mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
TRIBUTE TO COLONEL ESTEE PINCHASIN
Chris Van Hollen (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2024-7-23

I rise today to honor COL Estee Pinchasin, outgoing commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Baltimore District. Since her commissioning as a second lieutenant in 1998, Colonel Pinchasin has diligently served our country through a remarkable tenure with the corps. Appointed to the role of commander on July 16, 2021, prgtoken Colonel Pinchasin took on this responsibility with enthusiasm and dedication. prgtoken Throughout her time as commander, Colonel Pinchasin has demonstrated effective leadership and command of approximately 1,200 employees, while overseeing critical engineering and construction programs for the mid-Atlantic region. Colonel Pinchasin has been responsible for roughly 7,000 miles of coastline, including the Susquehanna River, Potomac River, and Chesapeake Bay watersheds. Delivering on critical solutions to support disaster resiliency, construction of Federal facilities, and environmental restoration, Colonel Pinchasin has emphasized partnership and coordination with local organizations to meet the goals of the Corps of Engineers. prgtoken After the fall of Kabul in 2021, Colonel Pinchasin successfully implemented multiple operational logistical hubs, which allowed for the rapid processing of evacuees from Afghanistan. Stemming from her previous experience as corps officer in charge in Kandahar, Colonel Pinchasin understood the importance of ensuring a comfortable and warm welcome for refugees. Her deep-seated values of respect and collaboration have led to more than a dozen awards and decorations throughout her career so far, including the NATO and Meritorious Service Medals. prgtoken In recent months, we have seen the tremendous results of Colonel Pinchasin's leadership. In the aftermath of Maryland's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in late March 2024, her work through the Unified Command made it possible for the corps to have an impact in Baltimore that has been nothing short of exemplary. Her steadfast leadership and operational expertise were instrumental in the execution of recovery operations, which were critical to clearing debris and restoring access to the Fort McHenry Channel. Her effective use of mobilized resources facilitated a swift and efficient response that provided the Unified Command with the technical expertise needed to ensure success. prgtoken I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Colonel Pinchasin for her outstanding leadership and service as commander of the Baltimore District, and I wish her continued success in her subsequent posts.
ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2025
Rosa L. DeLauro (Democrat, CT) \u2014 2024-7-23

my thanks go to Chairman Fleischmann, to Ranking Member Kaptur, and to the Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee staff for their hard work on this bill, especially Scott McKee and Adam Wilson. prgtoken With this bill, we have a rare opportunity to make strategic investments that lower energy costs for American families, promote America's energy independence, and support a robust and modern manufacturing sector. prgtoken This is a real chance to ensure America's resiliency in the face of a changing climate and shifting global economy. However, that is not what the majority has chosen. Instead, the majority has cut domestic investments in this bill by over 5 percent, and, with it, they will increase energy costs, jeopardize our energy independence and national security, hurt our global competitiveness, fail to confront the climate crisis, and put tens of thousands of good-paying manufacturing jobs at risk. prgtoken Even if some Members of this body may choose to refuse the overwhelming evidence, deny the scientific consensus, and ignore the worsening natural disasters that have become more severe and more common in each of our districts, we must aggressively transform our energy sector to adapt to our climate reality. prgtoken The best path and the only path that addresses climate change, reduces our dependence on fossil fuels, and ends reliance on foreign energy is to diversify how we produce and store energy at home. However, instead of ensuring America leads the world in the development and transition to a global clean energy economy, the majority's bill strips $1.5 billion from the Department of Energy for energy efficiency and renewable energy. prgtoken Project 2025 is a MAGA agenda to take over the government and our rights and freedoms. When it comes to green and renewable energy, Project 2025 spells out how s would end any investments altogether in EERE, energy efficiency and renewable energy. It is in a document, but, it is, in reality, in the appropriations bill. prgtoken It says, further, in Project 2025 that we must end the focus on climate change and green subsidies, we must eliminate appliance energy efficiency standards, and energy efficiency and renewable energy should be entirely eliminated. They are going down the road of eliminating it. prgtoken This goes beyond climate denial. This is climate capitulation. This is climate arson. This is damning our children to an extreme and dangerous future. prgtoken We recently received a letter from the Natural Resources Defense Council and dozens of other organizations highlighting how a cut to this program is fiscally irresponsible and threatens our energy future. prgtoken They said: ``The House proposal for [energy efficiency and renewable energy] significantly threatens energy innovation in the United States. Not only would its proposed cuts hamper innovation in the United States, but they
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2025
Cori Bush (Democrat, MO) \u2014 2024-7-23

. Mr. Chair, I was not present during today's first, second, or third vote series. Had I been present, I would have voted: prgtoken NAY on Roll Call No. 359, prgtoken NAY on Roll Call No. 360, prgtoken YEA on Roll Call No. 361, prgtoken YEA on Roll Call No. 362, prgtoken NAY on Roll Call No. 363, prgtoken NAY on Roll Call No. 364, prgtoken NAY on Roll Call No. 365, prgtoken NAY on Roll Call No. 366, prgtoken NAY on Roll Call No. 367, prgtoken NAY on Roll Call No. 368, prgtoken NAY on Roll Call No. 369, prgtoken NAY on Roll Call No. 370, prgtoken NAY on Roll Call No. 371, prgtoken NAY on Roll Call No. 372, prgtoken NAY on Roll Call No. 373, prgtoken NAY on Roll Call No. 374, prgtoken NAY on Roll Call No. 375, prgtoken NAY on Roll Call No. 376, prgtoken NAY on Roll Call No. 377, prgtoken NAY on Roll Call No. 378, prgtoken NAY on Roll Call No. 379, prgtoken NAY on Roll Call No. 380, prgtoken NAY on Roll Call No. 381, prgtoken NAY on Roll Call No. 382, prgtoken NAY on Roll Call No. 383, prgtoken NAY on Roll Call No. 384, prgtoken NAY on Roll Call No. 385, and prgtoken NAY on Roll Call No. 386. Amendment No. 24 Offered by Mr. Brecheen
PASSING OF REP. SHEILA JACKSON LEE
Terri A. Sewell (Democrat, AL) \u2014 2024-7-23

with the passing of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, the people of Texas have lost a great leader and a devoted public servant, and we in the Congressional Black Caucus have lost a dear friend. prgtoken I join in sending my heartfelt condolences to her husband, Dr. Elwyn Lee, their two children: Jason and Erica, and their two grandkids: Ellison and Roy during this difficult time. prgtoken Congresswoman Jackson Lee was more than just a colleague. She was my sorority sister, a mentor, and a dear friend. She was never afraid to stand up for what she believed, and she never stopped fighting for the people she served. prgtoken There is no question that our Nation is better off for her decades of public service and her tireless advocacy on behalf of her constituents. prgtoken A champion for racial justice, police reform, and combating violence against women, Sheila will be remembered as a fierce advocate, not only for the people of Texas, but Americans all across this Nation. prgtoken To know that her life was cut short by a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is heartbreaking. It is the very same disease that claimed the life of our dear colleague, John Lewis, and my beloved mother, Nancy Gardner Sewell. By the end of this year, an estimated 51,000 Americans will lose their battles to pancreatic cancer as well. This is why I have made it my mission to reduce racial disparities in this disease to double down on our Nation's effort to prevent, screen, treat, and eventually find a cure. prgtoken Sheila will be dearly missed in the House of Representatives. I will always cherish her mentorship and her words of wisdom. She always inspired us to work harder and fight harder for the people we represent. prgtoken I join my colleagues in celebrating her extraordinary life and career. May her legacy live on through the many lives she touched.
TRIBUTE TO PATRICK FITZPATRICK
Jon Tester (Democrat, MT) \u2014 2024-7-23

today I would like to honor the career and service of a distinguished Montanan and U.S. Navy veteran, Captain Patrick J. Fitzpatrick. prgtoken Captain Fitzpatrick has faithfully served our country in the Navy for 33 years, including serving 25 of those years on Active Duty. And after three deployments, two tours overseas, and being stationed across multiple States, Captain Fitzpatrick is retiring from military service and finally returning home to Montana. prgtoken A native son of the Treasure State, Captain Fitzpatrick was raised in Missoula. He is the second generation of a three-generation Navy family and worked as a cabinet installer in western Montana before answering the call to duty and enlisting as a SEABEE in the Naval Reserve in 1992. Not long after, he was commissioned as a Reserve nurse corps officer in 1998 and soon transferred to Active Duty in 2000. prgtoken Captain Fitzpatrick began his Active-Duty career serving as an emergency/trauma registered nurse at Naval Hospital Bremerton in Washington State. From there, he went on to serve at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Naples, Italy, before attending the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. He then served as an emergency clinical nurse specialist and emergency nurse practitioner at the Naval Hospital in Jacksonville, FL, where he was instrumental in helping implement their flu clinic during the 2009 flu pandemic. prgtoken After Jacksonville, Captain Fitzpatrick was deployed to the Joint Forces Role-III hospital at Bastion in Helmand, Afghanistan, where he served as a trauma coordinator for the Joint Theater Trauma System and participated in wartime trauma research. He was then transferred to U.S. Naval Hospital in Guam to serve as the command's transition coordinator. There, he oversaw the final design and outfitting of a multimillion-dollar state-of-the-art replacement hospital, all while ensuring hospital services did not lapse. prgtoken Captain Fitzpatrick deployed once again as a surgical care coordinator to the USNS Comfort as part of Continuing Promises 2015, a humanitarian mission to 11 countries in South and Central America. When he returned home, he then served as the associate director of medical services at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth Virginia before becoming the executive officer of Naval Health Clinic Cherry Point, NC. In August 2021, he returned to the place his Active-Duty career began, Navy Hospital Bremerton, to serve as the commanding officer and director of the Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command and hospital. prgtoken In recognition of his incredible service and career, Captain Fitzpatrick has received the Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy Commendation Medal, prgtoken the Joint Service Achievement Medal, and the Navy Achievement Medal. prgtoken It is my honor to commemorate Captain Fitzpatrick's incredible service to our country. Patrick, on behalf of myself and a grateful nation, I than
KIDS ONLINE SAFETY ACT AND CHILDREN AND TEENS' ONLINE PRIVACY PROTECTION ACT
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2024-7-23

. Now on KOSA-COPPA, when you are a parent, there is no greater pain imaginable than the pain of losing a child--in my case, I might say a grandchild as well. We all think of it almost every day when we have kids, when we have grandkids: What if they are gone? How would we even go forward? prgtoken My kids are now adults and have kids of their own. But I remember when they were little, nothing mattered more to me than keeping them safe. As parents, that is what we want to do--keep our kids safe as much as we can, to shield them from the harms they are too young to handle, and to ensure we as a country guard against those who would prey or exploit or otherwise harm our loved ones. I feel this way as strongly as ever as a grandparent when I think of my three beautiful grandchildren: Noah, who is age 5; Eleanor, who is age 2; and Henry, who is age 1. prgtoken Unlike decades past, ensuring our kids' safety today means ensuring their online safety, to protect kids from online bullying and exploitation and other risks to their mental health. prgtoken Social media has helped hundreds of millions of people to connect in new ways over the last two decades, but there are also new and sometimes serious health risks that come along with those benefits. We cannot set these risks aside. On this issue, we desperately need to catch up. prgtoken So this week, I am proud to say the Senate will vote on kids' online safety. For the information of Senators, I am announcing that this week, the Senate will take up two bipartisan bills to protect our kids while they use the internet--the Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA, and the Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA. Today, I will move to lay a message before the Senate that I intend to use as a vehicle for the substance of those two bills. Members should prepare for a cloture vote on the message as soon as Thursday. prgtoken Passing kids' online safety, , as we all know, as you prgtoken know, has been months in the making. This has been a long and bumpy road, but one thing I always knew for sure was that it would be worth it. I worked closely with Members on both sides of the aisle to get the bills ready for the floor--Senators Blumenthal and Blackburn, Markey and Cassidy, and so many others. I made sure that Members on both sides had plenty of time to offer their input, work through disagreements, and arrive at a consensus. Now, after months of hard work, the moment to act has arrived, and the Senate should pass these bills swiftly. prgtoken Nothing has galvanized me and so many others of us here in the Senate more to act on kids' online safety than meeting with parents who lost loved ones. Over the past month, I met with many parents from New York and from around the country whose kids took their own lives because of what happened to them on social media. Some of these kids were bullied. Others were targeted by predators or had their personal, private
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2025
Betty McCollum (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2024-7-23

. Mr. Chair, the amendment would block the Department of the Interior's Bicycle Subsidy Benefit Program which encourages Federal employees to use bicycles to commute to the office. prgtoken We all know what the traffic is going to be like here tomorrow. Bikes would be handy. prgtoken The Department created this program in response to a 1993--this is not a new, President -Vice President program. It has been around since 1993. Congress authorized it, and Congress allowed each agency head to establish a program to encourage employees to use a means other than single-occupancy motor vehicles to commute to and from work. That could include taking the subway, taking the bus, or riding your bike. prgtoken This is a government-wide program, and the amendment unfairly targets the Department of the Interior employees. I urge my colleagues to treat all employees with fairness, and let's reject this amendment. prgtoken Let's also make sure that when we are talking about it, we have our facts accurate. In 1993, Congress made a law which authorized each agency to establish this program. prgtoken Mr. Chair, .
ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2025
Jennifer L. McClellan (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2024-7-23

. Mr. Chair, I rise today as one of only 6 percent of the Members of Congress who are mothers of young children under 18 and one of the only 3 percent of mothers of color of young children under the age of 18. I rise out of a concern for the future my children will inherent, a future with extreme weather, continuously rising sea levels, and the detrimental impacts that climate change will have on the habitation of this planet. prgtoken For that reason, I rise today to oppose the significant funding cuts and harmful provisions that House s seek in this bill. prgtoken At a time when we must double down on our efforts to address climate change, this bill slashes funding for the Department of Energy's efficiency and renewable energy programs by $1.5 billion, hampering our ability to decarbonize the energy, transportation, industrial, and agricultural sectors, undermining programs that not only improve and modernize our electricity infrastructure but lower costs, because energy efficiency programs are the easiest, quickest way not only to reduce our carbon footprint but to lower energy costs. prgtoken Agriculture, which is Virginia's largest private industry, would be harmed by the cuts in this bill. This bill jeopardizes low-income communities by proposing extreme funding cuts to the Weatherization Assistance Program, a program that lowers energy costs for low-income households by increasing the energy efficiency of their homes, also improving their health and safety. prgtoken The cuts here that include the Weatherization Assistance Program will be detrimental not only to the health of our planet and the health of our constituents, but they will be detrimental to their energy costs as they continue to go up. This bill will increase those costs. prgtoken For that reason, I ask that we vote ``no.''
ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2025
Marcy Kaptur (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2024-7-23

. Mr. Chair, the first thing I would like to say to the gentleman from Texas is that our country is probably going to have 400 million people by 2050, and we are going to have to make some changes to accommodate them. We may not agree on what those are, but we can't live in 1950. It just simply isn't that Nation anymore. prgtoken This amendment prohibits funds for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission order No. 1920. That is a transmission and cost allocation rule that requires the Nation's transmission providers to plan for the transmission we know we will need in the future. prgtoken I live in a region that was wiped out back in about the early 2000s. What happened was one energy company goofed and turned off a switch, and it blacked out the entire Midwest, Northeast, and Canada, costing us $9 billion in economic activity and nine lives that were lost. prgtoken Now, it was upsetting that the grid was so integrated that we couldn't save the Ohioans that were damaged in that situation. I felt the transmission was old back then, and I know it is old now. prgtoken The FERC order 1920 is a transmission and cost allocation rule that requires the Nation's providers, the transmission providers, to plan for the transmission we know we will use in the future. Frankly, we need it right now. prgtoken This rule adopts specific requirements addressing how transmission providers must conduct long-term planning for regional transmission facilities and determine how to pay for them so that the needed transmission is built. prgtoken This rule was the first time in more than a decade that FERC has addressed the regional transmission policy. Boy, can we be a witness to that in the Midwest. We know when it wasn't there. We could see the lines just sag when the outage occurred. prgtoken To maintain a reliable electric grid and ensure that we meet our growing clean energy demands, studies show we prgtoken may need to expand transmission by 60 percent by 2030. A resilient and reliable energy grid is also critical in confronting extreme weather and climate events that will only increase in severity. We see them every month. It is clear that we need to improve how our country plans, pays for, and builds the electric grid of the future. prgtoken Finally, this rule was developed and voted on by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which is an independent agency that regulates the interstate transmission of electricity, natural gas, and so on. prgtoken The final rule reflected more than 15,000 pages of comments from nearly 200 stakeholders, the ones that could understand how to submit comments. prgtoken This rule is one step in the much larger, complex puzzle to ensure that we have a reliable and efficient electric grid as our Nation's energy needs change in the coming decades. prgtoken A lot of people around this country are producing on property now. They don't need to go up to the grid. Maybe if things happen on their property, they hav
SOUTH SUDAN
Peter Welch (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2024-7-23

13 years ago last week South Sudan became an independent country. I want to congratulate the people of South Sudan on this milestone. The United States has long supported the aspirations of the people of South Sudan in their struggle for independence and democratic governance. John Garang, the leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Army, would visit the Senate to build support for the fight for self-determination. prgtoken Today, despite those efforts, South Sudan is a textbook case of a failed state where, despite rich oil deposits, millions of destitute people depend on international aid for their daily survival. Last week, the United States announced more than $57 million in additional humanitarian assistance to address urgent needs of hundreds of thousands of crisis-affected people in South Sudan. prgtoken In 2005, the year John Garang died, the United States, Norway, and the United Kingdom--known collectively as the Troika--supported Kenya and the other regional member states of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development to broker the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, or the CPA. The CPA ended what, at that time, was the longest armed conflict in Africa and gave the people of South Sudan an historic opportunity to vote in a referendum that culminated in their Declaration of Independence on July 9, 2011. Their hope, and the hope of the United States and our allies, was that South Sudan was finally beginning a new democratic chapter based on the rule of law--with security, competent and honest elected leaders, and new opportunities for equitable economic development and trade. prgtoken The return of political violence in South Sudan in December 2013 was shocking to both the people of South Sudan and the international community. The leaders of South Sudan took up arms to consolidate their grip on political and economic power. Motivated by greed and personal ambition, they sacrificed the hopes, aspirations, and welfare of the South Sudanese people who, in the years since, have lost everything-- including their hard-won self-rule. Today, their country is run by warlords who have driven the country into bankruptcy through grand corruption, impoverishing millions. prgtoken The democratic aspirations of the South Sudanese people, their ability to live a dignified life, and opportunities to educate their children, have all been stifled. The warlords have established a brutal authoritarian regime that has no respect for human rights or civil liberties, and no regard for democracy and the rule of law. The U.S. Department of State and human rights organizations report a pattern of repression against political dissidents, as well as widespread sexual violence against women and girls. prgtoken On July 3, 2024, South Sudan's Parliament passed repressive National Security legislation that gives a wide range of authorities to the National Security Service and its affiliated opaque institutions that ha