mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
DEBT CEILING
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2023-1-30

on the debt ceiling, one of Congress's top priorities this year is ensuring the United States does not default on its debt for the first time in our history. Even approaching a default would be disastrous for American families. The damages will show up on everything from people's credit card bills, their mortgage rates, and when applying for things as basic as a car loan. It risks thousands of dollars lit on fire for millions of American families. Everyone's life in this country will take many steps backward if we default. prgtoken Now, s have done a lot of talking about cuts, but when it comes to actually showing us a plan for avoiding default, they are playing a dangerous game. s, it is time to come out of hiding, put pen to paper, and show us your plan. s, show us your plan. prgtoken According to some reports, s want significant cuts across the board. But from where? Is funding for our troops safe? We don't know. s, show us the plan. prgtoken Is funding for police and firefighters and first responders safe? s, show us the plan. prgtoken Is funding for Social Security and Medicare safe, which some in that party, particularly on the MAGA wing, think should be cut? We don't know. Show us the plan. prgtoken The silence is unacceptable because the American people have a right to know whether they are going to see crucial services suddenly dry up. And if s don't get their way, Americans have a right to know whether or not the hard-right GOPers are really prepared to lead the House conference to push the United States to default and whether the House, led by McCarthy, will follow them over that devastating cliff, sending costs spiking on everything from credit cards to auto loans, to mortgages. prgtoken We have seen in realtime how dangerous it is for McCarthy to have empowered the most extreme elements of the GOP to set the agenda in the House. The MAGA wing of the GOP, which has set the rules on how the House should run, has left no doubt that, under their watch, no form of funding, however necessary, is safe. prgtoken , meanwhile, have been very clear about our position. When it comes to the debt ceiling, there can be no brinksmanship, no threats, no hostage-taking. This is simply too important. It has to get done. prgtoken s need to show their plan to the American people. The clock is ticking on the debt ceiling every day. We must make sure that a first-ever default doesn't occur. Yet s are making it more and more likely.
INTRODUCTION OF THE RESTORING EQUAL AND ACCOUNTABLE LEGISLATORS IN THE HOUSE ACT
Earl Blumenauer (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2023-1-30

today I introduced the Restoring Equal and Accountable Legislators in the House (REAL House) Act. This legislation would expand the number of members of the U.S. House of Representatives to restore the chamber's direct link to the public and foster greater diversity among Representatives and the Electoral College. prgtoken Members of the House of Representatives are their constituent's most direct connection to the federal government and its resources and services. The COVlD-19 pandemic underscored the importance of the proactive and local constituent services unique to House members. However, the number of constituents living in a single congressional district has dramatically increased since the number of House members was arbitrarily capped in 1929. Current district sizes threaten the direct constituent connection on which the House was founded. Simply, congressional districts are too large. prgtoken Today, there are 435 voting members of the House of Representatives, a cap from when the U.S. population was only 122 million people. With the current U.S. population of 328 million people and the same number of representatives, the size of congressional districts has nearly tripled. The average congressional district now includes 800,000 constituents. prgtoken If Congress fails to act, by 2050 each member of Congress is on track to represent more than 1 million people. prgtoken This growing imbalance makes it more difficult for members to be responsive to the will of the people, and voters are more likely to sit out elections when their voice and input are not fully represented in government. prgtoken The artificial cap also has a more insidious effect: an unrepresentative Electoral College. In the Electoral College system, each state gets a certain number of electors based on its total number of representatives in Congress. As the disparity between the largest and smallest states widens, the votes of those in larger states matter less and less. prgtoken The REAL House Act will help our government better reflect our districts and constituent needs. To restore the House's direct link to the public and to foster greater diversity among Members and the Electoral College, we must increase the number of Representatives. prgtoken I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress to enact this legislation and finally overcome the arbitrary cap of 435 voting members of this chamber.
IMMIGRATION
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2023-1-31

it only took 2 years--2 years--for the President to acknowledge the crisis that has been raging along our southern border almost since the day he took office. Over those 2 years, we have seen record numbers of migrants attempting to cross our southern border. We have seen record numbers of migrants die--die-- attempting the dangerous crossing of our southern border. We have seen the Border Patrol overwhelmed, border cities overwhelmed, and dangerous drugs continue to flood across our border and reach communities around our Nation. prgtoken Yet, for months and months, the President did essentially nothing. In fact, he acted as if the crisis didn't even exist. I am glad that, at long last, the President seems to be acknowledging this crisis, even if his recent visit to the border was scripted and controlled. prgtoken But it is appalling to think of how much human misery could have been avoided if the President had lived up to his national security obligations and addressed the border disaster many months ago. I suppose it is not a surprise that the President wasn't eager to acknowledge just how bad things were because that might have drawn extra scrutiny to the President's border policies, policies that played a substantial role in creating this crisis in the first place. prgtoken From the moment he took office and even before, President made it clear that border security was at the bottom of his priority list. On his very first day in office, President rescinded the declaration of a national emergency at our southern border. He halted construction of the border wall. He revoked a administration order that called for the government to faithfully execute our immigration laws. And his Department of Homeland Security issued guidelines pausing deportations except under certain conditions. And that was all on his first day in office. prgtoken Well, needless to say, the effect of all this was to declare to the world that the U.S. borders were effectively open, and we have seen the result: 2 years of soaring illegal immigration. Since President took office, there have been more than 4.5 million attempted illegal border crossings. Now, to put that number in perspective, that is roughly equal to the entire population of South Dakota, plus the entire population of Delaware, Wyoming, Nebraska, and then some. prgtoken Last month, 251,487 migrants were apprehended attempting to cross our southern border, the highest monthly number ever recorded. And, of course, these numbers just refer to individuals Customs and Border Protection managed to apprehend. There have been a staggering 1.2 million known ``got-aways'' since President took office, individuals that the Border Patrol saw but were unable to apprehend. prgtoken President has talked about wanting a safe, orderly, and humane immigration system. Well, up until now, he has failed on all fronts. Encouraging illegal immigratio
JUDICIAL NOMINATIONS
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2023-1-31

the Constitution charges the Senate with giving advice and, if we choose, providing our consent to the President's judicial appointments. prgtoken The President nominates somebody whom he thinks ought to serve on the Federal bench, and then the nominee comes here to the Senate for a job interview. Sometimes these job interviews make news because they go spectacularly well. prgtoken When the Judiciary Committee subjected now-Justice Amy Coney Barrett to a battery of questions a little over 2 years ago, she literally dazzled the country with her force of intellect. At one point, hours into a hearing, after being asked multipart questions about the finer points of constitutional law, now-Justice Barrett was asked to hold up the notepad she had been provided to keep everything straight, and it was completely blank. She hadn't even touched it. prgtoken Justice Barrett is an intellectual outlier by any standard, but she is an appropriate stand-in for the judicial nominees whom Senators confirmed from 2017 through 2020. As one left-leaning analysis admitted in 2020, ``based solely on objective legal credentials''-- ``solely on objective legal credentials''--the last administration's average pick for the Federal bench had ``a far more impressive resume than any past president's nominees.'' They had more circuit court clerkships, more Supreme Court clerkships--objectively, more experience in the Federal judiciary. prgtoken Under President , though, with his nominees, well, you might say things have gone somewhat differently. prgtoken Last week, our colleague on the Judiciary Committee from Louisiana, Senator Kennedy, was quizzing a panel of President 's nominees, and he decided to try some very simple questions that should have been beyond basic for anybody nominated to serve as a U.S. district judge. He asked one nominee, currently a superior court judge in Spokane County, WA, to simply explain what article V of the Constitution says. That would be the article that explains how the Constitution gets amended. Here was the nominee's response: Article V is not coming to mind at the moment. prgtoken Senator Kennedy came back with another, even more basic question. He asked: How about article II? prgtoken As high schoolers across America learn each year, article II sets up the Presidency and the executive branch. It establishes the President's powers, including the power to nominate the person for the vacancy in question. But this sitting judge drew another blank. prgtoken Article II wasn't coming to mind either--goodness gracious. prgtoken Then she flunked yet another question about legal philosophy, and, then again, she flunked still another question about the most controversial Supreme Court case this term. prgtoken Apparently, when this particular nominee had been asked to list the top 10 most impactful cases she had litigated in court, she could only come up with 6. At no
INFLATION
John Barrasso (Republican, WY) \u2014 2023-1-31

I come to the floor today to talk about our economy. prgtoken The President has been doing a lot of bragging these days about the economy. Last week, it was Virginia. Later this week, it is Philadelphia. He is in New York City today. He is going to be here on Capitol Hill, down the hall, in the House, next Tuesday night, for the State of the Union. prgtoken You know, the American people that I talk to--and looking at statistics and poll numbers from around the country--the American people just don't believe the President has anything to brag about, not when you look at the economy that is facing our Nation today. Two- thirds of people in polls out this weekend say that they disapprove of the way is handling the economy--disapprove, doing a bad job, the country heading in the wrong direction. And it is really a problem when 70 percent of the people think the country in which they live, the county they love, is heading in the wrong direction. prgtoken Why would they say it? Well, they took a look at their own personal situation, because the average American family has lost more than $10,000 to higher prices since took office just 2 years ago, and, now, what we are seeing across the country is more and more signs of the economy slowing down. prgtoken Last week, we found out that the economy had slowed down at the end of last year. Last year, the economy grew at only a rate of 2.1 percent for the entire year. The White House predicted that it would be 3.8 percent, so much below what the President and the White House had predicted. Actually, they missed it by almost half. And this is just the latest in a long list of disappointments that have affected the people all across the country over the last 2 years. prgtoken We found out Friday that consumer spending has dropped again. This week, working families are now getting another punch to the gut. Economists are predicting that the Federal Reserve is likely going to raise interest rates again in just 2 days. More rate hikes are going to make it even more expensive to borrow money. It is going to slow the economy down even further. prgtoken Over the last year, we have seen the largest rate hikes in 40 years. The average rate of new mortgages doubled since became President. Credit card interest are at an all-time high. Higher rates, harder to buy a home, harder to buy a house, harder to pay off credit card debt--it is no surprise that mortgage applications recently hit their lowest level in 25 years. They say they can't afford it at these rates. prgtoken This is very bitter medicine for the American people to take because they have been living through the worst inflation in 40 years. So why do we have the worst inflation in 40 years? Well, it is obvious. It is the massive spending done by the on a strictly party-line basis and the fact that the shut down American energy. You talk about a one-two punch--try
REDUCING THE NATIONAL DEBT
Richard McCormick (Republican, GA) \u2014 2023-1-31

. Madam , this week, Americans are hearing about yet another battle over the debt ceiling, a fiscal restraint that was supposed to stop Congress from spending too much. prgtoken Every couple of years, Congress basically gives itself a free pass and votes to raise the debt ceiling, kicking the can down the road. With a national debt over $31 trillion, this is a game our country cannot afford to keep playing. prgtoken Today, President is set to miss his budget deadline as required by law for the third consecutive year. I would love to see us actually handle the budget one item at a time rather than in a typical omnibus. prgtoken Vilification of debt control and protecting our future generations is not where this discussion should start. We are not going to get rid of this deficit in 1 year, but we can get rid of something this year. Can we at least have a small step toward reducing our national debt for the future of our children? prgtoken Hardworking American families have balanced budgets every month, every year, and they deserve a government that does the same.
BIG GOVERNMENT
Tommy Tuberville (Republican, AL) \u2014 2023-1-31

last week, I spent time on the floor urging my colleagues to prioritize freedom in the 118th Congress. By learning from the mistakes of overregulation in the past, we can focus on creating a brighter future and a more prosperous future for all Americans. prgtoken We should be doing everything we can to fix the problems created by the government and get Americans back on their feet by unleashing our economic potential and opening doors of opportunity. Unfortunately, too many here in Washington are still focused on growing the size of government and adding regulations they say will save the environment. However, very rarely does making the government larger benefit the American taxpayers and the American citizens of this country. prgtoken For decades, fans of Big Government have used climate change warnings to grow their power--for decades, for as long as I can remember. They have claimed we are near the edge of a climate cliff--a prediction they know is impossible to prove and has never come true. Of course, they claim the only solution to this cooked-up crisis is for you, the American taxpayer, to sacrifice even more of your freedoms to tackle this so-called climate dilemma. This sacrifice won't come from the elites, who flew their private jets to Switzerland just a few weeks ago--the ones who are crowing about this. They flew, just a couple of weeks ago, to lecture, while they were there, the working families of this country. No. These sacrifices are expected to be made by average, hard-working American taxpayers. That is what they want. prgtoken They want you to give up your affordable gas for imported fuel that is prgtoken triple the cost. They want you to give up your ground beef for overpriced and underwhelming meat substitutes. They want you to give up affordable, abundant clean energy we could produce right here in America for the enormous cost of green energy policies. They even want you to be banned from cooking on gas stoves because how you cook in your own kitchen is now the government's business. They want our farmers to cut back and worry about emissions while they are focused on feeding the country and the rest of the world, which is a huge priority. Most importantly, they expect you, the American taxpayer, to foot the bill for their radical climate agenda--obviously. prgtoken Well, I think I speak for most Americans when I say: No way. We should say ``no way'' to overpriced electric cars that are made with cobalt, processed and sold by China, and plugged into a charger that is powered by fossil fuels anyway. How do we come up with electricity? By fossil fuels. prgtoken We should say ``no'' to fake meats--products that taste as bad as their price and that will eventually kill our livestock producers' way of life. What are we trying to do--put our farmers out of business? Exactly. That is what the climate agenda is about, even though, as we all know, our food security is national s
PANDEMIC IS OVER ACT
Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Republican, WA) \u2014 2023-1-31

I appreciate the gentleman's leadership on the Subcommittee on Health, as well as bringing forward this legislation today. I think it is very important legislation, H.R. 382, the Pandemic is Over Act. prgtoken Just to recap, 3 years ago today, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar declared a public health emergency for the emerging threat that was the novel coronavirus. The U.S. had just identified its first official case over a week prior. prgtoken Within 1 year of the anniversary of the public health emergency, thanks to the early leadership of President and Operation Warp Speed, an authorized vaccine helped prevent thousands of hospitalizations and deaths. prgtoken , 3 years later, it is estimated that 95 percent of those over 16 have been vaccinated or have had COVID-19. prgtoken Earlier in January, President extended the public health emergency for the twelfth time, continuing to use the pandemic and the national and public health emergency authorities to achieve progressive policy goals. This includes pushing for an indefinite extension on the moratorium on evictions, the suspension of student loan interest payments, and attempts to require masking in public transit. prgtoken Last week, House s announced that we would bring this bill, along with Representative Paul Gosar's bill, to end the COVID-19 national emergency to the floor today. Just yesterday, the administration decided to announce their plans to end the public health emergency on May 11, 2023, which CNN has reported only came after the House were worried about voting against this bill without the White House having a plan in place. prgtoken Whatever the reason or the rationale for their announcement, I am pleased that the administration is following the House s and finally abiding by President 's own acknowledgment 4 months ago that the pandemic is over, but it shouldn't take another 3 months to unwind this authoritarian control. prgtoken It is long past time for the administration to stop relying on an emergency that no longer exists so that they can make unilateral decisions. prgtoken , I urge my fellow ic colleagues to join the ic administration and House s in voting ``yes'' on H.R. 382. Declare the COVID-19 pandemic over. Give Americans their lives back. Work to develop policies so that we are better prepared moving forward. prgtoken The Senate voted in a bipartisan way to end the national emergency, and I hope that this bill also will gain bipartisan support.
RECOGNIZING MRS. SHAWNA CRIST AS THE OKALOOSA COUNTY EDUCATION SUPPORT EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR
Matt Gaetz (Republican, FL) \u2014 2023-1-31

I rise to recognize Mrs. Shawna Crist as the Okaloosa County Education Support Employee of the Year. Plew Elementary School is lucky to have someone like Mrs. Crist who serves the school with passion and an unwavering commitment to its success. prgtoken Mrs. Crist spent 13 years as an excellent teacher before working in education support. Her accomplishments include being selected as the Baker School Teacher of the Year in 1990 and the Teacher of the Year for Bluewater Elementary and Okaloosa County in 1994. After her teaching career, she became a full-time volunteer at Plew Elementary where she received the 2012 Senior Adult Volunteer of the Year Award. prgtoken Mrs. Crist is currently the Media Assistant for Plew Elementary, where she enjoys working to share ideas with others throughout Okaloosa County that promote the school and its students. She constantly strives to be the best and provide the best as well. I applaud her for her unwavering commitment to serving the students of Okaloosa County. prgtoken , on behalf of the United States Congress, I am privileged to recognize Mrs. Crist for her many accomplishments and her commitment to excellence and professionalism in the Okaloosa County School District. I thank her for her service and wish her all the best for her continued success.
PANDEMIC IS OVER ACT
Troy Balderson (Republican, OH) \u2014 2023-1-31

I thank Mr. Guthrie for yielding. prgtoken , I rise in support of H.R. 382, the Pandemic is Over Act. As Representatives of the American people, we owe it to them to assess our country's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and look to better prepare for future pandemics. Most importantly, the American people deserve honesty and normalcy. prgtoken The pandemic is over. Even President said as much last September. That level of honesty from the President is a step in the right direction, but after the President publicly declared the pandemic over, he extended the public health emergency not just once, but two more times. Today marks 3 years since the original public health emergency declaration. prgtoken Our country has been through a lot in the last 3 years but it is time to get back to normal. It is time to give power back to the people. prgtoken , I urge passage of H.R. 382.