mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
TRIBUTE TO DREW TROJANOWSKI
Jerry Moran (Republican, KS) \u2014 2022-8-4

I rise today to recognize the service and career of Mr. Drew Trojanowski, an Army veteran of Phoenix, AZ. He, with honor and courage, has dedicated his life to service to our great Nation and continues to work to ensure veterans are connected with their communities and needed resources. prgtoken Drew had many accomplishments while serving in the U.S. Army from 2006 to 2015. He was a sniper, achieved the rank of staff sergeant, and deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan to support the Global War on Terrorism. He also served as a combat adviser to foreign militaries while coaching them on operations, tactics, intelligence, and civil affairs. Drew concluded his military career serving in the Arizona Army National Guard, where he aided in developing long-range plans for the Joint Counter Narco-Terrorism Task Force. prgtoken In 2015, while searching for a way to continue service after returning from Afghanistan, Drew became active in the veteran space and the Mesa Chamber of Commerce. After identifying a void between the business and veteran communities, he established the Mesa Veterans Program and Mesa Industry and Defense Council. This consortium has grown to more than 70 aerospace and defense companies. prgtoken In 2016, Mr. Trojanowski started working with U.S. Senator John McCain as a military and veteran advocate. As an advocate, he traveled throughout Arizona, learning about veterans and their service and the challenges they face post-service. He was also the primary contact for Department of Defense installations, personnel, and industry throughout Arizona. prgtoken In December 2016, Senator McCain asked Mr. Trojanowski to be his military legislative assistant and senior policy adviser. In that role, he was at the forefront of advocating for reform, resources, funding, and benefits that our military and veterans earned and deserve. prgtoken During his time with Senator McCain, Mr. Trojanowski helped author and champion the passage of significant legislation impacting American servicemembers, their families, and veterans. Drew worked on the VA MISSION Act, numerous National Defense Authorization Acts, the VA Appeals Modernization Act, the VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act, the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act--also known as the Forever G.I. Bill--and the Veteran Overmedication and Prevention Act. These bipartisan bills, all of which were signed into law, serve as examples of Drew's dedication and leadership in the military and veteran community. prgtoken In 2018, Mr. Trojanowski joined the White House as a Presidentially Commissioned Officer and Special Assistant to the President on the Domestic Policy Council. In this role, he oversaw the Departments of Veteran Affairs, Defense, NASA, and Labor. During his tenure, Mr. Trojanowski was the policy lead on three Executive orders and 56 regulations, including the implementation of the MISSION Act that strengthened t
TRIBUTE TO JAMES BOLLICH
Bill Cassidy (Republican, LA) \u2014 2022-8-4

James Bollich was born on April 15, 1921, in Mowata, LA. As a young man, he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps and participated in Louisiana maneuvers in 1941. prgtoken In 1942, he was deployed to the Philippines, and 18 days after his arrival, Congress voted to enter World War II. Mr. Bollich served as an infantryman on the island of Luzon and fought valiantly during the Battle of Bataan. He was captured by Imperial Japanese forces and was forced to endure the Bataan Death March. Mr. Bollich later spent more than 3 years as a prisoner of war in Mukden, Manchuria. On August 15, 1945, his 24th birthday, Mr. Bollich and his fellow survivors were freed by the Russian Army. prgtoken After the war, Mr. Bollich transitioned into civilian life, and attended college at the University of Southwest Louisiana. He and his wife Celia raised their family in Lafayette, LA, and worked as an exploration geologist until his retirement in 1986. He was the author of several books including ``A Soldier's Story,'' where he detailed his time as a serviceman and a prisoner of war. prgtoken Mr. Bollich received many commendations during his military service including the Purple Heart, Bronze Star medal, Prisoner of War medal, WWII Victory medal, Presidential Unit citation with two oakleaf clusters, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific medal with 2 bronze stars, Army Good Conduct medal, American Defense medal with one bronze star, Philippine Presidents badge, Philippine Defense medal, Philippine Liberation medal, and the Philippine Independence medal. prgtoken In one of our Nation's darkest times, James Bollich answered the call and served this country with esteem and dignity. Mr. Bollich was an American hero and should be honored as such.
MOTION TO DISCHARGE
Sherrod Brown (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2022-8-4

I thank my friend Senator Portman for our work together on this. prgtoken , as if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 6929, which was received from the House and is at the desk; that the bill be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.
MOTION TO DISCHARGE
Robert Menendez (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2022-8-4

. I would like to answer the Senator's question, and that makes eminent sense that we would protect HIPAA information, regardless of who is in a position to maybe have access to collecting it. And therefore, in the first instance, you shouldn't collect it, if you are not a medical entity, but if you do, you should be ultimately bound by the same guarantees that anyone else would be guaranteed. You know, it would baffle me that particularly a medical professional, a doctor, would suggest that HIPAA information is something that we shouldn't protect. prgtoken I think that at a minimum, we should all be able to agree to that.
MOTION TO DISCHARGE
Michael F. Bennet (Democrat, CO) \u2014 2022-8-4

I wanted to come down here tonight to talk a little bit about the bill that we have in front of us this weekend, the Inflation Reduction Act. I have been in the Senate for 13 years, and I think this is one of the most important pieces of legislation that we have ever considered. prgtoken Let me just say, also, that the Presiding Officer and I have been here for a long time, and there have been weeks and weeks and weeks, months, years that have gone by here where it felt like we haven't gotten anything done. prgtoken What an amazing moment to be here when we have a bipartisan infrastructure bill that we passed with the biggest investment in our infrastructure since Eisenhower was President. We passed the first bipartisan bill to overcome the NRA just a few weeks ago. Last week, we were able to pass the CHIPS Act to bring back semiconductors to the U.S.A. and the PACT Act, the veterans bill last night. prgtoken Today, we are here to talk about the Inflation Reduction Act. It is quite an amazing moment in our democracy and, I think, in the country's history. It is not the subject of my speech tonight, but I want to say, with the Presiding Officer on the floor, that there might be a reason to think that we are at a moment in our country's history when we are actually ready, finally, to turn the page on the trickle-down economics that have created such an unfair economy for so many families and so many young people in this country and create, once again, in the United States, an economy that, when it grows, it grows for everybody, not just the people at the very top. prgtoken This bill fits into that. The bill on infrastructure fits into that. The bill on the semiconductors fits into that, as well. prgtoken If you look at the agenda Washington has pursued for the last 40 years or so, it is pretty simple: Let the big corporations do whatever they want and call it ``freedom''; cut investments in working families and our future; and instead of grappling with the income inequality we have, instead of grappling with the economic mobility that we have, cut taxes for the wealthiest people in the country, cut taxes for the largest corporations in the country, hoping that those tax cuts will somehow magically trickle down to everyone else and pay for themselves. That has never happened. prgtoken Here is what happened instead: 40 years of an economy that has worked really well for the wealthiest people and corporations but hasn't worked very well for anybody else; an economy with income inequality higher than at any time since the 1920s, where the top 0.1 percent of Americans, a mere 160,000 families, hold basically the same amount of wealth as the bottom 90 percent of Americans, nearly 145 million families--160,000 families, the top 0.1 percent, hold as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent, 9 out of 10 Americans, nearly 145 million families--where kids--I am sad to say this in front of the kids here tonight-
MOTION TO DISCHARGE
Elizabeth Warren (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2022-8-4

then can I ask through the Presiding Officer another question, and that is if we are not talking about the fraud part, can we at least talk about collecting health information that any so-called crisis pregnancy center--I am sorry--is the Senator leaving, the one who said that it is important to protect private healthcare information? prgtoken That at least we could agree that private healthcare information--I guess the Senator is just going to walk off the floor. prgtoken So the question would have been how about agreeing that anyone who collects information about pregnancy and collects medical and personal information has to be bound by HIPAA so that that information is fully protected. That would be my question. prgtoken But since there is no one here to answer it on the side, I guess we will have to leave it for today.
MOTION TO DISCHARGE
Patty Murray (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2022-8-4

I do appreciate the Senator from Kansas's focus and leadership on this issue. prgtoken I am glad we were able to work together to include a provision similar to this bill in our PREVENT Pandemics Act that we did pass out of the HELP Committee by an overwhelming vote earlier this year. prgtoken Along with Ranking Member Burr, we are very focused on getting the PREVENT Pandemics Act passed into law. These reforms are overdue and vital to keeping our families safe. prgtoken The Senator's provisions within that package, as well as many others, are really key to making sure that our country is prepared for future pandemics. prgtoken I do hope we can continue to work on this bill in a bipartisan way and get it passed and put into law shortly. So while I look forward to continuing to work with the Senator from Kansas on this issue within the PREVENT Pandemics Act package, if he is asking today for unanimous consent to pass it, I object.
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2022-8-4

I ask unanimous consent that the Senate consider the following nominations en bloc: Calendar Nos. 967, 994, 1094, 1095, 1104, 1126, 1127, 1128, 891, 892, 893, 1114, 1123, and 1069 through 1077; that the Senate vote on the nominations en bloc without intervening action or debate; the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; and that the President be immediately notified Senate's action.
MOTION TO DISCHARGE
Martin Heinrich (Democrat, NM) \u2014 2022-8-4

what my colleague from Kentucky is attempting to do here is to really short-circuit the bedrock public health protections in the Clean Air Act. prgtoken And make no mistake. This is a major policy change; not a minor change. It would have far-reaching impacts. For example, this policy would clearly make food even more expensive; it would make air quality worse. And it is not even eminently clear that the impact on gas prices would necessarily be negative. prgtoken So, fundamentally, this is the kind of sweeping policy that should actually go through the committee of jurisdiction--in this case, the Environment and Public Works Committee. prgtoken So I object.
MOTION TO DISCHARGE
Jack Reed (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2022-8-4

I rise today to urge my colleagues to support the swift passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. prgtoken In the wake of COVID-19, global supply chains have been strained. There has been shipping disruptions, and Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine has added to this. As a result of these many factors, inflation is up in almost every single country across the globe. The United States is among the world's wealthiest and most productive and diversified economies, but no nation on Earth is immune to the forces of inflation, particularly when it comes from so many different directions. prgtoken Let's remember also, 2021 was a huge year for U.S. economic growth. In fact, last year, the U.S. economy grew at its fastest pace since 1984. Our unemployment rate is back down to 50-year lows, wages have risen for many, and there is a job literally for any American who wants to work and is looking for work. Nobody thought that type of growth was sustainable, especially with the global economic headwinds we are facing and will continue to face. prgtoken The fact is that Americans are forced to pay inflated gas prices at the pump because of the immoral and illegal invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin, because of the cartel--OPEC--that controls prices, and because of our failure so far to invest in clean energy, and that has made our economy crack. prgtoken So the question before us is: How do we help our economy gain firmer footing and lower prices for consumers; how do we make our country more energy independent; and how do we strike a blow for fairness and financial responsibility and make things better for families, businesses, and communities? prgtoken The Inflation Reduction Act accomplishes all of those goals. It makes forward-looking policy adjustments and investments to shore-up the economy. It takes long overdue steps to help lower out-of-pocket costs for things like energy, prescription drugs, and healthcare. It will strengthen America's energy independence and enhance our national security by moving production lines and jobs from China and other places back to the United States. prgtoken And don't just take my word for it. A wide array of economic experts have confirmed this bill will ease inflation in three ways: by lowering energy costs for families and small businesses, by cutting healthcare costs for millions of Americans and by ensuring wealthy Americans and large corporations pay their fair share. prgtoken and ic Treasury Secretaries have said this, as have over 120 of our Nation's leading economists, including seven Nobel Prize winners. The Inflation Reduction Act will also reduce the deficit by more than $100 billion, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. And budget experts agree, it will save another $200 billion by empowering and equipping the IRS to crack down on tax cheats and enforce tax laws already on the books. prgtoken So independent arbiters are
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Chris Van Hollen (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2022-8-4

I was just listening to the majority leader outline some of the disastrous policies that s have proposed to make, including putting Medicare on the chopping block by making it discretionary. prgtoken I want to talk a little bit about the good things that have done, some on a bipartisan basis and some which it looks like we are going to have to do alone for the American people. In just the last few weeks, this U.S. Senate has made historic progress tackling a number of very real and very urgent challenges that our country faces. prgtoken We passed the first major gun reform bill in 30 years. We passed historic legislation to boost American manufacturing of essential semiconductor chips--important to our economy and our national security. We passed the PACT Act so that veterans exposed to toxins will get the care they deserve. Just yesterday, we voted to admit Finland and Sweden as new members of NATO, therefore expanding and strengthening the Atlantic alliance in the face of Putin's brutal war against Ukraine. prgtoken These are major accomplishments, but now is not the time to rest on our laurels, now is not the time to coast, because we have to do everything we can to fight back against rising prices, against inflation, which has been driven in recent months by what I call the three p's: Putin's war and its impact on energy and food prices; the pandemic and the supply chain disruptions it has caused; and price gouging by big oil companies that are reaping record profits. Those have been big drivers of inflation. prgtoken I have listened to my Senate colleagues here on the floor week after week trying to exploit inflation as a campaign issue, as if it were all caused by the policies of President . The American people know much better. They also know that while s are talking up inflation and talking down the economy, we in the ic majority had a plan to do something about rising costs, and it is called the Inflation Reduction Act. prgtoken In coming days, we are going to be voting on that, and I hope--I hope--our colleagues will have a change of heart, at least some of them, because here is the bottom line: The Inflation Reduction Act will drive down prices over time, it will reduce the deficit, and it will do that without raising taxes on anyone making under $400,000 a year, not by one dime. It does all that while addressing four major issues facing our country: the need to lower healthcare costs, the need to address the climate crisis, the need to fix parts of our broken tax system--this is a start on that--and reducing the deficit. prgtoken First, on healthcare, all of us in this Chamber have known that the costs of prescription drugs in the United States are way too high, out of control. Our constituents--Americans--pay twice as much on prescription drugs as people in other advanced economies around the world. And it is not just
MOTION TO DISCHARGE
Edward J. Markey (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2022-8-4

12 years ago, the U.S. Congress was on the precipice of passing historic climate legislation--legislation that may not have been perfect but would have cut carbon pollution by 80 percent by the year 2050, and it would have set us on a path to a healthier, cleaner, safer world. prgtoken Unfortunately, despite that bill passing through the House of Representatives, a bill which Congressman Henry Waxman and I were able to craft and to move through the House of Representatives, even though the Senate and the Senate had a supermajority, that legislation was ultimately defeated by the same legislative body, the U.S. Senate, that I serve in today. In 2009, the U.S. Senate chose to do nothing rather than something substantial that would give us a fighting chance against this generational crisis, which is why we have spent the prgtoken last 12 years in the climate wilderness, with full-blown obstructionism and no meaningful congressional action on climate justice all the while. That wilderness literally burns to the ground because of climate change. prgtoken In the intervening decade, we have suffered the consequences of climate inaction. Weather that used to be extreme is now the new normal, and that normal is deadly. Our addiction to fossil fuels has put communities at risk--worsening asthma, cancers, and disease in general--and has exposed working people to criminal price gouging from Big Oil and Big Gas. prgtoken Throughout this summer, the United States has experienced devastating heat waves, putting 100 million Americans under heat warnings across the country. People are dying in Kentucky. Children are dying in Kentucky as a result of the extreme rain and floods--rain that still hasn't stopped. Those are so-called 100-year floods. Well, now they are happening on a weekly basis--in Kentucky. Over and over again, communities throughout the United States are facing deadly wildfires, storms, and droughts, all of which have become more frequent and more severe over the last 12 years. prgtoken But instead of giving up after that missed opportunity more than a decade ago, we reengaged. We rebuilt and reenergized a stronger, smarter climate movement, one that expanded carbon calculators to include climate justice; one that swapped complicated carbon trading systems for direct funding for environmental justice communities in our country; and one that exchanged an environmental-above-all strategy for a 21st-century contract with communities, with the promise of climate justice, well-paid union jobs, and cuts to climate pollution so all of our children and grandchildren can thrive on a livable planet. prgtoken So let me be clear. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 is not the Green New Deal that America wants and needs. I wish it were. But I have learned a hard truth throughout my years in Congress: Perfect ideas can only live on through imperfect legislation. prgtoken As the author of bo
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Thomas R. Carper (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2022-8-4

for not objecting. prgtoken Let's just stop for a moment before we vote. The National Environmental Policy Act was not signed into law by FDR, not signed into law by Lyndon Johnson or John Kennedy, not signed into law by . It was signed into law by Richard Nixon, with bipartisan support--strong bipartisan support--some 50 years ago. prgtoken The reason for the law was that they wanted--President Nixon and those who served in the Congress at the time--to make sure that, as we are proposing to build, we will say, large infrastructure projects around the country with Federal support, they wanted to make sure that the voices of the people whose lives would be affected by that would actually be heard. That was the idea behind doing this. prgtoken I have been in the Senate about 21, 22 years and served on the Environment and Public Works Committee with Senator Simpson and others, and am privileged to chair the committee now. And about every year or 2, we pass major infrastructure legislation, and, a year ago, the largest infrastructure bill in the history of the country--roads, highways, bridges, water, drinking water, wastewater, you name it. prgtoken Just last week, we passed, with one dissenting vote, the Water Resources Development Act legislation to reauthorize the Army Corps of Engineers to do projects all over America. prgtoken I live in Wilmington, DE. I-95 goes right through Wilmington, DE. It cuts my city in half. I-95 is being rebuilt for about a 5-mile space, from Route 202, which goes up into PA, on down to prgtoken Route 141--5 miles, right through the middle of our major city. It is going to be done in, I think, less than 2 years. Imagine that: 4 lanes, 6 lanes, all the exits, done in 2 years. prgtoken They are talking about not being able to get a big project done. We are doing big projects in a little State all the time. prgtoken The last thing I would say is that our colleagues Joe Manchin and Lisa Murkowski cohosted bipartisan meetings a month or 2 ago--6 or 7 or 8 of them--in the afternoon to talk about a path forward on reconciliation and infrastructure legislation, but also to talk about permitting and permitting reform. prgtoken Every time we do a major infrastructure bill, we do permitting reform, and we do streamlining. We have done it. We did it last year, and we are going to do it again with the WRDA legislation too. prgtoken Later, sometime this fall, in September, October, we will do permitting reform debate and legislation again. We can't do it in the context of reconciliation because the Parliamentarian won't let us do that. It has to be as stand-alone legislation. prgtoken We will have the opportunity to do that. People can offer their ideas. We will debate them. We will vote them up, and we will vote them down. prgtoken I just wanted to add that for the record. prgtoken With that, I guess we ought to ask for the yeas and nays.