mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
UDALL FOUNDATION REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2023
Susan M. Collins (Republican, ME) \u2014 2024-3-22

I rise today in support of the final six government funding bills before us. These bipartisan, bicameral bills are the result of many months of hard work by the Appropriations Committees in both the Senate and the House. prgtoken Let me start by thanking Chair Murray for her tremendous leadership and hard work throughout the entire appropriations process. She has really made a difference. prgtoken Since Chair Murray and I took the helm of the committee over a year ago, we have been committed to an appropriations process that provided Senators with a voice in funding decisions through robust committee proceedings. Toward that end, we held more than 50 public hearings and briefings. We televised our committee markups for the first time ever. The Senate Appropriations Committee marked up and advanced all 12 bills individually for the first time in 5 years, and we did so with overwhelming bipartisan support. Every single bill--each and every one of them--was subject to robust debate and amendments. Many of them passed unanimously, I am pleased to say, and others with only one dissenting vote. prgtoken This final package on the Senate floor today includes the fiscal year 2024 appropriations bills for the Department of Defense; State and Foreign Operations; Financial Services and General Government; Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education; Legislative Branch; and Homeland Security. We are not punting through yet another continuing resolution, nor is this an omnibus; rather, it is a package of six individual bills that fund critical programs, important Agencies, and essential Departments through the end of this fiscal year. prgtoken Now, , I would have preferred that more of these bills would have been brought across the Senate floor, but no one can say that they were not available for scrutiny since we reported the last of them from committee way back in July. prgtoken In addition to my thanks for Chair Murray, I want to thank the ranking members on each of the subcommittees reflected in the package today--Senators Graham, Hagerty, Capito, Fischer, and Britt--for their outstanding efforts in assembling this package. I also want to acknowledge the contributions of their ic chairs. prgtoken This legislation is truly a national security bill. Seventy percent of the funding in this package is for our national defense, including investments that strengthen our military readiness and industrial base, provide pay and benefit increases for our brave servicemembers, and support our closest allies. prgtoken This legislation also supports America's working families while providing funding to better secure our borders and combat the transnational criminal organizations that are flooding our communities with fentanyl. prgtoken As part of the effort to address the crisis at the border--and it is a crisis--this package includes funding for additional detention beds and mor
REPEALING OF GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION FUND
Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Republican, WA) \u2014 2024-3-22

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , one serious contender for a share of this $14 billion is Power Forward Communities. This new entity, which has been formed to secure a Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund award, is a coalition of several organizations, including Rewiring America. prgtoken Rewiring America's leadership includes a former White House appointee, a former employee of liberal political action committees, and a ic politician, Stacey Abrams. Rewiring America is a project of the Windward Fund, which is controlled by Arabella Advisors. Arabella Advisors funnels donations to various leftwing nonprofits. prgtoken To give another example, the board of another applicant, the Coalition for Green Capital, includes former administration officials and a former senior staffer of the ic National Committee. This includes David Hayes, a former senior official of President 's White House Climate Policy Office who was central to advancing President 's climate agenda. prgtoken , I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Duncan), chairman of our Energy, Climate, and Grid Security Subcommittee.
CONGRATULATING THE HONORABLE MARCIA FUDGE
David P. Joyce (Republican, OH) \u2014 2024-3-22

I rise today to congratulate Marcia Fudge as she transitions from her role as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. prgtoken In Congress, I had the honor of working alongside her while serving the greater Cleveland area. Together, we worked to bring bipartisan wins back to the community, making Ohio a greater place. prgtoken I cannot thank her enough for her dedication to public service, not only to the Buckeye State but to our entire country. Whatever the next chapter holds for her, I have no doubt she will continue to do great things.
FURTHER CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2024
Ken Calvert (Republican, CA) \u2014 2024-3-22

. Madam , I rise today in strong support of the negotiated appropriations package. prgtoken Today is zero hour. We are out of time. Today's vote may be the most consequential of your lifetime. prgtoken Right now, our troops around the world are facing multiple threats. Our supremacy on land, sea, air, and space is being challenged, and our allies are under attack. prgtoken I could go through a long list of vital programs and funding included in this bill--the wins for our troops, the historic funding for innovation and counter-drug activities, and the focus on countering China. Time is short, and the stakes have never been higher. prgtoken For the Members who are considering voting against the bill due to objections in other titles and are under the impression that if this bill fails, we will have another chance to vote for a full-year Defense bill, I want to be very clear: This is it. prgtoken Every Member must understand the impact of not passing this package. The only other option will be a full-year continuing resolution, which will devastate our national security and put our country at risk. prgtoken A CR will cut defense spending by $27 billion and trigger additional cuts from sequestration. This is something that has not happened in the history of this country and will cut our military off at the knees in the midst of the most dangerous period we have seen since World War II. prgtoken A CR maintains policies negotiated by the last Congress, eliminates all Member priorities from the bill, and gives the administration the freedom to shift appropriations as they see fit. prgtoken Simply put, we will cede all congressional authority and oversight on spending to the administration. A CR would be an abdication of our responsibility to our military and to this body. prgtoken A ``no'' vote is a vote for China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and Hamas. Vote ``yes'' for our men and women in uniform, for all Americans, and for our country.
CELEBRATING GREG HEWITT
Beth Van Duyne (Republican, TX) \u2014 2024-3-22

I rise today to celebrate our Texas-24 hometown hero, Captain Greg Hewitt of Keller Fire Rescue. prgtoken Captain Hewitt has devoted 16 years to protecting the safety of our north Texas community, and as a captain at Keller Fire Rescue Station 2, Captain Hewitt has diligently shown relentless dedication throughout his years of leadership and service. prgtoken Throughout his numerous 48-hour long shifts, Captain Hewitt consistently displays heroic bravery and a committed spirit to serving his team, Keller residents, and our community. prgtoken Captain Hewitt is not only dedicated to protecting north Texans, he is also a devoted husband to his wife, Megan, and a proud father of three beautiful children. As one of the biggest support systems, they have followed him along his firefighting journey. prgtoken , I congratulate Captain Hewitt on reaching the milestone of 16 years of service. I thank him for the kindness and devotion he has shown to north Texas throughout his career.
COVID LOCKDOWNS HARMED OUR CHILDREN
Kevin Kiley (Republican, CA) \u2014 2024-3-22

COVID-era school shutdowns were the most consequential political failure of at least the 21st century. We are finally starting to see some recognition of that, yet we still have not fully reckoned with the sheer breadth and scale of the harm that was done to so many people and to our entire country. prgtoken We haven't had nearly the level of accountability for those who were responsible for these decisions, and we certainly haven't seen the fundamental change to public education in this country that what happened ought to have catalyzed. Nonetheless, at least we are starting to see some recognition of the harm that was done and the mistakes that were made. prgtoken Here is an article from The New York Times: ``What the Data Says About Pandemic School Closures, Four Years Later.'' ``The more time students spent in remote instruction, the further they fell behind. And, experts say, extended closures did little to stop the spread of COVID.'' prgtoken , I would like to read a few excerpts from this article. prgtoken It says: ``Some schools, often in -led States and rural areas reopened by fall 2020. Others, typically in large cities and States led by , would not fully reopen for another year. ``A variety of data--about children's academic outcomes and about the spread of COVID-19--has accumulated in the time since. Today, there is broad acknowledgment among many public health and education experts that extended school closures did not significantly stop the spread of COVID, while the academic harms for children have been large and long- lasting.'' prgtoken Dr. Sean O'Leary, a pediatric infectious disease specialist who worked with the current American Academy of Pediatrics, says: ``There is fairly good consensus that, in general, as a society we probably kept kids out of school longer than we should have.'' prgtoken The article continues: ``A growing body of research shows that pandemic school closures came at a steep cost to students. At the State level, more time spent in remote or hybrid instruction in the 2020-21 school year was associated with larger drops in test scores, according to a New York Times analysis of school closure data and results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress. . . . `' ``At the school district level, that finding also holds, according to analysis of test scores from third through eighth grade in thousands of U.S. districts, led by researchers at Sanford and Harvard. . . . Learning remotely, they fell more than half a grade behind in math on average, while in districts that spent most of the year in person they lost just over a third of a grade.'' prgtoken The article continues that ``larger gaps remaining among students that lost the most ground to begin with. Students in districts that were remote or hybrid the longest--at least 90 percent of the 2020-21 school year--still had almost double the ground to make up compared with students in distric
FURTHER CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2024
Kay Granger (Republican, TX) \u2014 2024-3-22

. Madam , I rise today in support of the appropriations package. I thank all the Members and staff who were involved in this process. We looked hard at our needs and developed a package to carry us through the process. prgtoken Two weeks ago, I talked about the changes House s made regarding how we fund the government. prgtoken We made targeted cuts to wasteful programs and developed a package that is proof of that. prgtoken We looked at each need, and it was clear that the world is becoming a more dangerous place. We made changes and decided on efforts that include countering China, developing next-generation weapons, and investing in the quality of life of our servicemembers. prgtoken I am proud to say that this bill strengthens our national security and funds critical defense efforts. This package also includes other key priorities. It continues our strong support of Israel, combats the flow of illegal drugs, and fully funds medical research for cancer and chronic diseases. prgtoken Against all odds, House s refocused spending on America's most crucial needs at home and abroad. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and .
FURTHER CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2024
Anna Paulina Luna (Republican, FL) \u2014 2024-3-22

. Madam , I rise in opposition to speak against the current omnibus that we are seeing hitting the floor today. prgtoken This administration and many people on both sides talk about how they want to champion Black and Brown people in this country, and that is a direct quote from a recent press release from the administration. The fact is that this omnibus, this government being open and allowing for open borders, is doing nothing but actually hurting those communities. prgtoken What we are seeing right now at the border is a rise in crime. We are seeing these very communities being impacted by the rise in gang violence. Frankly, it has been disgusting to watch crony capitalists push the importation of cheap labor. prgtoken I don't know if anyone has recently witnessed what happened with Tyson Farms, but they actually fired Americans to hire immigrant workers, a.k.a. illegals. After September 25, 2023, they were probed by the Federal Government over the employment of migrant children, who likely washed the bloody floors and razor-sharp machines. prgtoken Why would anyone want to continue to fund a government that, A, is complicit in this, but, B, is also responsible for losing 85,000 migrant children? prgtoken The fact is that we cannot continue down this path. It is hurting all people. I think if you want to claim to protect minorities, then you need to ensure prgtoken that you are putting Americans first and not simply just using that as a way to get elected while stabbing Americans in the back and hurting our communities.
REPEALING OF GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION FUND
Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (Republican, GA) \u2014 2024-3-22

. Madam , I thank the gentleman for yielding. prgtoken Madam , I rise today in support of my friend from Alabama, Mr. Palmer's bill. prgtoken As my colleagues have said, this bill primarily does two things: First of all, it repeals and rescinds the EPA's $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. prgtoken Now, $27 billion is a significant amount of money, especially for an agency like--in this case the EPA--that has never operated a program like this. This money also has a requirement that it be spent in just the next couple of years. That is the opposite of fiscal responsibility. Who gives people money and says you have to spend it in this amount of time. prgtoken EPA's Office of Inspector General has noted that the combination of such large amounts of money in a short timeline to use it may lead to fraud, waste, and abuse, including being used by Chinese entities. prgtoken Consider the fact that U.S. emissions are already dropping and our solar, EV, and other industries are rapidly growing with plenty of incentives. Why would we risk or waste taxpayer dollars? prgtoken Eliminating the EPA's green bank slush fund will reduce the budget deficit, protect against government corruption, and stop China from receiving American taxpayer dollars. prgtoken Secondly, this bill will also repeal the EPA's proposed natural gas tax, which would increase energy costs for Americans and undermine U.S. manufacturing. This move will hinder our energy independence and competitiveness. prgtoken This administration continues to punish Americans for their own success while failing to address the most damaging actor on the global stage, and that is China. prgtoken Taking a look at the past 20 years, even if the U.S EU, and Japan had cut all of their emissions by half and India had stayed stagnant, China alone polluted enough to cause a global increase in emissions. prgtoken My colleagues may say that China will follow our leadership. If that was the case, why are their emissions increasing while ours are decreasing? prgtoken Forgive me if I don't take seriously an administration that punishes Americans while doing nothing to compete with the country with emissions that are 80 percent higher than the U.S. and EU combined. prgtoken Madam , I support this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support it to tackle the real energy problems.
FURTHER CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2024
Andrew S. Clyde (Republican, GA) \u2014 2024-3-22

. Madam , I say to my House and Senate colleagues, it is time to put their vote where their values are. prgtoken Madam , you can't claim to be a pro-life champion and then fund abortion, abortion travel, and aborted fetal tissue research. prgtoken You can't rail against President 's intentional illegal invasion and then fund the policies that are causing the chaos without assuming the same responsibility. Just like you can't flaunt your vote to impeach Secretary Mayorkas and then fully fund his salary and his destructive border policies. prgtoken Madam , you can't defend America's Second Amendment liberties and then fund gun control by the CDC. prgtoken You cannot support science and protect young women and then fund transgender surgeries and fund educational institutions that allow biological males to compete in women's sports. I don't call them men because they are not real men. Real men protect women. They don't use their superior strength to steal the honor, hard work, and achievements of women. prgtoken Madam , you can't complain about the violation of America's First Amendment rights and then fund more disinformation governance boards and government by proxy censorship. prgtoken You cannot sound the alarm on our dire economic outlook and ballooning national debt and then rubberstamp spending higher than Nancy Pelosi's levels for FY 2023. The list goes on and on. prgtoken s simply cannot righteously denounce ' disastrous policies that are destroying our great country and then turn around and fund them. After all, if you fund it, you own it. prgtoken It is not too late. We promised the American people that we would fix these problems, not fund them. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the swamp's second half omnibus.
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Bill Cassidy (Republican, LA) \u2014 2024-3-22

I rise to pay tribute and honor the life of Serge B. Hadji, Esq. He passed away on March 10, 2024, at his home in Athens, Greece, with his wife of 50 years, Yanna, by his side. He was 81. prgtoken Serge was a devoted husband; proud father to his three boys Alexios, Philip, and Andreas; an esteemed lawyer; trustee to his alma mater, Anatolia College; mentor; and advocate for Greece, Cyprus, and the unwavering principle that the rule of law be the centerpiece of U.S. foreign policy. He was so much more than that to all that were fortunate enough to know and love him. prgtoken Serge's life story is a quintessential American immigration story. Serge was born in Thessaloniki, Greece, on September 25, 1942, and immigrated to the United States in 1960. He graduated college from the University of Buffalo, received a law degree from the Detroit College of Law, and obtained a masters in law from New York University Law School. He started his career with Rogers Hoge & Hills, a Park Avenue law firm, and went on to become senior counsel at TRW Inc a Fortune 100 multinational company headquartered in Cleveland, OH. Throughout his legal career, he was a proud member and contributor to the legal community through his involvement with the American Bar Association-- Section on Antitrust Law; the Association of the Bar of the City of New York--secretary, Trademark and Unfair Competition Committee, 1977- 1980--and the International Trademark Association--member of the board, 1988-1991. He also was an adjunct professor at New York University School of Continuing Education in Law and Taxation and a lecturer at Temple University Law School in Athens, Greece. He was a member of the New York bar and was a New York lawyer through and through, maintaining his membership until he passed away. prgtoken Serge was a giant in the Greek-American world. In 1974, Serge cofounded the Panhellenic (Emergency) Committee of New York, one of the grassroots committees that sprung up throughout the U.S. to fill the political vacuum in the Greek-American community following Turkey's invasion of Cyprus on July 20, 1974. From his perspective as a key participant and keen observer of the intricacies of this issue, he later edited a book chronicling this movement, ``The Rule of Law Lobby: Grassroots Mobilization and the U.S. Arms Embargo on prgtoken Turkey-1974-1978.'' In addition to protesting vociferously and providing humanitarian assistance, the Greek-American community gradually coalesced into a lobby under the newly unfurled banner of the ``Rule of Law.'' ``The Rule of Law Lobby'' has been hailed as a seminal book which splendidly portrays the rise and evolution of an American lobby that greatly influenced U.S. policy in the region. Serge remained active with Greek-American issues throughout his life, largely through the American Hellenic Institute, including editing the two-volume series, ``Doing Business in Greece: A Legal and Prac
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Ted Cruz (Republican, TX) \u2014 2024-3-22

right now, Israel is facing the worst war in the Middle East in 50 years. On October 7, more than 1,200 Israelis were murdered by Hamas terrorists; more than 30 Americans were murdered by Hamas terrorists. prgtoken Hamas was funded by Iran. Hezbollah is funded by Iran. In the last 3 years, the administration has flowed more than $100 billion to Iran, has sent the money that paid for the Hamas terrorists that committed those act of atrocities. prgtoken This amendment is very simple: It prohibits the administration from sending billions of dollars to Iran. The ayatollah pledges death to America and death to Israel. prgtoken The question is: Does the United States of America want to be responsible for funding the genocidal, theocratic lunatic who leads Iran, who is funding Hamas, who is waging war against Israel? prgtoken The are going to move to table. And so a vote for yes is a vote to fund Iran. A vote for no is to say: Not one more penny should go to the lunatics in Iran.
FURTHER CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2024
Thomas Massie (Republican, KY) \u2014 2024-3-22

. Madam , today we are setting a dangerous precedent. We are suspending the 3-day rule so that our constituents don't have time to see what is in this bill. prgtoken We know a few things that are in it. We know it spends too much money. We know it has got money to groom our children, down to ages of 12, into being trans. We know it has got funding for facilities to do late-term abortions. prgtoken Why would s vote for that? It has got a dangerous cocktail that the swamp has always served, and we are drunk on it today. What is that cocktail? Earmarks and budget gimmicks with a chaser of the fumes from DCA, the smell of jet fuel at DCA. prgtoken What are we going to do? As soon as we betray Americans by passing this bill, we are all going to the airport and going on recess for 2 weeks. prgtoken This is not the way we should do the Nation's business. We need to preserve the 3-day rule. We need to follow our own rules. We need to bring these bills through committee and do regular order. prgtoken Madam , I urge people to vote against this bill.