mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
H.R. 3684
Joe Manchin, III (Democrat, WV) \u2014 2021-8-1

I want to thank my colleagues. This has been the most enjoyable venture for the last 6 to 8 weeks. prgtoken So many people have given up on the Senate. They have given up on Congress. They have given up on our ability to be able to do the big things. prgtoken This is big. This is a big deal. And I don't care who is looking at it any way they can, it has been said that nothing like this has been done in 30 years. It hasn't. We have all talked about it. We all knew it. prgtoken Senator Warner said that, basically, potholes and bridges don't have names. They don't have and identification. It will hurt us all, and it has. prgtoken It is something that every administration for the past four to five administrations knew had to be done, and they didn't because this is hard. It is not easy. prgtoken They call us a deliberative body. This is true to what deliberation is about: to come to an agreement. And it takes an awful lot of time, a lot of patience, and a lot of effort. We did that. prgtoken And when you think about it, having Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and the leader of the Party, Mitch McConnell, vote for this piece of legislation, that says a lot about it; that it is needed. The American people are speaking loud and clear. The polls are overwhelming, whether it is , , Independent--they could care less. They want their infrastructure repaired. prgtoken Let's rebuild America. We talk about it a lot. And when you think about this, this is the largest long-term jobs program that we have done--that we have ever done--for an awful long time. prgtoken They talk about, basically, that the economy is soaring now, and they figure it will taper off and maybe even go down. This will prevent that from happening. These are great jobs. In every city, in every part of the county, in every State in America, great jobs are going to be available for people who want good-paying, high-skill jobs with benefits. prgtoken This is the bill that will do it for them, and this will keep us going from 5 to 10 years, not just 1 year. It is not just a ``one blip'' on the radar screen and we are done. This is for 5 to 10 years, and we can continue to build on it. prgtoken There are only a few things that bring us together as Americans, that bring us together as Congress, that we all gather around. One is the military. I have never seen a military piece of legislation or NDAA that we all didn't rally around and pass, whether or . We knew it had to be done for the sake of our country. And infrastructure is the second. I have never seen anything so popular as infrastructure. prgtoken People say: Oh, Joe, we need it done. And these are people that might be hardcore left or hardcore right. They could care less. They want their infrastructure. They want their roads. They want their children safe on the buses. They want to be able to travel and communicate. prgtoken They w
THANKING STAFF
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2021-8-1

I know a lot of negotiations have been going on in the bill that is soon to be before us, and I appreciate the Senators from both parties who have done that, but sometimes we forget that there are hundreds of other people who work on it. prgtoken I know the members of the Senate Appropriations Committee have been working extremely hard. I think of people--Chuck Kieffer, Chanda Betourney, Jessica Berry, and others in our committee--who have given up weekends, evenings. They were working and briefing me until last evening on the work they were doing because we can say what we want to do, but then you have got to write it down. prgtoken The same thing happened with the bill that, fortunately, passed unanimously here to reimburse our National Guard, to pay the backpay and other necessities of the Capitol Police, to try to repair the damage and improve the situation after what happened--the terrible things that happened on January 6--to go for higher protections of COVID for everybody who works here in the Capitol: the staff, professionals, everybody. This is from those who clean the Capitol to those who guard the Capitol; they all need this kind of protection. prgtoken And with the help of Jeanne Shaheen and others, we were able to put in additional money and changes in the law to help us bring translators back from Afghanistan, people who had worked and put their lives on the line for our military, and bring them to safety. prgtoken As soon as, first, President and then President said we are leaving, their lives and the lives of their families were greatly endangered by the Taliban, and now they are back. prgtoken But I mention that because sometimes I might say, only half in jest, that Senators are merely constitutional impediments to their staffs, but we are very fortunate to have some of the brightest women and men anywhere in the staffs of the Senators in both parties, and certainly in those who administer the Senate, including those who are presently sitting and preparing to help us on everything from points of order to making sure the right papers are done and that the votes are counted properly. prgtoken I see all of these people working hard here today when I came into the Capitol, everybody from those who have to follow and make a copy of what I say on the floor, on through. I didn't hear anybody say: Boy, I wish I wasn't here. prgtoken I am sure just about everybody had other plans for Saturday and Sunday instead of being here. I think we owe a great debt of gratitude to those who prgtoken have come here who are helping us perform our duties. And I hope that Senators on both sides of the aisle will take note of that, try to bring these things to a conclusion--of course, have whatever votes we need--but keep in mind that there are hundreds, thousands of people working in the Capitol whose schedules are ofttimes disrupted because of our schedules. prgtoken They do it. They help us.
INVEST IN AMERICA ACT
Mark R. Warner (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2021-8-1

I want to thank the majority leader and all of my colleagues. I want to mention two other things briefly. prgtoken No. 1, Senator Tester, who has been intimately involved in this effort, could not be here with us to tonight, but he was with us all day and has been up with us for weeks and weeks. prgtoken I do think it is really important--the base bill that we will be negotiating will be the EPW bill. That committee is chaired by Tom Carper from Delaware. He has a lifetime record, from the House to his time as Governor, to his time in the Senate, of always working in a bipartisan fashion. He has spent literally decades on infrastructure. He will be carrying the ball for the majority on this. We support him, and we commend him, and we wouldn't be here if he hadn't put together the kind of base bill that we were then able to build upon. prgtoken With that, .
H.R. 3684
Jeanne Shaheen (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2021-8-1

I am very proud to be here with the rest of my colleagues to present this bill that will make the biggest investment in infrastructure, as Senator Collins said so well, since the Interstate Highway System back in the 1950s. prgtoken This is really an extraordinary work product that results from the leadership of Senators Sinema and Portman and from the cooperation of everybody on this floor. There were an equal number of and s--a number who are not here tonight who have worked on this bill--the work of committee chairs and ranking members in the Senate who have done so much to put together underlying bills that we used in moving this forward and, of course, all of the staff from our personal offices, from the Appropriations Committee, from all of the committees that worked on this bill. prgtoken As has been said, this is the biggest investment in infrastructure with $550 million--billion in new spending over the next 5 years. It builds on annual appropriations. It is an investment in roads and bridges, in water and wastewater, and transit, the electric grid. prgtoken We have got to do this because right now we are investing less than our competitors--less than China, less than India, less than Europe; less than we were spending in the United States in the 1960s. And if we are going to stay competitive, if we are going to provide opportunities for the people in this country, we have got to make these investments. prgtoken As my partner in broadband said, if kids are going to have an equal opportunity for the future, then they need to have access to high-speed internet. prgtoken More important, I think, is the point that all of my colleagues so far have made, and that is that this bill shows that s and can work together to address the needs of this country; that our government is not broken. We can make it work if everybody works together. prgtoken So I know we have a lot of work ahead of us to get this bill through the floor of the Senate and then through the House, and get the help out to the American people. But I know that in this Chamber we are committed to getting that done and to making sure that we make these investments to move the country forward. prgtoken So thank you, . prgtoken I yield to my colleague from Alaska, Senator Murkowski.
H.R. 3684
Rob Portman (Republican, OH) \u2014 2021-8-1

. from Utah for his wise words. Yes, it is true that there was a $2.65 trillion package proposed by President for infrastructure, and we are at $550 billion. So it is bipartisan. Both sides made concessions. But it is very different than what we would have seen, and again, it is an alternative with no taxes. prgtoken I do want to say that there was another effort underway before we got started. Actually, Shelley Moore Capito was part of our efforts early on and then decided to try to work with the White House to come up with a proposal. They were not successful in the end of bridging the gap between where the White House was and where they were, and the bipartisan approach that we used here ended up being more successful, but we are building on the foundation that they created. So you will see Senator Capito managing this bill for our side. I appreciate her support the other day on our first vote, and I appreciate the hard work they put in to help us to be able to come to this point today. prgtoken .
H.R. 3684
Susan M. Collins (Republican, ME) \u2014 2021-8-1

let me begin my remarks this evening by expressing my appreciation to Senators Portman and Sinema for their extraordinary leadership of our group, our bipartisan group, of 10 Senators, who have labored so hard to bring before the Senate the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. prgtoken This legislation represents the most significant investment in our infrastructure since the construction of the Interstate Highway System. Think about that. For generations, for decades, we have talked about the need to rebuild our roads and our bridges, our airports, our seaports, our waterways, our water treatment systems, and, today, to expand high-speed internet access to Americans throughout our country no matter where they live--whether they are in the northern regions of Maine or an inner city neighborhood--and that is exactly what this legislation would do. prgtoken I want to just quickly give an example from my own State of Maine. prgtoken Maine has 315 bridges and nearly 1,500 miles of roads that are rated as being in poor condition. Now the State of Maine will have the funding that will enable it to make major investments in the repair and replacement of this critical infrastructure. I am particularly pleased that the legislation includes $65 billion to expand access to broadband. prgtoken And I want to thank my colleague Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who worked so closely with me. We were partners in this endeavor, and this is going to make such a difference to students who are doing online courses, to seniors who want access to telemedicine, to individuals who are able to work from home, but none of that is possible without access to high-speed internet services. prgtoken I am very pleased to be part of this group, and I am also delighted to demonstrate to the American people that we can work across the aisle in a bipartisan way to achieve real results that matter to the people of this country. prgtoken I yield to the Senator from New Hampshire.
H.R. 3684
Mitt Romney (Republican, UT) \u2014 2021-8-1

. it is an honor to be here. They say that making law is like making sausage. But I have seen sausage made, and it is a prettier process, and it is a lot easier. But this has been a lot more rewarding. I have enjoyed the time we have had together. prgtoken My good friend from West Virginia talked about how much money we are spending here, how big this is. But let me note something, underscore something: This is paid for. This is not going to raise taxes on people. This is, instead, taking some money that was already appropriated, not used for COVID relief. We are going to bring that back and use it to help build infrastructure. prgtoken This is a bill which is paid for, and it gives the American people something that they desperately need, and that is an upgrade in our infrastructure. prgtoken Now, of course, you know it was several months ago that this group came together. We call ourselves affectionately the G-10. Senator Portman and Senator Sinema have shown enormous patience and persistence and resolve getting this across the finish line. I want to thank also particularly Senator Capito for laying out the foundation for what we proposed at the very beginning, which we built upon and has led to the final piece of legislation. prgtoken As has been said, neither side got everything we wanted. There are a bunch of things in this bill I don't like, I would take out. There are things in this bill I know my ic friends don't like and would take out. But the nature of getting work done in Washington is to be able to come up with something that has enough good for both that we actually get it done. And the American people have been waiting one President after another after another, saying let's improve our infrastructure, and it just doesn't get done. This time, we have. prgtoken Now, I know that s had a choice here. We could let the just do something on their own. With reconciliation, they could have spent trillions of dollars without any of our help. But the President and the leaders of the ic Party here and our friends said: No, let's work together and see if we can do something collectively. prgtoken Now, I know Members of both parties have mischaracterized our efforts as somehow linked to paving the way to the ' $3.5 trillion wish list. If you don't think our ic friends are going to push for that monstrosity with or without this bill, then I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. They are going to push for that anyway. This is a separate piece of legislation. I love this one. I hate that one. These are two very different things, and there is going to be an effort, obviously, to stop that bill from going forward. prgtoken This is not perfect. It is paid for. prgtoken I want to note as well that if the would have written the bill entirely on their own, Utah would probably have ended up on the short end of the stick. But because of our involve
H.R. 3684
Lisa Murkowski (Republican, AK) \u2014 2021-8-1

it is indeed a pleasure to be on the floor, even though it is a little bit late on a Sunday evening, but to be here with colleagues that we have spent probably more time with one another than we have with our families, our spouses, our roommates, and what have you. But we have been working to build a product not only that we are proud to stand behind but a product that I believe the American public will be proud of the work that we have put into this-- work not just of this group but, again, the broader group of 22. prgtoken And also we recognize the very solid work that comes from our committees. We recognize all that was built at the committee level to help kick-start in so many different--in so many different--areas, but also to build the base of much of this infrastructure bill that we have in front of us today. prgtoken My friend and colleague from West Virginia, Senator Manchin, the chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee--when we started to sit down and focus on what we were going to do with infrastructure, the necessity for a power piece was important. It was critical to what we were building. And so the committee went to work, put together, I think, a good product that moved out of the committee on a bipartisan basis, and that served as really the base for the title that is part of this measure, building on the energy act that we moved out of this body last year. prgtoken So the work that has gone into it has been a collaborative process throughout the way--very much an iterative process, as I might add, as well. prgtoken But I think we recognize that the good, solid work that has been put into this to date is just really the beginning of bringing in more of the efforts and input from our colleagues from this body from around the country. prgtoken You know, when you think about infrastructure, infrastructure connects us. Infrastructure brings us together. And so whether you are from a rural State, like mine, or from an urban State, like the occupant of the Chair, when we are able to move safely and efficiently, when we are able to communicate affordably and quickly and efficiently, when we are able to ensure that our systems are all working together, this is what makes us the strong, competitive Nation that we are. prgtoken So there is extraordinary policy in this product, but the process that has gotten us here this evening is one that, while hard and arduous, as the Senator from Arizona has noted, this is what we come here to do. We have come here to do the hard work, to do the necessary work. And tonight we are at that place where we can begin to take up the infrastructure product that we have been working on for months now and what the country is waiting for deserves. prgtoken With that, I turn to my friend and colleague from West Virginia.
INVEST IN AMERICA ACT
Mike Lee (Republican, UT) \u2014 2021-8-1

it is an honor to serve in this body. It is an honor to serve with the men and women from whom we have just heard. prgtoken The Senators from whom we have just heard are some of my favorite people in the Senate. For that matter, they are some of my favorite people. I like them, and s alike. They are hard- working. They have been working really hard. They have gotten very little sleep in the last few days. prgtoken Notwithstanding my great respect for them personally and professionally, I rise today because I have got real concerns with this bill, a lot of them. Those concerns, unfortunately, can't be overcome by the respect I have for the individuals involved or my gratitude to them for their willingness to work hard for months on end and through the night on many, many nights in the recent past. These individuals are hard-working, and they genuinely want to do good. prgtoken I have a different perspective on this bill. I recognize that I am the only one with that perspective on the floor right now, but I assure you, , I am not alone. I am not alone among Senators, and I am sure not alone among those I represent and those represented by the 100 of us in this body. There are a number of Americans who see that all is not well with the way we spend money, the people's money, within the Federal Government, and it is to them that I would like to direct my remarks tonight. prgtoken Let's talk for a minute, first of all, about infrastructure. One of the things that I think makes this an appealing piece of legislation is the fact that it deals with something that most Americans intuitively understand we need. Infrastructure is something that is somewhat uniquely positioned for government. It doesn't always have to be through government, but it can be, and it often is because it is a public good. It is a public good that is supposed to be accessible to all, not excludable, and it is difficult to have that without some sort of a master plan. prgtoken Infrastructure is also something that can make the difference between someone having to spend hours of their life each day stuck in gridlock traffic and being able to spend time at home with their family. prgtoken Infrastructure benefits us in countless ways. The fact that infrastructure is a good thing and that we need it is a different question from whether we can afford the infrastructure plan in this particular case. It is also a separate question from whether Federal infrastructure is what we need, at least to this degree. prgtoken Remember that we are a government of powers that James Madison described as few and defined. That is in Federalist No. 45. By comparison, he described the powers reserved to the States as numerous and indefinite. prgtoken The powers of Congress and, by extension, the powers of the Federal Government are those, for the most part, outlined in article I, section 8 of the Constitution. There have bee
H.R. 3684
Bill Cassidy (Republican, LA) \u2014 2021-8-1

I join tonight in the celebration of a significant next step in the passage of a $550 billion, over 5-year infrastructure package, with roads and bridges, highways, sewer systems, broadband, flood mitigation, and coastal resiliency. prgtoken If our responsibility as Senators is to listen to the American people, this bill is a product of hearing their voices. It is a bipartisan package, which does not increase taxes but does meet the needs that we have heard of. prgtoken Now, first, let me join others. Senators Portman and Sinema, they just did a fantastic job of leading this effort. Our colleagues, both those here who are speaking but those who are the chairs and ranking members of other committees have really guided us tremendously and produced a great work. prgtoken I would also like to acknowledge our House colleagues: Brian Fitzpatrick, Josh Gottheimer, the Problem Solvers Caucus, who on their side of the Chamber have also seen fit to already endorse our effort. And when they did, it was certainly a strong wind of encouragement for us. prgtoken But most of all, I thank the American people. The Constitution gives Congress the responsibility for infrastructure. Our duty gives us the responsibility to listen. If you listen to the American people right now, they are concerned about jobs, the economy, safety, and quality of life. prgtoken With this bill, we give voice to their concerns. For example, as regards safety, there is $110 billion for better highways, bridges, and roads. Along the way, by the way, you create quite a number of jobs. prgtoken My State--every State--has been affected by flooding. There is $3.5 billion for flood mitigation; $500 million to make storm drains bigger, so that if there is a tremendous rain event, systems are better able to hand this. prgtoken There is money for sewer systems, money for broadband. Many places in my State do not have high-speed internet. This addresses it in my State and every other. prgtoken Quality of life. There are people in my State who, on a Sunday morning, you could drive in 15 minutes to where they are going to work, and on a workday, it takes them an hour and a half. That is 3 hours a day that they are away from their family, 3 hours a day that they are not doing something productive, 3 hours a day of their life which is wasted--times the number of days they work in a year. This will improve their quality of life. prgtoken And, by the way, did I mention that it will create a lot of jobs along the way? prgtoken So whether it is to benefit the economy, to create better paying jobs, to make people safer, to improve the quality of life, I feel as if we have done it. prgtoken Will Rogers said that elected officials are nothing but the hired help. I agree with that. We were sent here to do a job. This legislation shows that Congress can still work, can still do its job for the American people. prgtoken With that, I yield to my colleague from Utah.