his duly elected government, and to help the people of Ukraine. prgtoken Last week, I talked about a grim milestone, 100 days of this war. It is becoming a war of attrition. The Russians expected a quick victory, you remember. That didn't happen. Now they are grinding it out in one area called the Donbas region. And unfortunately, they are making some incremental progress there. In a minute, I will have a map here to show you where the prgtoken Donbas region is. But that is where the focus is right now. That is where the Russians are grinding it out. prgtoken The fate of Ukraine, its future, may be decided here in the next few months or maybe even weeks, given what is happening in the Donbas. The Russians have regrouped, and they are using their superior weapons, particularly long-range artillery. The Ukrainians, although they are fighting valiantly, just don't have that longer range artillery to be able to counteract what Russia is doing. So the Russians are sitting back with this long-range, more accurate artillery. They are hitting Ukrainian positions, taking out Ukrainian cities, flattening them. And then the Ukrainians can't reach them because they don't have artillery that is long range. prgtoken There has been some Ukrainian progress in the past week. If you look at this map, you can see that in the northeast, around Kharkiv--up here, you see this light blue--Ukrainians have made some progress. In fact, in one case, they actually pushed the Russians back to the Russian border. prgtoken They also made some progress here in the south. And you see the city of Kherson, that was one of the first big cities that the Russians took during this most recent attack. The Ukrainians are now moving toward that area. That is positive news. prgtoken But, frankly, one reason they are making the progress is the Russians are all focused right here. This is the Donbas region we talked about earlier, and this is where the Russians are making incremental progress and killing, frankly, a lot of Ukrainian civilians but also Ukrainian soldiers. prgtoken Russia is grinding it out, as I said earlier, meaning that they are using their superior artillery fire. They have more troops. They have more weapons. But the Ukrainian defenders are fighting hard. They are making the Russians pay for every single inch of territory that is being taken. This is particularly true in Severodonetsk, which is right in here. prgtoken In Severodonetsk, there is an ongoing battle tonight as we talk. The Russians are engaged in urba
HONORING RETIRED MAJOR GENERAL GARY HARRELL FOR 35 YEARS OF MILITARY SERVICE
Richard Hudson (Republican, NC) \u2014 2022-6-13

. Madam , I rise today to honor Major General Gary Harrell for 35 years of extraordinary military service and his recent induction as a Distinguished Member of the Special Forces Regiment by the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School. prgtoken Maj. Gen. Harrell has made immeasurable contributions to our great Nation and continues to personify the core U.S. Army values of honor, integrity, personal courage, and selfless service. He began his career in 1973 with the 82nd Airborne Division and retired in 2008 as the Deputy Commander of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command. prgtoken Over the course of his remarkable career, Maj. Gen. Harrell served as a special operations action officer, deputy commander, commander, and director among other positions in military operations around the globe. In some of his most notable assignments, he helped rescue American hostage Kurt Muse in Panama as part of Operation Just Cause, deployed with Joint Special Operations Command in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, served as Commander of Task Force Bowie and Assistant Division Commander for the 10th Mountain Division in Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan, and served as Commander of Special Operations Command where he oversaw more than 20,000 troops in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He continues to serve our military in retirement as an executive board member for the Task Force Dagger Foundation. Through this role, he has helped secure donations to benefit injured or ill special operations service members and their families. prgtoken On account of his exemplary service, Maj. Gen. Harrell received many of our Nation's most impressive distinctions and awards, including the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Bronze Star Medal with a Valor Device and Two Oak Leaf Clusters, a Purple Heart Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with an Oak Leaf Cluster, the Air Medal and the Army Commendation Medal with Two Oak Leaf Clusters among other awards and distinctions. He represents the best our nation has to offer, and we will look up to his leadership for generations to come. prgtoken As Fort Bragg's Congressman, I know I speak for our Nation and community when I say we are truly grateful for Maj. Gen. Harrell's exceptional service. There is no one more deserving of being named a Distinguished Member of the Special Forces Regiment. I would like to offer my sincerest appreciation and wish him and his family success in all their future endeavors. prgtoken Madam , please join me today in honoring Major General Gary Harrell for 35 years of distinguished military service and leadership.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2022-6-13

there has been a lot of well-deserved attention to free expression limits on college campuses. My colleagues have heard me right here on this very Senate floor speak about the need for free expression many times. But one reason we have this issue at colleges is because students aren't exposed to the diverse ideas in our public schools and other K-12 institutions. So when brandnew college students encounter opposing ideas for the first time, you have heard it--they lash out. They demand what are called safe spaces on the college campuses. prgtoken Now, that tells me that students are coming to college very unprepared to hear diverse views. If your own views have never been challenged, then you almost certainly have not developed the skills to evaluate different viewpoints and then go ahead and make up your own mind. prgtoken So let's raise this question: Why are students arriving in college so resistant to hearing diverse views? prgtoken I have been following some news stories on this subject last month, and all of this may not be entirely accidental, that our high school students aren't prepared to hear diverse viewpoints when they get to college. prgtoken The American Federation of Teachers recently announced that it wants to put an extension on the computers of its 1.7 million members. The goal of this NewsGuard extension is to provide ``trust ratings'' of news websites. Although numerous studies have pointed to a clear leftwing bias from NewsGuard, the AFT still wanted to bring it into the classrooms across America. Now, that should not be our goal. Our goal should be to get political bias out of K-12 schools, not ingrain it. prgtoken Contrariwise, a major focus that I have heard from Iowa teachers has been that we need to develop among our students critical thinking. Well, critical thinking requires listening to different ideas. If all students just agree with their teachers, that is repetition, not independent thinking. prgtoken The disease that has infected so many colleges now seems to spread throughout our K-12 schools. I hope for our country's future we find a way to continue to show kids both sides of an argument rather than shutting down ideas that teachers may disagree with. I have heard from many Iowans concerned about exactly that kind of bias. But we can't fix it here in Washington, DC. prgtoken The first rule of education policy should be that decisions are made as close to the family as possible. If you have issues with how your school is being run, your local school board should be your very first step. These elected officials are directly accountable to the parents in their own communities. A problem should only go up to the State legislature if it is caused by State law, and only a select few issues should go to this national level, where Federal intervention is found out to be the source of the problem. prgtoken So if you see political bias or lack of diverse viewpoints in
REVERSE THE CURSE: RESTORING FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
Ron Estes (Republican, KS) \u2014 2022-6-13

. Madam , I thank my friend, Mr. Arrington, for hosting this very important hour on this very important topic. I will concede that Texas is bigger geographically than Kansas and several other States as well. prgtoken You know, it is important that we talk about this important issue, and I really appreciate the work that he does, and I appreciate serving with him on the Ways and Means Committee on so many of the important issues that we have to address for our country. prgtoken Madam , tonight, as many Americans put their kids to bed, they are checking their schedules for the next day and doing a quick review of the bank accounts. They are deeply concerned about how they are going to be able to live with the crushing price increases in 's America. prgtoken We are talking a lot about the debt tonight. We are talking about, you know, how do you afford to make your payments on the issues that you have to address today? But also, how do you have to plan for the future, knowing how that debt is going to weigh down on people, weigh down on Americans, weigh down on them as individuals, but also weigh down on their kids and grandkids? prgtoken You know, there is a lot of noise that happens in this bubble we call Washington, D.C but everyday Americans have the same top concerns about the economy and rising prices. prgtoken In fact, it has been a top concern for months now. Even last year during a townhall in October, 98 percent of the respondents said that they had seen an increase in the cost of regular necessities. prgtoken Last week, I had an opportunity to speak with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen about why it is taking the administration so long to recognize inflation as a problem. She complained about other challenges the administration faced in January of 2021. prgtoken Let's look at what really has happened over the last 18 months. When President took office, he was met with a growing economy that was already recovering from a global pandemic. We were already seeing the debt being addressed and starting to work in that direction. prgtoken The COVID vaccine that had been developed from Operation Warp Speed was being distributed around the world, as well as throughout the United States. We were actually starting to see inflation stabilized at a mere 1.4 percent, and filling up your gas tank only cost $2.39, thanks to American energy independence. prgtoken Despite all the pandemic-related challenges that Americans have gone through over the past year; consumer sentiment was relatively high at 79. But after a year of total control in the city, Americans no longer have a positive outlook on the economy. prgtoken Our economy shrank in the first quarter. Americans are paying more for everything they buy on a regular basis. Gas has skyrocketed to an average above $5 per gallon, and consumer sentiment has dropped to a record low of 50.2. It is bad news for our country. prgtoken and the
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2022-6-13

runaway inflation has pushed workers and families to the breaking point. According to one recent poll, nearly 60 percent of Americans are making an effort to drive less and cut back on electricity use. Three in four are pinching their budgets for food and entertainment outside the home, and two-thirds are bracing for prices to climb even higher in the coming year. prgtoken Six months ago, in December, President told the American people we had reached the ``peak''--the peak--``of the crisis'' with inflation. He said that prices would start falling ``over the next couple months.'' But like so many of ' other confident predictions about our economy, the President's statement has proven completely false. prgtoken Friday morning's inflation report provided more official confirmation of what American consumers know painfully well: The ' out-of- control inflation is not letting up. In fact, it is actually getting worse. prgtoken This year to May, consumer prices rose 8.6 percent, blowing away expectations, jumping a full percentage point over the previous month and setting--you guessed it--a new 40-year high. The data underneath tell a brutal story for working families and American businesses. The categories driving inflation last month were the ones they can't do without. prgtoken Overall energy prices clocked a year-on-year increase of nearly 35 percent. Drivers are paying 48.7 percent more at the pump. And fuel oil consumers have seen prices more than double. prgtoken Food costs continue to climb at over 10 percent. Grocery prices, in particular, hit nearly 12 percent inflation, the worst year since 1979. And full service restaurant prices saw their largest increase on record. prgtoken Of course, that is not to mention the 31-year high for inflation in the services sector, the 35-year high for rent inflation, or the 42- year high for rising airfare. prgtoken Day by day, all of these painful milestones add up to one simple reality: Americans' hard-earned dollars aren't going nearly as far as they once did. Runaway inflation has swallowed up any shot of rising pay bringing more prosperity. In fact, the average worker has seen a 3.9-percent pay cut in the last year. prgtoken One mother of two in Indiana recently reported that she is earning more than she ever has in her career but ``says she still feels like she is financially losing ground.'' This is what she had to say: I should be able to live on my own. I'm getting ready to pay rent and it's going to take every single dime I've made. prgtoken As one of my constituents in Barbourville put it recently, ``We're cutting back on everything--and I mean everything. Gas, meat, bread, it's all expensive as hell. One moment you think you can afford to buy something, then you go to the store and it's like, `Nope, can't get that anymore either.''' prgtoken And here is a real kicker. One young couple in Utah has taken to asking
HONORING THE LEGACY OF WILMA MANKILLER
Stephanie I. Bice (Republican, OK) \u2014 2022-6-13

. Madam , I rise today to celebrate the release of the third coin in the American Women Quarters Program which features Oklahoma's own Wilma Mankiller. prgtoken Ms. Mankiller lived an inspiring life, which has had a lasting impact on Oklahoma and beyond. Hailing from the Cherokee Nation, she was hired as an economic stimulus coordinator and founded the community development department. prgtoken Through her incredible work, she became the first woman elected as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. Under her leadership, she revitalized the Tribe's economy, education systems, and health and well-being programs. prgtoken Her remarkable leadership made the Cherokee Tribe a national role model, but she didn't stop there. After leaving office, she remained an advocate for women across the globe. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor given to civilians in the U.S and was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. prgtoken Ms. Mankiller's commitment to bettering her community and society as a whole is truly inspiring. May her legacy continue to live on forever.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2022-6-13

tomorrow will mark 3 weeks since the devastating school shooting in Uvalde, TX. prgtoken Over those last 3 weeks, Senator Murphy from Connecticut, Senator Sinema from Arizona, Senator Tillis from North Carolina, and others have been working to identify steps that Congress should take to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future. prgtoken This is not an easy debate. It is emotional. It can be divisive, but it is also very important that we act. prgtoken Most often, you hear people say: Do something. Well, they don't give you a lot of guidance on what that something looks like. And when you begin to dig down into the details, you find out that there is not a lot of consensus about what that something should look like. prgtoken The good news is, as a result of the work we have been doing these last 3 weeks, working with our colleagues, I believe we are making good progress. prgtoken Over the weekend, there was an agreement reached between 20 Senators--10 s and 10 --on a framework, or principles, for bipartisan legislation to keep our kids and our communities safe. prgtoken Before I go through some of the details of this agreed framework, I want to explain what it does and what it does not include. prgtoken From the beginning, I promised my constituents that when I took an oath to uphold the Constitution and laws of the United States, I did not take that oath with the intention of violating it. And so I said at the outset I would not support any additional restrictions on the rights of law-abiding gun owners. prgtoken There are hundreds of millions of guns in America today, and the vast majority--almost all of those gun owners--are responsible. They are not a threat to public safety. And so this being a constitutional right to keep and bear arms, there is no basis to restrict the rights of law- abiding gun owners or to restrict the constitutional rights of many of our citizens. prgtoken I made clear this is a redline of mine from the outset. And this bipartisan agreement on principles makes good on that commitment. prgtoken The gun-related provisions in this proposal will only impact criminals and those adjudicated mentally ill. Law-abiding gun owners will not be subject to any new restrictions, period. prgtoken Our agreement also strengthens the existing background check system, something we have had strong bipartisan support for and where we have had some notable successes in the past, for example, the Fix NICS bill that passed after this tragic Sutherland Springs shooting, where an individual, who should not have been able to get a firearm because of his record of felonies and domestic violence and mental health commitments, was able to do so because the Air Force had not uploaded that information into the background check system. prgtoken I am proud of the fact that, on a bipartisan basis, we passed that legislation which compelled Federal Agencies to post this derogatory
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Jerry Moran (Republican, KS) \u2014 2022-6-13

as you know, the Senate is currently considering the Heath Robinson Honoring Our PACT Act. This bipartisan legislation is the most comprehensive toxic exposure bill ever considered for veterans. prgtoken My colleagues deserve a fair consideration of common sense and reasonable amendments to improve this bill for our veterans. The House of Representatives had six votes and adopted 27 amendments. Part of the agreement between the chairman, Chairman Tester, and I was that amendments would be considered for this legislation; and, specifically, I have pushed for two amendments to be considered. prgtoken Given the magnitude and size of this legislation, there needs to be a bipartisan process, and given the magnitude of the bipartisan support of this legislation, there needs to be a bipartisan process on the Senate floor; and I would ask the leadership of the Senate to make certain that is the case. prgtoken . prgtoken .
REVERSE THE CURSE: RESTORING FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
Jodey C. Arrington (Republican, TX) \u2014 2022-6-13

. Madam , I say a hearty amen to my fellow Texan who has put his money where his mouth is. Certainly, he has put the votes of his constituents where his mouth is and has taken a stand. prgtoken It is not fun to be voting against things that have these wonderful titles that are going to do these grandiose things for the country. But the question is, who is going to pay for it? prgtoken I don't even call the $30 trillion of debt ``debt.'' I call it what Tom McClintock once mentioned in a budget hearing. It is a deferred tax on our children. It is so easy for us to pass these bills and not consider the incalculable cumulative cost. prgtoken But there will be a payday someday. As James Madison said, ``A public debt is a public curse.'' We are not blessing our children. We are not giving them the benefit of the quality of life that we have known as Americans second to no other nation and society in the world and in the history of the world. Yet, to do nothing and to keep this runaway freight train of fiscal irresponsibility running off the cliff is to curse them. Indeed, it is to curse them, as James Madison said. prgtoken Another friend and colleague and a new Member of Congress, but not new to public service, is Peter Meijer from Michigan's Third District. He serves on the Committee on Homeland Security and the Committee on Foreign Affairs. We appreciate his deep concerns and convictions on this issue facing our country. prgtoken Madam , from Michigan (Mr. Meijer).
TRIBUTE TO CAROLE JOHNSON
Steve Daines (Republican, MT) \u2014 2022-6-14

today I have the distinct honor of recognizing Carole Johnson of Mineral County for her dedication to the Forest Service and her 50-plus years of public service to the people of Montana. prgtoken Raised in Superior, MT, Carole graduated from Montana State University--``Go Cats!''--and joined the U.S. Forest Service in 1971. Carole started as a seasonal recreational employee on the Superior Ranger District of the Lolo National Forest and has since worked in nearly every facet of the Forest Service including firefighting, logistics, silviculture, surveying, mining, and conservation education. In 2015, Carole was named Superior District ranger, the post she held until retiring earlier this spring. According to most accounts, at the time of her retirement, Carole was the longest tenured federal employee in the State of Montana. prgtoken Anyone who knows Carole will tell you that she exemplifies the definition of a public servant. For more than 50 years, she served her community with unmatched institutional knowledge and professionalism. She has been a voice of reason in debates over public lands management emphasizing that forest management and conservation go hand in hand. As district ranger, Carole worked tirelessly to increase the timber output on the Superior District to help benefit the local economy and support wildfire mitigation in the community. prgtoken Outside of her role with the Forest Service, Carole is active in her community. She serves on many boards including the Mineral Community Hospital Board, Mineral Fair Board and the Glacier Country Tourism Board. Through her commitment to public service, it is clear that Carole has long been a well-respected and beloved member of the Mineral County community. prgtoken It is my honor to recognize Carole for her dedication to the Forest Service and her 50-plus years of public service to the great State of Montana. Carole, thank you for your many years of public service and commitment to improving our public lands and forests. I wish you all the best in your retirement. You make Montana proud.