mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 (Executive Session)
Maria Cantwell (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2024-5-1

my colleagues have already been out here today. It is a great day for aviation because we have a product before the U.S. Senate, and Members will be asked to vote to move forward on the consideration of this important aviation safety legislation. prgtoken As my colleagues have already said, this is a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on the FAA reauthorization. prgtoken It is important to reauthorize both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board for another 5 years. We are not only giving them direction and resources to improve safety, but we are asking them to keep up to date on the implementation of the latest technologies that help us do just that. prgtoken I want to thank my colleague Senator Cruz, who was just on the Senate floor, for helping negotiate this through the Senate Commerce Committee. prgtoken I want to thank Chairman Graves and Ranking Member Larsen from my State for their participation and dedication to producing this bicameral, bipartisan legislation. prgtoken I certainly want to thank Senators Duckworth and Moran, who chair the subcommittee in the aviation area, for their important contributions to this legislation. prgtoken I also want to thank President , Secretary Buttigieg, and Administrator Whitaker for helping us on all of the input as we move forward on this legislation. prgtoken I certainly want to thank Senators Schumer, Thune, Duckworth, and Sinema, who helped to negotiate key provisions of this as it relates to pilot safety and training. prgtoken I definitely, definitely, definitely, definitely want to thank the very hard work of our committee majority staff and the committee minority staff for working diligently on this important legislation. prgtoken I can't tell you how important it is at this point in time for us to show that we are paying attention to these issues. Over the last 12 months, several incidents--including a door plug blowout and a string of close calls at airports--have made the public question where we are with aviation safety. We need to show them that we are asking for, implementing, and holding accountable the FAA to a gold standard for safety. prgtoken These incidents underscore why we need a strong reauthorization bill, why we need to implement safety improvements, why we need to invest in a safety workforce at the FAA, and why we need strong consumer laws on the books that give consumers a right to a refund. The FAA reauthorization bill does all those things. It provides the direction. It provides the resources. It helps us build that aviation workforce. It helps us implement safety technologies that will be part of the next-gen system and improve aviation and airport infrastructure nationwide. prgtoken Some of my colleagues may think, well, FAA, OK--it is an aviation bill, but what is behind this? prgtoken Aviation contributes to 5 percent of our GDP. That is $1.9 trillion of economic activity and 11 mill
RECOGNIZING THE 100TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA FAMILY SERVICE
Gerald E. Connolly (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2024-5-1

I rise to recognize the 100th Year Anniversary of Northern Virginia Family Service. prgtoken Originally established in 1924 by volunteers in Alexandria, Virginia, Northern Virginia Family Service has been a staple in Northern Virginia communities to help people in need. Those first volunteers in 1924 in Alexandria noticed that poor children in their community had no coats, and their families had no coal to heat their homes. Northern Virginia Family Service addressed those basic and critical needs. prgtoken The needs of vulnerable individuals and families in our nation will likely continue to be part of the same challenges we face in our Northern Virginia region. Northern Virginia Family Service has built a steadfast legacy of support and service that they've provided through their mission--``to empower individuals and families to improve their quality of life, and to promote community cooperation and support in responding to family needs.'' With the continued commitment of partners and supporters, many enjoy the benefits that come with that promise. prgtoken This work continues today with major initiatives to address the issues of secure affordable housing in a challenging economy, provide access to necessary health care and medications for children and adults, offer job training that improves quality of life and provides adequate support for families, provide a safe, stimulating place for growing preschool children to learn and play. prgtoken More than 100 years later, Northern Virginia Family Service continues to address our local communities' needs with a wide range of programs designed to deal with the current problems of today. Northern Virginia Family Service partners with Northern Virginia Community College through the ``Training Futures'' program, to provide the only community-based workforce development program in the region that affords students the opportunity to earn college credits. prgtoken , Northern Virginia Family Service has grown to help more than 35,000 families and individuals every year. As needs emerge and change over time, Northern Virginia Family Service programs also adapt to respond to what is needed when it is required. I ask my colleagues to join me in commending their President and CEO, Stephanie Berkowitz, their Board of Directors, leadership team, members, and volunteers in the celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Northern Virginia Family Service.
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
Alex Padilla (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2024-5-1

I rise to introduce legislation to rename the visitor center at Joshua Tree National Park in honor of Senator Dianne Feinstein. prgtoken This legislation would redesignate the Cottonwood Visitor Center at Joshua Tree National Park to the ``Senator Dianne Feinstein Visitor Center.'' prgtoken Dianne Feinstein was a towering figure not just in modern California politics but in the history of our State and our Nation. Her contributions to our Nation, particularly in environmental conservation, are a reminder of the public power of public service. For Californians, so much of our lands have been preserved thanks to her singular drive and leadership, from the redwoods of the Headwaters and the San Francisco Bay, to Lake Tahoe and, most notably, the California desert. prgtoken Senator Feinstein was known as a great protector of the California desert, and some have lovingly referred to her as the ``Queen of the Desert''. Senator Feinstein was the driving force behind the establishment of Joshua Tree National Park, Death Valley National Park, the Mojave National Preserve, the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, the Mojave Trails National Monument, the Sand to Snow National Monument, and the Castle Mountains National Monument. In all, it is estimated that Senator Feinstein protected over 3 million acres of the California desert. prgtoken In 2019, on the 25th anniversary of the passage of Senator Feinstein's landmark California Desert Protection Act, Senator Feinstein wrote: ``When I think of the California desert, I think of magnificent landscapes and mountain vistas. I think of beautiful species like bighorn sheep, mule deer and desert tortoises. I think of unique vegetation like the beautiful wildflower blooms and iconic Joshua trees. And I think of the long history of local Native American tribes. The California desert is a true American treasure. Our efforts over the past 25 years have resulted in the largest areas of public lands protected in the lower 48 states--that is something truly to celebrate.'' prgtoken It is only fitting that we celebrate Senator Feinstein's memory by renaming the visitor center at Joshua Tree National Park in her honor. I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact this legislation as soon as possible.
FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 (Executive Session)
Tammy Duckworth (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2024-5-1

I come to the floor today in support of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. This has been a truly bipartisan, bicameral endeavor, and that is how it should be. It has taken longer than we had hoped, but the final product is worth it. prgtoken This bill will empower the FAA to aggressively address the aviation system safety crisis, make our aviation system more accessible for passengers with disabilities, provide historic investments that will enhance our Nation's capacity to recruit and train the next generation of aviation workers, and do so without lowering, weakening, or watering down the post-Colgan safety system, including pilot qualification standards. prgtoken There are many important provisions in this bill, but I want to highlight just a few today. First and foremost, this bill takes important steps to address critical safety challenges facing our aviation system. During the pandemic, retirements and buyouts drained critical experience from our aviation workforce, both in the Federal Agencies, like the FAA and the NTSB, as well as in the commercial aviation sector. prgtoken The post-COVID surge in demand for air travel put a huge strain on our system and stretched the remaining aviation workforce thin. Near misses and close calls became so frequent that the FAA was forced to convene a safety summit. prgtoken Despite this, the close calls keep happening over and over and over again. Just last week, a Swiss Air flight had to abort takeoff at JFK when four other planes were crossing the runway at the same time. The week before that, a Southwest jet crossed the runway at National Airport right as a JetBlue flight was starting its takeoff roll. prgtoken The need for Congress to act is urgent, and this bill takes important steps to address safety-critical challenges. prgtoken Importantly, our bill also preserves an important pillar of the post- Colgan safety system: the 1,500-hour rule for first officer flight training. As both a commercial and a private pilot, I know how critical real-world experience is in the cockpit. It can mean the difference between life and death. As demand for air travel continues to grow, we will continue to need more pilots. But putting safety first demands that Congress always reject industry efforts to lower pilot qualification standards, and that is why I worked so hard to make sure that our bill left the 1,500-hour rule intact. prgtoken Air traffic controllers and surface detection is a key component of the FAA reauthorization bill also. Our legislation will also give a much needed boost to our air traffic controller workforce. prgtoken Coming out of the pandemic, our air traffic facilities are understaffed and our controllers are overworked. Last year, only 3 of 313 air traffic facilities nationwide had enough controllers to meet staffing targets, while controllers are working 60 hours a week to keep up. prgtoken This is dangerous. These are highly stressful, safet
HONORING MATTIE L. WARREN
Bennie G. Thompson (Democrat, MS) \u2014 2024-5-1

I rise today to honor a remarkable trailblazer, Ms. Mattie L. Warren. Ms. Warren has shown what can be done through hard work, dedication, and a desire to achieve success. prgtoken Ms. Warren is a woman of great courage and determination. During National Library Week, the local library took the opportunity to honor several people who are special to the branch of the Sunflower County Library System. Among them was a special recognition for Ms. Warren, who has worked for the Library System for 50 years. prgtoken As good fortune would have it, Ms. Warren issued B.B. King his first library card. Currently, she works at the library as a cataloger, making sure everyone finds what they are looking for within the library. prgtoken People often ask her, ``When are you going to retire, and I say, don't worry about that--as long as I still have my mind and I can still do, I am going to thank the Lord and go ahead on.'' Staff members, family and friends all declared that when Ms. Warren speaks, they listen to everything she says. prgtoken , I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Ms. Mattie L. Warren for her passion and dedication to her community.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Alex Padilla (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2024-5-2

reserving the right to object, I believe that our democracy works best when as many eligible people as possible participate in our democracy. That is not a controversial stance or a partisan talking point. That is the bedrock of our democracy, and something that I assume we all learned in high school civics class. That is why, in March of 2021, President issued Executive Order 14019 directing Federal Agencies to take commonsense steps to promote nonpartisan voter registration and participation, including by partnering with State voter registration offices. prgtoken Voter registration offices, by the way, are recognized and charged by Federal law, right? We have the National Motor Voter law just as one example from 1994. I am very familiar with this because, prior to joining the Senate, I served as California's Secretary of State. So in that lens, from that perspective, I enthusiastically support the administration's efforts to ensure that all eligible Americans are able to participate in our elections. prgtoken In a democracy, nobody should be afraid of encouraging more eligible Americans to register to vote and to cast their ballot. Nobody should be afraid of increasing turnout--certainly not U.S. Senators. prgtoken But at the same time, I also strongly support Congress's oversight role. That is why I have already engaged in conversations with the administration on the steps that they are taking to implement the Executive order and help more eligible Americans to vote, because that is what this straightforward Executive order does. It simply directs Federal Agencies to take appropriate steps, mindful of the law, within their existing authorities--not asking to do anything they haven't done before--to help eligible Americans to vote. Nowhere in the order does it say help or help s--any eligible American. prgtoken So if my colleague is interested in joining me to receive these updates from the administration on their implementation, I would be more than happy to facilitate such a meeting and conversation. prgtoken But this bill, the bill before us now, is simply the latest attempt to undermine the administration's efforts to expand voting to all eligible Americans. Earlier this year, I voted alongside my ic colleagues against efforts that would have blocked funding to implement this Executive order, and I will continue to work with my colleagues to protect the right to vote and efforts to promote voter access. prgtoken And, again, I am more than happy to work with my colleague, any of my colleagues, to have productive conversations with the administration, but this bill? This bill will only serve to undermine the work being done to promote voter registration and participation; so, therefore, , I object.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2024-5-2

as you well know, the Senate has confirmed 194 of President 's judicial nominees to lifetime appointments. Each of these nominees has been questioned about their qualifications and credentials. And as the Senate provided advice and consent on their nominations, they move forward. prgtoken But Adeel Mangi, nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit has faced unprecedented and fundamentally unfair personal attacks. Senate s and dark money groups have made bigoted and false claims about Mr. Mangi, the first Muslim American nominated to the Federal Appellate Court. prgtoken Rather than focusing on Mr. Mangi's qualifications or credentials during the hearing that he was subjected to in December, s subjected him to irrelevant, combative lines of questioning about the Israel-Hamas war. They even asked--they even asked--whether he celebrated the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Can you imagine? With no basis in his life experience, the fact that he was Muslim gave them license to ask whether or not, in his home, they celebrated September 11. prgtoken Throughout his confirmation process, Mr. Mangi has unequivocally condemned anti-Semitism and acts of terrorism. Senators have tried to scapegoat Mr. Mangi for statements made by other people and for events he didn't even attend and wasn't even aware of. That is simply guilt by association, and it is wrong. prgtoken Any claim that Mr. Mangi is anti-Semitic is simply false. Yet just this week, the leader falsely claimed that Mr. Mangi's confirmation would lead to ``radicalism on the Federal bench.'' The fact that this man will be the first Muslim American allows these wild accusations to take place, and it is unfair. prgtoken To claim that Mr. Mangi is ``radical'' ignores his record. For more than two prgtoken decades, he has focused on commercial litigation at a top-tier law firm. He has served as counsel of record in more than 30 matters before Federal appellate courts, as well as eight amicus briefs submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court. In addition, Mr. Mangi has devoted more than 4,000 hours to his pro bono practice, representing clients in religious discrimination and employment discrimination cases. prgtoken Mr. Mangi deserves to be evaluated based on his record, not on bad- faith falsehoods and innuendo. I urge my colleagues to dismiss the smear campaign against him and support his nomination. Dream Act prgtoken , on another matter, I would like to discuss an issue that has been personal to me and a priority for more than 20 years, the young immigrants known as the Dreamers. It was a little over 20 years ago that I introduced the first DREAM Act. Before that, people discussed the Dreamers in terms of a rock-and-roll group from Great Britain. Now the Dreamers are known as young people who were brought to the United States as children, with no
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Robert P. Casey, Jr. (Democrat, PA) \u2014 2024-5-2

I rise today to speak against anti-Semitism and to speak about efforts we are undertaking here in the Senate to combat anti-Semitism. prgtoken We see it throughout our society, including on college campuses, and my friend from South Carolina, Senator Scott, and I have worked on legislation not just this year but for many years on this issue. prgtoken We introduced together the Antisemitism Awareness Act and have been trying to get that passed into law. prgtoken The significant rise in anti-Semitism across the country on college campuses has made me--and I know so many other Members of the House and the Senate in both parties--increasingly concerned regarding the safety of Jewish students on campus. prgtoken Students, of course, have the right to peacefully protest, but when it crosses a line, either into violence or discrimination, then we have an obligation to step in and stop that conduct. prgtoken I stood on this floor in late 2022 to speak about this subject, anti- Semitism in America, and the exponential rise we were seeing in the years leading up to that point in time to 2022. I spoke, in particular, about the hateful anti-Semitism that led to the murder of 11 Pittsburghers at the Tree of Life synagogue. prgtoken At that time, we were calculating the numbers as being much higher for 2020, 2021, and going into 2022. prgtoken But after October 7, when a band of terrorists, Hamas, went into Israel and killed 1,200 innocent civilians, since that date, the rise in anti-Semitism across the country and across the world has increased even beyond what we thought were exponentially high numbers in 2022. prgtoken The Anti-Defamation League has tracked the highest number of anti- Semitic incidents ever in the United States in 2023. These numbers have undoubtedly continued to rise with the ongoing campus protest. prgtoken There were over 8,800 instances, including 2,177 cases of vandalism and 161 assaults. We cannot tolerate any form of anti-Semitism, abroad or here at home in America, on college campuses, in the workplace, at our schools. Wherever we find it, we have to take action against it. prgtoken To address the 140-percent increase--just imagine that, a 140-percent increase in anti-Semitic incidents, compared to last year--I have introduced several bills aiming to strengthen civil rights enforcement against anti-Semitism. The Antisemitism Awareness Act that I made reference to earlier working with Senator Scott and a group of bipartisan Senators would mandate that the Department of Education considers a widely accepted definition of ``anti-Semitism'' in carrying out its enforcement actions. prgtoken The Department of Education has an Office of Civil Rights. That office is empowered to conduct these investigations, and we have to provide more funding, by the way, for that office to do these investigations. prgtoken They are badly, badly underfunded right now. But Senator Scott and I have worked together on
RECOGNIZING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF OCEAN CHAPTER OF THE NATIONAL DRIFTERS, INC.
Frank Pallone, Jr. (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2024-5-2

it is my honor to join its officers and members in celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Ocean Chapter of The National Drifters, Inc. prgtoken Founded by Marilyn Joyce, the Ocean Chapter of the National Drifters, Inc. was sponsored by the Montclair Chapter and chartered in 1974. As one of 37 chapters of The National Drifters, Inc Ocean Drifters is committed to fulfilling The National Drifters mission of fostering female fellowship and leadership and supporting local communities. Through outreach efforts such as voter education and registration, donations of culturally diverse books to school libraries, and scholarships for high school seniors, Ocean Drifters continues to contribute to communities across Monmouth and Ocean Counties. prgtoken Additionally, many of its members have served in leadership positions on the national level, incIuding President, Vice President, Public Relations Chairperson, and Convention Chair. Ocean Drifters members Sylvia Thomas, Helen Scott, Shirley Williams, and Yvonne Russell-Mann have been honored with the Now Black Woman Award, the highest honor bestowed by the organization. prgtoken It its 50th year, the Ocean Chapter of the National Drifters, Inc. consists of 17 members: Marjorie Clark, Mary Inge, Channie Hewitt Johnson, Beverly Cotton, Aleathea ``Pepper'' Riley, Victoria Anderson, Cassandra Keyes, Evelene Anderson, Tanya Russell-Brown, Maris Henson, Courteney Wilds, Nicole Dookie, Yvonne Hunley Jones, Lisa Barksdale, Simone Edmond, Monique Gamboa, and Felicia Bourke. prgtoken , for 50 years, the Ocean Chapter of The National Drifters, Inc. has upheld its endeavor to provide opportunities for women to engage in community service and improve the lives of others. It is my privilege to congratulate the club on this milestone and wish them another 50 years of success.
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR (Executive Session)
Brian Schatz (Democrat, HI) \u2014 2024-5-2

I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations en bloc: Calendar Nos. 423, 207, 271, 484, 519, 485, 577, 580, 583, 584, 586, 587, 588, 589, 591, 592; that the Senate vote on the nominations en bloc without intervening action or debate; that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action and the Senate resume legislative session.