mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF FREE STUFF
Chip Roy (Republican, TX) \u2014 2021-12-2

. Madam , I am fascinated to learn that I serve in the United States House of free stuff because that is what I have been hearing nonstop this entire week. prgtoken There is an unlimited supply of money and resources apparently, an unlimited supply of dollars that we can continue to print while devastating our economy, devastating the American dollar, and transforming our society by encouraging Americans to believe that there is a free lunch. And there ain't no free lunch. prgtoken My wife is the product of a single mom growing up in Texas. Her mom worked multiple jobs to send her to college. She worked hard to be able to go to college. She left with 70-something thousand dollars of student loans prgtoken despite going to two top public universities in the State of Texas. prgtoken She is not asking for her loans to get repaid because she went there with a free will. She went there and made a choice. She could have chosen a different path. She chose to take the debt. I did the same thing when I went to law school at the University of Texas. I might not have chosen to go to law school if the loans hadn't been available, and that might be fine. prgtoken What is the fundamental problem? Why has the cost of education skyrocketed in my lifetime at an inflation rate multiple times over virtually every other product and service in this country except for healthcare? Why is it up something like 3,000 percent? prgtoken Is it perhaps because we are subsidizing the holy heck out of it? Just thinking perhaps that there might be a correlation to the availability--massive, widespread availability--of subsidized student loans, the massive subsidization of K-12 education and higher ed. Do we think there might be a correlation to why the costs have skyrocketed so much? prgtoken But no, no, no, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle now walk in here and say, oh, you know, we are not the party of big spenders; we have got a chart here with $1.7 trillion on it with another chart saying, ``Cancel Student Debt.'' prgtoken Who is paying for that? Does anybody in this body give a rat's rear end about who is paying for anything at all? No. Oh, no, then they will come out here and say $3 trillion of tax cuts. They don't care about economic growth and opportunity. But fine. prgtoken Why don't we actually have a conversation about spending and taxes? No, no, we don't do that. We just spend money we don't have. That is what we did today in the continuing resolution to keep this government running. Oh, my gosh, panic ensues if you dare question whether or not the government must be funded Saturday at 12:01 in the morning. What will the American people do? How will they function if the United States House of free stuff isn't doling out free stuff? prgtoken No one is in this Chamber, of course. Just reminding the American people how this place doesn't work. We are now on 5\1/2\ straight years of no amendments being offered on the floor of th
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 6119, FURTHER EXTENDING GOVERNMENT FUNDING ACT; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Tom Cole (Republican, OK) \u2014 2021-12-2

the balance of my time. prgtoken , the bill in front of us, in some ways, is a simple bill. It is a continuing resolution. It goes for a certain amount of time. Sadly, it reflects the basic failure of this institution to focus on its job. prgtoken We have had more than a year to deal with what we should be dealing with, the passage of the budget. We extended--I actually voted for the extension--the last continuing resolution to provide time. prgtoken Now, my friends knew at the beginning of this process the number of things that they had to do. They knew if they took out the Hyde language and those protections that they would never get a deal. Yet, they did that anyway. prgtoken They did that without consultation. They did it in committee. They had the votes. They had every right to do it. They also knew at the end of the day they were going to have to have bipartisanship on appropriations bills. They will not pass in the Senate because of the filibuster. There is sufficient support on both sides of the aisle. prgtoken Every single in this Chamber actually supported the reinsertion of the Hyde amendment in the legislative process, telling our friends: If you take this out, we are not going to be working with you until it is restored. prgtoken So far, we have not seen any effort to do that. prgtoken , my friends on the other side also put in lots of poison pills--again, lots of things that they knew s would not accept. That is fine in a reconciliation package. They really don't need our votes. That is not true in an appropriations bill. prgtoken It is my understanding that both ranking members in both Chambers on the Committee on Appropriations said: Look, we are not sitting down to negotiate until the Hyde protections are back in. prgtoken They are historically bipartisan. They have been there 45 years. Most of my friends on the other side of the aisle have voted for them over and over and over again, whether they liked them or not. prgtoken Frankly, if you are going to have to get a bipartisan deal, when you put partisan pills in, you know you are going to have to take them out at some point. You might as well do it at the beginning of the session. prgtoken We also have had no engagement from either the administration or our friends on the other side about any spending limits whatsoever. What is our top-line number? Nobody has been willing to sit down and talk about that. Quite frankly, that is a problem. prgtoken , we probably ought to be looking at that, as we have done in previous years over multiple years going forward. We could also make adjustments if we are in a crisis. We have done that before. But we had a framework that we could operate under, and it has actually facilitated the appropriations. I would recommend to my friends that might be something they want to talk about with both sides. prgtoken But in the end, the deal here is not hard to see. The deal involves thr
FURTHER EXTENDING GOVERNMENT FUNDING ACT
Jodey C. Arrington (Republican, TX) \u2014 2021-12-2

. Madam , these CRs, these fits and starts of prioritizing the Nation's resources and allocating these resources so we can run the people's government, are inefficient at best, they are dysfunctional, it is disgraceful, it is pervasive, and it is a structural issue that both s and have to solve ultimately. I am trying to be fair about this, because I have seen this happen when s have been in charge, in all fairness. prgtoken I think the difference this time in the life of our country is that my colleagues have been distracted while trying to pass a massive tax-and-spend bill. It is the largest expansion of government and the largest tax hike. It is the biggest transfer of wealth. It is a lot of things, and they ain't good. prgtoken Meanwhile, we are just totally punting on managing our budget. Three years in a row, my colleagues have not put forth a budget. prgtoken What I would like to see us do, to fix this for both sides, is to consider when we are talking about CRs and the debt ceiling and we are putting on display for the entire world how dysfunctional we are with respect to budget and appropriations, is that we would actually put forward bipartisan reforms like enforceable spending caps. Those are gone after this year. How about paygos and CutGos that are actually enforceable so that we force Congress to do what everyone else in the country does, which is live within their means. prgtoken There is a whole list here. Debt targets; no budget, no recess. How about we stay here and celebrate Christmas together and the holidays until we get a dadgum budget passed? prgtoken There are lots of bipartisan measures that I implore my colleagues to talk to their leadership about while I am talking to mine, so we can do something about it and not just keep this dysfunction going infinitum.
GOVERNOR'S AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN GLOBAL TRADE
J. French Hill (Republican, AR) \u2014 2021-12-2

. Madam , I rise today to recognize the companies ECOJOHN and Leather Brothers, recipients of the Governor's Award for Excellence in Global Trade. prgtoken This award recognizes companies that have experienced success in international markets and hold high standards of exporting excellence. prgtoken ECOJOHN is a manufacturing company from North Little Rock, specializing in wastewater management solutions. prgtoken Leather Brothers are third-generation leather workers from Conway who manufacture high quality pet products. prgtoken Both of these companies overcame adversity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and continued to succeed in a global market. prgtoken I am proud of our local companies, their success, and their impact on our global markets.
RECOGNIZING THE 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF NATIONAL BIBLE WEEK
Glenn Thompson (Republican, PA) \u2014 2021-12-2

I rise today to recognize the 80th anniversary of National Bible Week. In 1941, weeks before the United States entered World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared the week of Thanksgiving as National Bible Week. prgtoken This celebration recognizes the spiritual and historical significance of the Bible. It is a week where we can come together and celebrate this holy book. The Bible has shaped our Nation's history and continues to provide guidance to the lives of so many. prgtoken , I am grateful to live in a country where we can freely read the Scripture and worship the Lord without fear of persecution. The Bible is timeless and continues to provide us with words of wisdom, comfort, and guidance as we navigate unprecedented times. prgtoken In closing, , I would like to leave you with this verse from 2 Timothy 3:16. It is one that I keep close to my heart. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
MANIPULATION OF GAS PRICES
Scott Fitzgerald (Republican, WI) \u2014 2021-12-2

. Madam , the administration's energy agenda is a disaster. The President's decision to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline cost hundreds of jobs in Wisconsin and undermined our Nation's energy independence, and his policies have made energy prices soar. prgtoken As a result, the American people are paying the price at the gas pump. Part of my district, the Fifth Congressional District in southeastern Wisconsin, is an EPA-designated ozone nonattainment zone, another contributor to the very high gas prices that we are seeing. prgtoken This designation requires area gas stations to use more expensive, reformulated gasoline. The increased cost of the reformulated gas is passed on to consumers, resulting in gas prices 10 to 15 cents higher in some counties in my district, compared to the county right next to it. prgtoken The irony is that President is blaming oil and gas companies for manipulating gas prices and is encouraging the FTC to investigate. In reality, it is the administration's old, failed policies that are responsible for the manipulation of the gas prices. The truth is Americans cannot afford this way of life.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 6119, FURTHER EXTENDING GOVERNMENT FUNDING ACT; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Virginia Foxx (Republican, NC) \u2014 2021-12-2

from Oklahoma for yielding. prgtoken , I urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question so we can bring up H.R. 6056, the Parents Bill of Rights Act. prgtoken There has been a push to silence parents around the country. Powerful teachers unions, several school boards, politicians, and the Justice Department have all voiced opposition to the rights of parents to have a say in their child's education. prgtoken We will not stand for this kind of intimidation, and we will not tolerate the left's attempt to push parents out of the decisionmaking process when it comes to their child's education. prgtoken That is why we have introduced the Parents Bill of Rights. This legislation will protect rights parents already have but that are now under attack. prgtoken I can't imagine why anyone would oppose the Parents Bill of Rights Act. Making school spending and curriculum transparent should already be the norm. After all, what do schools have to hide? prgtoken This bill will also ensure that schools do not share or sell private student data or attempt to administer health examinations without parental consent. These are extremely important decisions that belong to parents, not bureaucrats or school administrators. prgtoken The left's assault on parental rights is outrageous. To claim that parents are akin to domestic terrorists just because they don't agree with the left's agenda is beyond the pale. Yet, it is these very attacks that have shown Americans all around the country just how important it is to stand up to the left. We cannot let our fundamental rights be stripped from us, especially the right to raise our children. prgtoken This bill is ushering in a new era of education, one where parents won't take a back seat to the system. One thing is certain, our children and the country will be better off for having the Parents Bill of Rights.
MOTION TO DISCHARGE
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2021-12-2

I would like to give some remarks. prgtoken I want to start off with a process question to all the 100 Senators. prgtoken Obviously, this is an important issue with a lot of people. control every committee in this body, and this bill is being offered, when it could be brought up in the committee under regular order because they control the agenda of, in this case, the Judiciary Committee. So why hasn't that come up? prgtoken Then I would remind people that in 2013, we actually had a vote on a Grassley-Cruz amendment that got the most votes so far of any gun issues. That was in, I think, the year 2013. prgtoken Let's get to the issue that was brought up today by the Senator from Connecticut. Let me say that we have to have real regard for the position he takes because of the tragedy that happened in his State in 2012. Nobody is going to justify that. If they did, they would be crazy for trying to say that something bad like that happened and that it is not a crisis for everybody. prgtoken Let me start off by saying in regard to what happened in Michigan that the senseless tragedy we saw in that State should not have happened. The shooter, as we have been told, killed four and injured others in a shocking act of violence. I cannot imagine what those families of the victims are going through because I guess you would have to go through it to try to get their feeling about it. You see it expressed on television, but it doesn't make the same impact on the people who are listening that it makes on the family of the victims. prgtoken Difficult topics require across-the-aisle conversations, particularly when you have to have 60 votes to get anything done in this body. I would invite my colleagues across the aisle to have a bipartisan conversation on this topic and a lot of related topics to it. prgtoken Violent crime and violence at schools are serious problems. I have supported legislative efforts to improve the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which we call NICS. For example, I introduced the EAGLES Act, a bipartisan bill that would help reauthorize the U.S. Secret Service's National Threat Assessment Center, where they study targeted violence and proactively identify and manage threats before they result in tragedies. prgtoken However, in regard to the motion before us, I have serious concerns with the bill raised by the Senator from Connecticut. This bill is hostile toward lawful gun owners and lawful firearm transactions. This will not solve the problems that it seeks to solve. prgtoken So-called ``universal'' background checks will not prevent crime and will turn otherwise law-abiding citizens into criminals. prgtoken I have introduced legislation, along with Senators Cruz and Tillis, called Protecting Communities and Preserving the Second Amendment Act. Our bill will be much more effective than the underlying bill and has been supported by a majority of the Se
MOTION TO DISCHARGE
Roy Blunt (Republican, MO) \u2014 2021-12-2

this is always a very busy time of the year if we are still here, and it has been a long time since the Congress wasn't here in the first of December. There have been years within the last couple of decades where we actually got our work done fairly close to the time that the spending year started. We are not close to doing that now. In fact, the apparent best-case scenario is that we will need to extend this year's spending--the spending that ended on September 30--through most of the month of February before we really can get down to the work that you and I would like to see happen, as we serve on the Appropriations Committee. prgtoken We are here a lot of times in December, but we are seldom here in December without having made a real start on the work that has to be done. Instead of the work that has to be done, we seem to be down to the work that our friends on the other side really want to do. Of course, that means the trillions of dollars of spending beyond what we would normally spend. prgtoken That is being described by people as transformative, as once-in-a- century, as FDR-like. The one thing it is for sure is it is 100 percent partisan. Nobody expects a single Member of the Senate on the side to vote for this reckless tax-and-spending bill. prgtoken You can tell, as you listen to the description of the bill, that there is beginning to be more and more worry about what the American people are thinking that this bill might really wind up doing to their families and to the country. When they hear that it is going to be transformative, when they hear that the entire economy will be different and people's problems will change in dramatic ways, people really begin to have to wonder how that happens, particularly when we hear that this won't cost anything. prgtoken Well, of course it is going to cost something. You can say all you want to, that the cost is zero, but the cost can't possibly be zero of something that is going to transform the economy and solve people's problems. Somebody is going to have to pay for that. prgtoken At one time, it appeared that, well, maybe we will just raise every bit of those extra spending dollars on new tax dollars. That hasn't happened yet in any bill that has been brought forward. In fact, the bill that the Senate is going to receive from the House has an actual deficit, even by the Congressional Budget Office standards, of about $350 billion. prgtoken In 2019, we almost decided that we couldn't move forward on the debt ceiling because the of the House said: We are not going to help on the debt ceiling unless there is another $19 billion of domestic spending. prgtoken This was 2019. We spent weeks fighting about whether we would spend another $19 billion. The Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary Mnuchin, was down here about once or twice every week in the negotiations that it would take to decide if we are going to spend $19 billion. Now we ar
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Mike Lee (Republican, UT) \u2014 2021-12-2

45 million Americans, 45 million hard-working moms and dads, neighbors, and friends are being threatened right now with losing their jobs. They are being threatened not due to cyclical economic conditions, not because jobs aren't available, not because of some war or other calamity; their jobs are being threatened by their own government--a government that has chosen to tell them if they don't comply with a Presidential medical orthodoxy, they will be fired. prgtoken This is unfortunate. This is most unfortunate. It is most unfortunate that this power has been exercised this way. The President doesn't have that power. Congress hasn't given the President that power. Congress doesn't have that power to begin with. This is not a power that belongs in the Federal Government to begin with. prgtoken As a result of that, 45 million Americans are being threatened with their jobs. They are being forced to choose between an unwanted medical procedure and losing their job. prgtoken Look, I want to be very clear. I have been vaccinated. My family has been vaccinated. I believe the development of the vaccine is something of a modern medical miracle. I am grateful for the vaccine. I think the vaccine is helping Americans be safe from the effects of COVID. It is not the government's job. It is not within government's authority to tell people that they must be vaccinated, and if they don't get vaccinated, they will get fired. prgtoken It is wrong. It is immoral. You don't tell someone that if they don't do exactly what you want them to do, that they are going to lose their job. The American people overwhelmingly agree. prgtoken In fact, according to a recent Axios poll, only 14 percent of all Americans agree with the President of the United States that if someone declines to get the jab, they should lose their job. prgtoken Now, this is a huge percentage of the workforce in many States--most States, in fact. Somewhere between a quarter and a third of all workers are now being faced with the possibility of losing their job because of these vaccine mandates. This, at a time when Americans are struggling just to put food on the table, in part, because we have a government that is spending too much money it doesn't have. prgtoken It is churning up money, printing it, in effect, in a way that results in rampant inflation; in a way that makes limited paychecks go less far, less capable of buying bread to put on the table. And amidst all of this government-manufactured crisis, government is making it worse; threatening to not just make that paycheck go even less far than it already does because of government but to take it away altogether. That is not kind; that is not the neighborly way in which we like to do things; it is not moral; and it is not constitutional. prgtoken Look, it is tragic that this many Americans have to have their jobs threatened as a result of a Presidential temper tantrum. There is nothing about it
FURTHER EXTENDING GOVERNMENT FUNDING ACT
Scott Perry (Republican, PA) \u2014 2021-12-2

. Madam , in the name of science, congressional are continuing their unconstitutional, unlawful march to force Americans to get the jab. prgtoken Think about it. are already on the path to ruin Christmas, destroying the supply chain. They are just going to keep going, right? Destroying industry after industry. prgtoken For a party who praised America's healthcare workers when there wasn't a jab available, who were out there on the front lines, now if they don't get it, it is okay to fire them, and not a word. prgtoken Finally, mandates for defense contractors and intelligence workers who have to make a choice between defending their country and putting their own life in peril, and no discussion about natural immunity, none whatsoever. You could have had COVID already. Not good enough. You have got to get the jab or lose your job. prgtoken Vote against this.