mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR (Executive Session)
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2024-4-16

right now, the world is in desperate need of American leadership. Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Iran's attack on Israel, and the Chinese Government's encroachments on the South Pacific threaten world peace, threaten America's prosperity, and threaten the very future of western democracy. prgtoken That is why, 2 months ago, the Senate passed a bipartisan national security supplemental with aid for Ukraine, for Israel, for the South Pacific, and for humanitarian assistance. We have called on the House of Representatives repeatedly to move our bill because the fastest way--the surest way--for Congress to get desperately needed aid to our allies is for House s to put the supplemental on the floor. It would pass. That was true 2 months ago. It is still true today. prgtoken Yesterday evening, Johnson laid out a process for House consideration of the supplemental that would break it up into separate parts. I am reserving judgment on what will come out of the House until we see more about the substance of the proposal and the process by which the proposal will proceed. Hopefully, we will get details of the 's proposal later today. prgtoken Again, time is of the essence. prgtoken Israel was attacked for the first time in its history directly by Iran. The people of Ukraine are now in all-out desperation. In fact, last week, the head of the U.S. European Command testified before the House Armed Services Committee that Russia's Army is now 15 percent larger than it was at the start of the war, and in a matter of weeks, Russia will outgun Ukraine by 10 to 1--10 to 1. That is not a very good prospect for Ukraine's survival. And anyone who thinks that the war in Ukraine will stay in Ukraine, remember the warning of Japanese Prime Minister Kishida: Ukraine today may be East Asia tomorrow. prgtoken Around the world, civilians caught in the crossfires of war await desperately needed humanitarian assistance. prgtoken So the time for delay is over. have shown repeatedly our willingness to compromise to get important things done; and I will remind everyone of what I said from the beginning of this Congress: The only way to get things done is in a bipartisan way. prgtoken Again, we await to see more details of the 's proposal. I urge him to prgtoken keep working in a bipartisan way to ensure this vital aid gets to our friends abroad as quickly as possible.
REFORMING INTELLIGENCE AND SECURING AMERICA ACT--MOTION TO PROCEED-- Continued
Ron Wyden (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2024-4-16

I rise in strong opposition to this FISA bill. And, to begin, there is a central question before the U.S. Senate, and that is: Who should be forced to help their government spy? prgtoken The legislation coming from the other body gives the government unchecked authority to order Americans to spy on behalf of their government. This was slipped in, , in the last minutes in the House of Representatives' bill, and this is the first time this language has ever been considered here in the U.S. Senate. prgtoken Under current law--section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act--the government can order the phone companies and email and internet service providers to hand over communications. This bill expands that existing power dramatically. It says: The government can force cooperation from ``any other service provider who has access to equipment that is being or may be used to transmit or store wire or electronic communications.'' prgtoken Now, the language I just read to the Senate means that, if you have access to any communications, the government can force you to help it spy. That means anybody with access to a server, a wire, a cable box, a WiFi router, a phone, or a computer. prgtoken So think for a moment about the millions of Americans who work in buildings and offices in which communications are stored or passed through. After all, every office building in America has data cables running through it. prgtoken These people are not just the engineers who install, maintain, and repair our communications infrastructure. There are countless others who could be forced to help the government spy, including those who clean offices and guard buildings. If this provision is enacted, the government could deputize prgtoken any of these people against their will and force them, in effect, to become what amounts to an agent for Big Brother--for example, by forcing an employee to insert a USB thumb drive into a server at an office they clean or guard at night. prgtoken This can all happen without any oversight whatsoever. The FISA Court won't know about it. The Congress won't know about it. Americans who are handed these directives will be forbidden from talking about it. Unless they can afford high-priced lawyers with security clearances who know their way around the FISA Court, they will have no recourse at all. prgtoken Now, importantly, --and you and I have talked about this--supporters of this provision will say that this doesn't change the fact that section 702 only targets foreigners overseas. But if the government thinks that those targets are communicating with people in the United States, they can go right to the source: the WiFi, the phone lines, the servers, the transmitters that store those communications. prgtoken If the government has an interest in those foreign targets, well, the Americans whose communications get collected are just plain out of luck. prgtoken
EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES THAT THE SLOGAN, "FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA, PALESTINE WILL BE FREE" IS ANTISEMITIC AND ITS USE MUST BE CONDEMNED
Donald M. Payne, Jr. (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2024-4-16

I was unable to cast my vote for Roll Call Votes Nos. 124 through 134. Had I been present, I would have voted: ``Nay'' on Roll Call Vote No. 124, Motion on Ordering the Previous Question on H. Res. 1149; ``No'' on Roll Call Vote No. 125, H. Res. 1149; ``Yea'' on Roll Call Vote No. 126, H.R. 6245; ``Yea'' on Roll Call Vote No. 127, H.R. 6015; ``Yea'' on Roll Call Vote No. 128, H.R. 5917; ``Yea'' on Roll Call Vote No. 129, H.R. 4681; ``Yea'' on Roll Call Vote No. 130, H.R. 6603; ``Yea'' on Roll Call Vote No. 131, H.R. 5826; ``Yea'' on Roll Call Vote No. 132, H.R. 3033; ``Yea'' on Roll Call Vote No. 133, H. Res. 288; and ``Yea'' on Roll Call Vote No. 134, H. Res. 883.
Nomination of Ramona Villagomez Manglona (Executive Session)
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2024-4-16

today, the Senate will vote to confirm Ramona Villagomez Manglona to the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands. prgtoken Judge Manglona was born in Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands--CNMI. She received a B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley in 1990 and a J.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 1996. Following her graduation from law school, she clerked for Judge Virginia Sablan-Onerheim and Judge Alexandro C. Casto, both on the CNMI Superior Court. Judge Manglona then began her legal career as assistant attorney general in the criminal division for the CNMI Office of the Attorney General. She served in the criminal division for 3 years before moving to the civil division in 2001. In 2002, she was appointed to serve as the attorney general for the CNMI. Judge Manglona was appointed to a 6-year term as an associate judge on the Superior Court for the CNMI in 2003 and was elected to serve a second term in 2009. prgtoken In 2011, Judge Mangona was nominated by President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve a 10-year term as the chief judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands. As the sole active Federal district judge in the Northern Mariana Islands, she performs the work of a chief judge, a magistrate judge, and a bankruptcy judge. In her entire judicial career, Judge Manglona has presided over 185 cases that have gone to verdict, 35 of which were bench and jury trials she presided over as a Federal district court judge. prgtoken The American Bar Association unanimously rated Judge Manglona as ``well qualified,'' and she was unanimously voted out of the Judiciary Committee by a vote of 21-0. prgtoken Judge Manglona is a highly experienced jurist who will continue to serve with distinction in her second term as a judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands. prgtoken I am proud to support her nomination.
ARMS SALES NOTIFICATIONS
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2024-4-16

section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. prgtoken In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is still available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications that have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such an annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.
RESCISSION OF CERTAIN WAIVERS AND LICENSES RELATING TO IRAN
Keith Self (Republican, TX) \u2014 2024-4-17

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , this past weekend, we saw Iran unleash an unprecedented missile and drone attack on our ally Israel. Iran launched over 350 missiles and drones. We are incredibly fortunate that Israel, the United States, and other partners successfully intercepted 99 percent of those weapons. Had they not, the damage would have been catastrophic. prgtoken How did a regime that has been subject to international sanctions for decades have the resources to develop such advanced weaponry? The answer is that Iran is incredibly skilled at illicit finance, sanctions evasion, and exploiting every possible loophole to fund their malign activities. prgtoken Time and time again, we have allowed ourselves to accept the fiction that we can issue sanctions waivers that give Iran access to funds for limited use on allegedly humanitarian transactions without enabling the regime's malign activities. prgtoken We need to face facts. This is patently false. prgtoken Money is fungible, and the Iranian regime does not care about its people, as evidenced by their wide-scale human rights abuses and repression. prgtoken Under President 's maximum pressure campaign, Iran was starved for foreign reserve currency. This forced the Iranian regime to make hard choices. prgtoken With these waivers in effect, every dollar or euro that we provide the Iranian regime, even if purportedly for purchases of agriculture equipment or other humanitarian uses, frees up another dollar or euro that Iran's regime will spend on missiles, drones, its nuclear program, or its terrorist proxies. prgtoken Beyond the question of money being fungible, Iran has a demonstrated track record of falsifying humanitarian purchases. prgtoken In fact, the Department of Justice has previously charged a bank for ``facilitating transactions fraudulently designed to appear to be purchases of food and medicine by Iranian customers, in order to appear to fall within the so-called `humanitarian exception' to certain sanctions against the Government of Iran, when in fact no purchases of food or medicine actually occurred.'' prgtoken Enough is enough. With this bill, H.R. 5947, we are eliminating the sanctions waivers tied to the $6 billion in Iranian funds in restricted accounts in Qatar and tied to the $10 billion Iran has received from Iraq in electricity payments. It is too dangerous to allow Iran continued access to these funds, even with the nominal restrictions on how they are used. prgtoken , I urge my colleagues to join me in voting to revoke these sanctions waivers, and .
POLITICAL BIAS AT NPR
Glenn Grothman (Republican, WI) \u2014 2024-4-17

I think it is important for this body to take a few minutes to discuss and deal with the recent headlines regarding the National Public Radio editor who made public that 87 out of 87 members of their editorial newsroom staff registered -- not one registered . prgtoken It is obviously of interest, and it should be of particular interest to fair-minded people everywhere and s in particular. prgtoken We, right now, are losing the culture, and members of the Party are the ones who stand athwart and support the Constitution, try to defend it, and try to keep America the great country it has always been. prgtoken It is a very difficult thing to get sympathy in our quest from the public as a whole when news outlets have an overwhelmingly leftwing, anti-American bias. prgtoken I would like to congratulate--normally a --Uri Berliner for being able to step out and try to publicize a true diversity problem at NPR and hope that in the future our Appropriations Committee discusses this problem.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Tommy Tuberville (Republican, AL) \u2014 2024-4-17

. Thank you to my colleague from Utah. prgtoken I am kind of amazed at what has happened today. It has been categorized several ways, whether it is kangaroo court or three-ring circus or organized grab-ass. I don't know how you look at it, to be honest with you. prgtoken It is amazing what we sat here and watched. We all thought in the last few weeks that there was a chance for an impeachment trial of Secretary Mayorkas, but it only lasted a few hours--a historic event in the eyes of every Senator, not just s but also . prgtoken One thing I want to say is, has he faithfully executed his duties of the United States Constitution, the one that we all put our hand on the Bible and swore to do? prgtoken It was amazing to me how this all went down at the end of the day. It really wasn't Secretary Mayorkas. He wasn't the only one on trial today or would have gone on trial, impeachment trial; it would have been every --every here in the Senate, every in the House, and every who is running our executive branch-- because there has not been one person who has said anything since I have been here, in 3\1/2\ years, like: We need to do something at the border. Not one. prgtoken We have let in 10 million illegal aliens in the last 3 years. On that data point alone, Secretary Mayorkas intentionally--intentionally-- failed to secure the border. prgtoken I personally asked him one day why he was not at least giving a fair chance of closing the border. He says: Senator, we need more money. prgtoken Well, I looked it up, and his budget is 20 percent more than what President 's Secretary of Homeland Security had--20 percent. prgtoken His job is homeland security. That is his entire job. prgtoken Senator Schumer and all the could have conducted this impeachment trial today, and it would have never seen the light of day after the trial because we would not have had the votes on our side to impeach Secretary Mayorkas. So, instead, the impeachment process is over. The media will stop covering it in a few days. We will be going back to throwing millions of taxpayer dollars at blue prgtoken States so they can manage the surge of illegal aliens going to blue cities all over the country. prgtoken Just last week, the Department of Homeland Security awarded another $300 million to cities in support of illegal aliens. Today, the city of Denver announced that they would shift $8 million from their law enforcement to take care of illegal aliens. It is clear that the administration is more concerned with taking care of these illegals than they are about protecting the citizens. prgtoken So I will ask again: Has Secretary Mayorkas fulfilled his oath of duty before this body to protect and defend the country against all threats, foreign and domestic? Is our border secure? The answer is simple: He has not, and it is not. prgtoken Mayorkas has been derelict in this duty--derelict--and con
HONORING KARL KREISER FOR 28 YEARS OF COACHING AT COLUMBIA SCHOOL DISTRICT
Lloyd Smucker (Republican, PA) \u2014 2024-4-17

I rise today to congratulate Karl Kreiser on his retirement after serving as a coach to Columbia High School Basketball for 28 years. prgtoken Karl served a total of seventeen years as the Girls Varsity Head Coach, while also coaching the varsity boys' team for four years and acting as the skipper for the boys' junior high team for an additional seven years. prgtoken Karl followed in the footsteps of his father, Elmer Kreiser, the Columbia Boys Basketball Coaching legend who established the program's legacy across the Commonwealth. prgtoken Respected on and off the court, Karl's coaching was defined by his mentorship. The focal point of his leadership was ensuring his players knew the importance of giving back to the people in the community. prgtoken The legacy of Coach Karl Kreiser is displayed all around the Crimson Tide gymnasium in the form of banners and trophies adorning the walls. Over his nearly three decades of coaching, Karl won 431 games. In his last four seasons with the Girls Varsity Team, Columbia won three section crowns, a league title, while making it to four district championships, and three state playoffs. prgtoken , I want to congratulate Coach Karl Kreiser on a remarkable career and wish him well as he begins his well-deserved retirement.
FOURTH AMENDMENT IS NOT FOR SALE ACT
Jim Jordan (Republican, OH) \u2014 2024-4-17

. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. prgtoken Mr. Chair, the government is not allowed to get your information without a warrant. They are not allowed to do it. Even if they buy it, they are not allowed to do it. That is all this thing says. It couldn't be more straightforward or simple. It shows respect for the Fourth Amendment and respect for Americans' privacy. prgtoken What we are saying is--and it has been said before by the ranking member and Ms. Jayapal and the gentlewoman from Wyoming (Ms. Hageman), you can't do an end run. You can't do a work-around. You can't say, oh, we are allowed to get information we otherwise wouldn't be able to get because we are going to purchase it from a data broker. prgtoken No, you can't do that. That is all this says. prgtoken If it would otherwise require a warrant, you can't go buy it, you can't do a work-around. prgtoken It is a fundamental principle in our country. If the executive branch wants to get your stuff, wants to look at your information, they have to go to a separate and equal branch of government and get a probable cause warrant. They can't go around that and say, oh, we are purchasing it. This is public. They can't do it. It is plain and simple. prgtoken I commend the ranking member and the on the committee for their bipartisanship. Again, as the ranking member said, we very seldom prgtoken have legislation that comes out unanimous like this. prgtoken But this committee, which is charged with more than any other committee in Congress with protecting Americans' civil liberties, their rights, the fundamental principles and liberties that make our country the best place ever, unanimously agreed this thing should pass. I thank them, and I thank Ms. Hageman for leading this debate on the floor today for the committee and for our team. I also want to thank, of course, the sponsor of the legislation, Mr. Davidson. prgtoken This is so simple. prgtoken Last week, we had a similar fight, a similar debate. Unfortunately, we lost 212-212. Let's hope we can win this one. prgtoken I think this makes so much sense, so much common sense. It is so consistent with how this great country has always operated. One branch of government doesn't get a side at all. We have separate and equal branches of government. If this branch wants information, the executive branch wants your information, they have got to go to a separate and equal branch and get a warrant. They can't go buy it from somebody else and be sneaky about it and avoid what the Constitution clearly mandates has to happen. prgtoken I urge a ``yes'' vote.
RECOGNIZING ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY DAY
Glenn Thompson (Republican, PA) \u2014 2024-4-17

I rise today to recognize Assistive Technology Day. prgtoken Assistive Technology, or AT, is any item, piece of equipment, or product system that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of individuals living with disabilities and older adults. prgtoken Having spent nearly three decades as a therapist, rehabilitation services manager, and licensed nursing home administrator before coming to Congress, I have a personal understanding of the challenges faced with those who require assistive technology. Whether it is a veteran dealing with service-connected injuries, children with autism, an individual diagnosed with debilitating cancer, or adults with cerebral palsy, the bottom line is that these technologies make people's lives better. prgtoken , not only do I want to celebrate and recognize the critical role AT plays in the lives of those who need it, but I also want to recognize and thank all the AT specialists, programs, professional organizations, and researchers who are dedicated to facilitating the access to and acquisition of assistive technology.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Pete Ricketts (Republican, NE) \u2014 2024-4-17

. Thank you very much to the Senator from Utah for organizing this. prgtoken My, my, my. What have our majority leader and the in the Senate wrought? prgtoken They have overturned 227 years of precedence that my colleagues have talked about: 21 previous impeachments, all scheduled for trial; 17 came to trial, and the ones that did not was because the person who was to be impeached was either expelled or dismissed prior to the trial. prgtoken To my colleague from Texas's point about the media being complicit, one of the headlines in Politico that I was told about said the trial lasted only 3 hours. prgtoken There was no trial. There was no trial. prgtoken The majority leader decided that he could determine it was unconstitutional and get every single one of his , along partisan lines, to vote for it. He said it was unconstitutional, did not rise to the level of high crimes and misdemeanors. prgtoken Let me briefly examine that. prgtoken Article I sent over to us by the House. I am just going to read the title: ``Willful and Systematic Refusal to Comply With the Law.'' That is article I. prgtoken Let me tell you about complying with the law. Prior to this administration, the administration had brought illegal crossings down to a 45-year low. What we have seen since then is an explosion of illegal crossings: over 1.7 in the first year of the administration, nearly 2.4 in the second, and nearly 2.5 in the third. Now, if you count all the people who tried to cross the border illegally or who crossed the border, including the ``got-aways,'' it is 9.4 million people--larger than the population of New York City--and 300,000 in just December alone. That is larger than our capital city in Nebraska, Lincoln. The evidence is right there that we are not doing a good job at the southern border. prgtoken And why would that be? Well, because Alejandro Mayorkas is complicit in not following the law. prgtoken In a memorandum Mayorkas sent to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in 2021, he said: The fact an individual is a removable noncitizen-- prgtoken Notice he doesn't even say ``illegal alien,'' which is what it says in the law. He says: The fact [that] an individual is a removable noncitizen therefore should not alone be the basis [for] an enforcement action against them. prgtoken He is basically saying that just because you broke the law doesn't mean we have to enforce the law. That right there should tell you he is willfully disregarding the law. Absolutely. prgtoken How about the case of parole where the law says that it is only supposed to be used on a case-by-case basis in situations where the person has an extreme humanitarian need or it is in the best interest of our country? Under the and the administrations, it was used an average of 5,600 times--paroled 5,600 foreigners in this country between the and administrations on an annual bas