mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Childcare (Executive Calendar)
Tim Kaine (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2023-11-29

I will start by thanking my colleagues, especially Senator Murray, for organizing this effort and also for her life of being a passionate advocate for kids, especially as an early childhood educator. prgtoken And I will start in another way that is a little nontraditional and just be a proud dad. I have three adult children, and I am proud of them all for different reasons. But my middle son, I am proud of him because he is my only Phi Beta Kappa, and he also is an early childhood educator. He decided that working as a childcare provider is what he wants to do, and he has worked in both pre-K classroom settings and also individually for families. prgtoken I know how little he makes, 10 years out of college. I know how he loves to find some extra hours where he can make a little bit more. I was excited that he was excited, a few years ago, when he told me that he had picked up extra hours shoveling snow at the pre-K classroom. Because he lives in Minnesota, there is a lot of snow to be shoveled. So on nights or on weekends when there is snow, he is going to make a little bit more by being the snow shoveler, so that kids, parents, and teachers can come safely to school that day. prgtoken The stories that I hear traveling around Virginia are the same that my colleagues have shared, but I just want to share two, one from a parent and one from a provider. prgtoken Heather is in Fairfax City, in the most populous part of Virginia. Here is what she told us: One of the reasons my family ended up homeless was because we didn't have access to quality, affordable childcare for our boys when they were little. They also lost access to programs that would allow them to be school-ready. When I was pregnant with our twins, I was hospitalized for almost 12 weeks, and we couldn't afford childcare for our boys, so my husband would drop them off at the hospital so that he would be able to go to work. Unfortunately, without access to child care and a hospital being no place for kids to stay all day long, he ended up losing his job, which in turn meant we lost money to provide for ourselves. We had to go on SNAP to have food, and eventually, he lost his business, and we became homeless. . . . One of the biggest contributing factors was the lack of access to affordable child care. At the time there was not enough space in programs like Head Start. Without access to affordable, quality child care, families are hurting. The lack of access to this vital service has forced families to not be able to go to work, go to school, or even leave kids at home in compromising positions just to be able to put food on the table. I forgot to include that at this time, we were considered middle class before all this; both my husband and I are college educated. I was working at first, too, but also had
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 5283, PROTECTING OUR COMMUNITIES FROM FAILURE TO SECURE THE BORDER ACT OF 2023; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 5961, NO FUNDS FOR IRANIAN TERRORISM ACT; AND...
Summer L. Lee (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2023-11-29

I rise today on behalf of the grandmas and grandpas and moms and dads and neighbors and beloved community members who spent their entire lives paying into Medicare out of their own paychecks on the sacred promise that they could retire with health and dignity only to have that promise betrayed by today's Party. prgtoken I stand here on behalf of our aging parents and sons and daughters fighting mental illness, loved ones who are cancer patients and stroke survivors, workers injured on the job, orphaned children, and siblings with disabilities, whose access to food, shelter, medicine, prgtoken and dignified retirement depends on Social Security that s are hellbent on tearing away. prgtoken In Pennsylvania alone, 2.8 million folks depend on Medicare--227,727 in Allegheny County--and 2.9 million depend on Social Security--nearly 150,000 in my district alone. Every one of them deserves to retire in dignity with access to healthcare. Every one of them deserves a Congress where every Member has the decency to honor that sacred promise not to leave our families behind at the hardest moments of their lives. prgtoken The reality is that just about every American agrees, no matter where we come from, how we vote, or what our skin color is--we all deserve those things. prgtoken The Party, bought out by greedy CEOs, billionaires, and lobbyists, have always been terrified of that reality. They are so terrified that instead of facing it they have chosen to lie, scapegoat, and defraud even the folks who elected them, assuming we are too foolish to see what is going on. prgtoken Let me break it down. First, s passed tax handouts for their filthy rich donors promising a trickle-down miracle that never has and will never happen from Reaganomics to the tax scam. prgtoken When their tax scam causes the economy to slow and deficits to grow, they refuse to correct their mistake. Instead, they blame immigrants, poor folks, Black folks, and Brown folks. prgtoken Next, s pretend to panic and call for devastating cuts to Social Security and Medicare that would force Americans to work longer for less and tear away their hard-earned retirement and end Medicare as we know it--reducing spending. prgtoken They call for more handouts for their billionaire donors and corporate polluters. They hope that you will settle for tearing away your neighbors' lifelines to protect your own right to retire in dignity, forcing us to the brink of catastrophic shutdown or debt ceiling crisis until we clean up their mess. prgtoken They repeat the cycle hoping enough of us will forgive and forget their scheme to tear away Medicare and Social Security and believe their lie that they were only after food assistance, healthcare, or housing for poor folks--not your earned benefits. The truth is that they always were and always will be after it all.
Childcare (Executive Calendar)
Ron Wyden (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2023-11-29

my colleagues have said it so well. Very briefly, I want to thank Senator Murray and all my colleagues who have done such good work. prgtoken Let me start by saying that we are generally not supposed to use the words ``supply-side economics.'' I want everybody to understand we have to be supply-siders on childcare. We desperately need more childcare facilities. We need more built. And I have no qualms about saying as a proud and chairman of the Senate Finance Committee I am a supply-sider on the issue of childcare. prgtoken I will say that everywhere I go in my State, big communities and small communities, there are waiting lines, very long waiting lines, for childcare. It is absolutely unacceptable. prgtoken We have to increase our supply. We passed a number of good pieces of legislation. We have more to do. prgtoken Point No. 2 is this is a fundamental issue of American productivity. We know that we are trying to compete in tough global markets. The President of the Senate, in my part of the world, California, Oregon, and the West, we have a geographical advantage, a leg up on China. Let's not give it away with the absence of good childcare facilities. prgtoken You have to have childcare in order to be able to get to work and know that your kid is going to be OK while you are gone making a living. prgtoken Finally, the third point that I would make is that we need to tap all the resources that are available in our communities--all of them. Child care centers, in-home child care, and we should also be thinking of how to partner with churches. prgtoken This isn't a red or blue issue. It's not a rural or urban issue. It's an everyone issue. So our committees, working together, can do this. But we ought to utilize all our resources. prgtoken I am going to make this a filibuster-free zone. My colleagues have all said it, you know, really well. Supply-side economics for getting us more childcare facilities. Let's focus on this as a productivity issue, a competitiveness issue. Third, let's utilize all the resources in our communities. prgtoken I congratulate all my colleagues, and it is great to see the Finance Committee stalwarts out in force. prgtoken .
PROTECTING OUR COMMUNITIES FROM FAILURE TO SECURE THE BORDER ACT OF 2023
Raúl M. Grijalva (Democrat, AZ) \u2014 2023-11-29

again, in our view, this amendment is unnecessary, but it is not actively harmful, either. I hope we can move on. I hope that everybody is satisfied, that they got their little clips done in terms of being strong, hard, anti-immigrant people and got those little sound bites done already. I think it is time that we move on. prgtoken Mr. Chair, .
Childcare (Executive Calendar)
Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2023-11-29

I am delighted to join my colleagues today from the Finance Committee. Our chairman is here. We did, I think, remarkable work to expand the prgtoken child tax credit during the COVID epidemic, and it made a truly remarkable difference in children's lives--nearly 50 percent reduction in child poverty. Why would you not want more of that? Yet we let it expire in 2021, and, sure enough, child poverty climbed back up again. prgtoken There was a lot of fearmongering, when we did it, that this was going to discourage people from working, that they would sit at home and sop up the tax credit. But the fact of the matter is, if you can't get childcare, you can't get to work. And if you can't get reliable, quality childcare, you can't move up into the kind of job where you don't have to worry about being called away because your childcare just fell apart. prgtoken So in Rhode Island at least, we saw families do more work as a result of this, and 174,000 Rhode Island children benefited. Families got $264 million--low-income families--to pay for childcare, get to work, or step up to a better job. prgtoken At the same time, we also provided additional funding for childcare providers in that same American rescue plan, and that was another win. And you put the two together, and it really lifted families. prgtoken Right now, without Congressional action, 3 million children are projected to lose access to childcare, and 70,000 childcare programs could close. prgtoken Bring that to Rhode Island, and it is 21,000 kids in my State who could lose access to childcare, 680 childcare workers could lose their jobs, and 419 different childcare providers could close. prgtoken We simply cannot let that happen. It is wrong. It is dumb. It is penny-wise and pound-foolish. prgtoken We need to do three simple things: Make childcare a priority, encourage work and earning, and reduce child poverty. We can do those three things by reestablishing the child tax credit and continuing to support childcare providers.
PROTECTING OUR COMMUNITIES FROM FAILURE TO SECURE THE BORDER ACT OF 2023
Daniel S. Goldman (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2023-11-29

. Mr. Chair, that does solve the problem. This does not solve the problem. This is just a political ploy, a messaging bill, that does nothing to solve our open borders. prgtoken Every single witness that has come before the Homeland Security Committee this Congress has acknowledged that the outflow of American-made weapons of war to the cartels in Mexico is a massive cause of crime at the border. prgtoken Why won't you address it? Why won't you join it? prgtoken Why won't you even allow the bill to come to the floor? prgtoken Is it the gun lobby? prgtoken Is it because you just want to use immigration as a political cudgel, and you don't want to find solutions? prgtoken Instead of fear-mongering, let's get some solutions together. Let's work together. We are ready. We just need a partner that will stop messaging and start solving problems.
Border Security (Executive Session)
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2023-11-30

before I begin, there is something I want to address today. I just want to make an observation about this discussion we are having on our southern border. I would reiterate what I have been saying now for some time, and that is that it is no longer just a humanitarian crisis. It is every bit of that, but it is a national security crisis. prgtoken We see the numbers on a daily basis, the number of people who are apprehended at the southern border trying to come into the country illegally. In the last 3 days--the last 3 days--that is over 9,000 per day--over 9,000 per day, and that doesn't include the ``got-aways'' or the unknowns. That is the people who are apprehended coming across the border illegally. And we now know that, in the month of September, for example, there were a significant number of people--18, actually-- apprehended coming across the southern border, who are on the Terrorist Watchlist. prgtoken People coming from all over the world have figured out that, if you want a portal, if you want to get into the United States, just come to the southern border, and we will wave you in, which is essentially what is happening today. prgtoken And the question I would ask is, In what universe does that make any sense? prgtoken I said this yesterday: We are a nation of immigrants. We have been a very welcoming country. We have ways of bringing people into this country legally, and we do that on an annual basis. prgtoken But we are a nation of laws, first and foremost. The rule of law is what distinguishes our country from many other countries around the world, and yet, at our southern border, that doesn't mean a thing. prgtoken Over 9,000 a day--annualize that. Think about what that means. That is 3 million people a year. And we have people who want to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to it. prgtoken We have an opportunity in this national security supplemental bill that will be on the floor perhaps as early as next week. It will deal with issues like Ukraine, issues like Israel--what is happening there-- and the Indo-Pacific, where we have national security interests at stake. We have to deal with the national security crisis at our southern border. prgtoken This is insanity. I don't understand it. I don't understand the administration. I don't understand some of my colleagues here in the Senate who feel like this isn't something that we need to be dealing with or addressing. This is a national security crisis on a daily basis--over 9,000 the last 3 days in a row--and, again, some of which we know, because they are catching them, are people on the Terrorist Watchlist. prgtoken In what universe does what is being done at our southern border make sense to anybody, to any rational person? prgtoken It doesn't make sense to the mayor of New York City or the mayor of Chicago, where, as migrants arrive there, they are having to divert resources to address that. The mayor of New York City said he was going
Remembering Henry A. Kissinger (Executive Session)
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2023-11-30

the past hundred years have seen few, if any, strategic thinkers shape world events as profoundly as Henry Kissinger. Few academics have had such deep experience in the practice of foreign policy. Few political appointees have had such bureaucratic savvy. Few senior government officials have carried such intellectual heft. prgtoken Who else could claim to have advised more than one-fourth of all U.S. Presidents, to have taken a seat across from every Chinese head of state since Chairman Mao? prgtoken Yesterday marked the end of the extraordinary Kissinger century. prgtoken If you consider just the early chapters of this remarkable life, you might expect Henry Kissinger to be the quintessential idealist. But by the age of 30, he had escaped Nazi brutality for America, returned home a decorated veteran of the campaign to defeat Hitler, and launched a successful career as an Ivy League academic. prgtoken Of course, instead of an idealist, this made-for-Hollywood origin story produced one of the world's staunchest realists. The Kissinger calculus was grounded in pragmatic assessments of national interest, the use of military force, and diplomatic compromise; and, by extension, so were decades of American foreign policy. prgtoken Several years ago, one particularly apt assessment of Henry Kissinger's legacy pointed out that he didn't believe ``the arc of history makes house calls.'' In other words, if the free world waits passively for its noble convictions to be vindicated, we will be waiting quite a while. prgtoken Instead, Henry Kissinger knew that the organizing principle for American strategy must be American interests, and he left no room for wondering what this approach looked like in practice. His careful negotiations ushered in a period of detente with America's greatest 20th century rival, and his bold diplomacy opened the door to a relationship with China that rebalanced Cold War dynamics in America's favor. prgtoken Of course, the enduring relevance of Dr. Kissinger's work is due in no small part to his prolific participation in public discourse on foreign policy and grand strategy, up until the very end. The author of 21 books confounded scholars half his age with the pace and the volume of his brilliant scholarship on topics ranging from the history of diplomacy to artificial intelligence. prgtoken In perhaps the truest expression of both his intellectual horsepower and understanding of power, he remains the only American statesman to have served as Secretary of State and National Security Advisor at the very same time. prgtoken Today, the world Henry Kissinger leaves behind bears his indelible mark. The Nation he served--the global superpower he helped create-- owes him our gratitude. prgtoken Elaine and I, along with so many of Dr. Kissinger's friends in the Senate, send our condolences to his wife Nancy, his children David and Elizabeth, and to the entire Kissinger family as they mourn a g
Border Security (Executive Session)
Marsha Blackburn (Republican, TN) \u2014 2023-11-30

the United States has a long history of standing for freedom and self-determination. prgtoken From the 1940s through the 2010s, under President , our Nation has stood with Israel, in defense of Israel. We were there in 1948 when Israel became a country. We stood with them through the Six-Day War and the Yom Kippur War, the Camp David peace talks, negotiations with the PLO, two intifadas, and multiple attempts to implement a two-state solution. prgtoken Under President Reagan, we fought the spread of communism across multiple continents because we understand that the unchecked spread of Marxist influence will threaten our very survival. This wasn't just ideological saber rattling. The Soviets had a staggering number of nuclear warheads at their disposal. It was important to eliminate as many of those as we could. Reagan was remarkably clear-eyed about this. prgtoken Again, it wasn't a question of politics. It was a matter of recognizing the danger and then finding a way to neutralize that danger. We accepted that it was our duty to protect global security because no one else had the power or the resolve to do that. prgtoken And since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, the United States has been a leading provider of aid to the Ukrainians because Vladimir Putin has the same propensity toward violence and conquest that motivated his predecessors. prgtoken This is also why we have fought so hard to provide our partners in Taiwan with the weapons and funding they need to defend themselves against communist Chinese aggression. prgtoken Over the past 3 years, our reputation--our Nation's reputation--as a champion of freedom has become tarnished by 's foreign policy and his policy of appeasement. Nothing has been more damaging than his refusal to protect our sovereignty here at home. A strong border is the most basic element of our national defense. It is what guarantees our right to exist as a country, and has abandoned it entirely. prgtoken When he took office and declared law and order obsolete, he didn't just invite millions of migrants across our border; he invited the new axis of evil--Russia, China, Iran, North Korea--to declare open season on their neighbors. China became more aggressive toward Taiwan. Putin invaded Ukraine. And Hamas violated a ceasefire and slaughtered Israelis in their beds. prgtoken The administration's response has only made things worse. They exploited the plight of the Ukrainians as prgtoken a distraction from their own terrible policies. They have all but ignored China's human rights violations. And, to date, they put more pressure on Israel than on Hamas to lay down arms. prgtoken 's attempts to curry favor with the new axis of evil won't keep us safe because these nations aren't here to make friends. Their goal--the goal of that axis of evil--is to exploit our weaknesses until it becomes impossible for us to fight back. prgtoken This is a ba
NO FUNDS FOR IRANIAN TERRORISM ACT
Andrew S. Clyde (Republican, GA) \u2014 2023-11-30

. Mr. Chair, I rise today to oppose Representative Jackson's amendment to add a 5-year sunset period. We cannot risk funds going to terrorism ever, certainly not now and certainly not in 5 years. prgtoken Additionally, the only thing standing in the way of $14.3 billion going to support Israel's eradication of Hamas is and Chuck Schumer. The House has done its job. The Senate and the President have so far done nothing but be a roadblock. Yes, we are witnessing a - Schumer roadblock, a B-S roadblock, and it is totally unacceptable. It is a dangerous state of affairs, and and Schumer are the problem. prgtoken How can we support our closest ally in the Middle East when the President and the Senate stand in the way? prgtoken The House has done its job. It is now time for the President and Mr. Schumer to clear their B-S roadblock.
RECOGNIZING PHIL FARCO'S 45 YEARS OF LEADERSHIP IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
Beth Van Duyne (Republican, TX) \u2014 2023-11-30

I rise today to recognize Phil Farco for his 45 years of leadership in the construction industry. Mr. Farco's company, Mason-Dallas, provides a variety of services by selling market-leading brands of acoustic and vibration isolation components and through custom fabricating solutions for unique installations. prgtoken Mason-Dallas was founded on October 23. 1978, initially a small family business that was founded as a single-source manufacturer's representative dedicated exclusively to providing sound and vibration isolation that prevented large HVAC units and related equipment from disrupting the offices and tenants on the floors below. Phil Farco took his business beyond just a manufacturer's representative, entering the custom manufacturing sector by fabricating unique solutions for specific acoustic and vibration projects. Mr. Farco's vision and hard work led Mason-Dallas to grow beyond its original scope, earning the company a reputation as an industry leader for innovative manufactured solutions. prgtoken Thanks to Mr. Farco's leadership. Mason-Dallas is a trailblazer in the industry, providing state-of-the-art solutions for a wide variety of venues. Among its portfolio of premier facilities are iconic landmarks such as the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, renowned as the home of the Dallas Cowboys, and the corporate offices of American Airlines. The Charles Schwab DFW Corporate Campus in Westlake, DFW International Airport Terminals D and E, and the distinguished George H.W. Presidential Library at Texas A&M University also bear the imprint of Mason-Dallas's cutting-edge expertise. Furthermore, the Texas Rangers' Globe Life Field, the Toyota North American Headquarters in Plano, the TCU School of Music, the Texas A&M College of Dentistry, and the Winspear Opera House in Dallas all stand as a testament to the company's commitment to facilitating optimal functionality across diverse and prestigious venues. prgtoken It is an honor to join the many congratulating Phil Farco on his 45 years of leadership and innovation at the helm of Mason-Dallas.