mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
CELEBRATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARC OF LOUDOUN
Barbara Comstock (Republican, VA) \u2014 2018-4-24

I rise today to congratulate the Arc of Loudoun, on its 50th anniversary of making immeasurable contributions throughout Virginia's 10th Congressional District. prgtoken Since its creation in 1967, this foundation has advanced Rachel Paxton's dream to use her historic Leesburg property to support the ``needy children'' of Loudoun County, delivering care and services for people from infancy to adulthood, with differing abilities. The Arc of Loudoun has reshaped the quality of life for citizens, enabling thousands of people to live with greater independence and dignity by implementing one vision, to help members to live ``a life like yours.'' prgtoken The Arc of Loudoun serves 3,125 people, with over 4,000 instances of services through their five programs on Paxton Campus. They provide an integrated and innovative environment in their services, all devoted to their mission to maximizing the potential of children prgtoken while supporting families and individuals with disabilities so that they may thrive in Loudoun. prgtoken These programs include the Aurora School. Founded in 2003, the School is a private day school for students with special needs and behavior challenges. Founded in 2010, the Open Door Learning Center is an inclusive preschool for children with and without disabilities. The Center provides daily care with onsite behavioral and music therapy provisions for young children, many with developmental disabilities. prgtoken The ALLY ``A Life Like Yours'' Advocacy Center vvas founded in 2011 and serves as a community resource for information, advocacy and support for children with special needs, their families, caregivers, and the professionals who work with them. Founded in September 2017, the Ability Fitness Center is a therapeutic fitness and wellness center for individuals with neurological disorders including stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, and cerebral palsy, and developmental disabilities. This past January, the Arc of Loudoun launched the Advantage Behavior Clinic. The clinic provides individualized behavior and verbal therapy, speech therapy, and social skills development for children with autism and other related disabilities. prgtoken I am thankful for the leadership of the Arc of Loudoun management team: Melissa Heifetz, Denise Daffron, YaTonya Abdullah, Eileen Shaffer, Megan Allman, Kendra McDonald, Amy Metaxa, Helen Parker, Matt Smith, Morgan Payne, and the entire staff, volunteers, and supporters. prgtoken , I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the Arc of Loudoun on its 50th anniversary. May the Arc of Loudoun continue to assist in the cultivation of a better life for many years to come.
Dark Money (Executive Session)
Rob Portman (Republican, OH) \u2014 2018-4-24

I come to the Senate this evening to talk about the nominees who will be up for a confirmation vote. prgtoken The first of those is Ric Grenell. Ric is being nominated to serve as our Ambassador to Germany during an important time, not just with the danger and volatility around the world but with our relationship with Germany. Ric is well qualified, and I think it is urgent that we get him confirmed. prgtoken Ric Grenell was actually nominated last fall. He was reported out of the Foreign Relations Committee with a positive vote on October 26, 2017. So for 6 months, he has been in limbo, even after getting reported out of committee. He has been blocked by just a couple of --I think maybe just one--and this body has not had a chance to vote on him. prgtoken That is why I was pleased to see today that the majority leader filed cloture, and that is why we will get a vote this week on Mr. Grenell. I assume that he will get supported by a majority of this body, but I hope it is not just a bare majority because I think he is very qualified for the position. prgtoken He is someone who has a lot of experience in diplomacy and international issues. In 2001, he was appointed by President to serve as Director of Communications and Public Diplomacy for the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations. In this role, he advised four of our Ambassadors--John Negroponte, John Danforth, John Bolton, and Ambassador Khalilzad--on the formulation and articulation of U.S. policy at the United Nations. He was also appointed by John Danforth to be the Alternative Representative of the United States to the U.N. Security Council with full voting rights and privileges. He served as spokesman there during a turbulent time, an important time. But he also did more than that. He was appointed to be a U.S. delegate to a variety of United Nations conferences over the years, including the Financing for Development Conference, the World Food Summit, the World Summit on Sustainable Development, the Iraq Donor Conference, the Preparatory Committee for the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty Review, the High-Level Meeting on Ending HIV/AIDS, and the Commission on Population and Development, among many others. prgtoken He has moderated a lot of United Nations panel discussions over the years on subjects ranging from Children and Armed Conflict to post-war construction issues, clean energy solutions that my colleague was talking about a moment ago. He is up to speed on the world's pressing issues, so he is very well qualified to be an Ambassador representing the United States. prgtoken He has also been an active speaker, speaking on topics around the country that relate to crisis communications, the United Nations, and international issues ranging from Sudan to North Korea and Middle Eastern issues. prgtoken He has been on a lot of TV programs. This is one reason he has generated some controversy on the ot
TRIBUTE TO NATALIE HELLMANN
Marco Rubio (Republican, FL) \u2014 2018-4-24

today I recognize Natalie Hellmann, a fall intern in my Orlando, FL, office, for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the people of the State of Florida. prgtoken Natalie is a student at the Rollins College, where she majors in business administration. She is a dedicated and diligent worker who has been devoted to getting the most out of her internship experience. prgtoken I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to her for all the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.
SUPPORTING EFFORTS TO BRING THE 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP COMPETITION TO CANADA, MEXICO, AND THE UNITED STATES
Darin LaHood (Republican, IL) \u2014 2018-4-24

I want to thank Chairman Royce for yielding. prgtoken , I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 111, recognizing and supporting the efforts of the United Bid Committee to bring the 2026 FIFA World Cup soccer competition to the United States, Canada, and Mexico. prgtoken This bipartisan resolution, introduced by the co-chairs of the Congressional Soccer Caucus--myself, Congresswoman Castor, Congressman Bacon, Congressman Kihuen--conveys our strong support for this united North American bid to host the 2026 World Cup as well as voicing our overall support for soccer at the global level. prgtoken When the U.S. last hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup competition, it served as a catalyst for the increased popularity and development of soccer across America and the introduction of Major League Soccer, which is thriving today. prgtoken Since the games in 1994, soccer has become one of the fastest growing sports in the United States, promoting a competitive and a healthy and active lifestyle, teamwork, and sportsmanship to over 24 million Americans of all ages in every State. This includes the 20 percent of American children under the age of 12 who currently play soccer. prgtoken As the father to three young soccer players and the Representative of a district which includes eight college soccer programs, I recognize the value that soccer has for families and communities. Additionally, in my home State of Illinois, we are proud to be the home of the U.S. Soccer Federation and the Chicago Fire, one of Major League Soccer's original soccer clubs. prgtoken By uniting players and fans from different nations under one banner of friendship and fair competition, it is our hope that hosting the 2026 competition would promote and further the positive impact of soccer here and abroad. prgtoken As the consideration of the 2026 location by FIFA continues, support from Congress will help demonstrate that our government is equally enthusiastic for North America's three largest nations to host one of the world's preeminent sporting events, which is soccer. prgtoken , I want to thank my colleagues who have supported this effort, including Chairman Royce, who has been a strong advocate for this resolution, and also my colleagues on the U.S. Congressional Soccer Caucus. prgtoken , I urge passage of H. Con. Res. 111.
RULES OF THE JOINT SELECT COMMITTEE ON BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS PROCESS REFORM
Steve Womack (Republican, AR) \u2014 2018-4-24

on behalf of myself and Mrs. Lowey, co- chairs of the Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Process Reform, I include in the Record the rules of the Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Process Reform. These rules were adopted during the Joint Committee's organizational meeting on April 17, 2018. Rule I--In General 1. The provisions of subtitle B of title IV, division C of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-123) governing the proceedings of the Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Process Reform (hereinafter ``Joint Committee'') are hereby incorporated by reference and nothing herein shall be construed as superseding any provision of that Act. 2. The rules of the House of Representatives--to the extent that they are applicable to committees and do not conflict with the rules of the Joint Committee or subtitle B of title IV, division C of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018--shall govern the proceedings of the Joint Committee. 3. If a measure or matter is publicly available in electronic form, it shall be considered to have been available to members of the Joint Committee for purposes of these rules. 4. In each case where authority is granted to the Co-Chairs of the Joint Committee, such authority may only be exercised jointly by the Co-Chairs. Rule II--Meetings and Hearings Meetings 1. (a) The Co-Chairs shall provide an agenda to the Joint Committee members not less than 48 hours in advance of any meeting. (b) The text of any report and proposed legislative language shall be publicly available in electronic form at least 24 hours prior to its consideration. Hearings 3. The Co-Chairs shall make a public announcement of the date, place, time, and subject matter of any hearing to be conducted not less than seven days in advance of such hearing, unless the Co-Chairs determine that there is good cause to begin such hearing at an earlier date. Witnesses' Statements 4. (a) A witness appearing before the Joint Committee shall file a written statement of proposed testimony at least two calendar days before the appearance of the witness, unless this requirement is waived by the Co-Chairs, following their determination that there is good cause for failure to comply with such requirement. (b) Any witness appearing in a nongovernmental capacity shall include with their written statement of testimony a curriculum vitae and a disclosure of any Federal grants or contracts, or contracts or payments originating with a foreign government, received during the current calendar year or either of the two
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR--Continued
John Kennedy (Republican, LA) \u2014 2018-4-24

. Thank you. prgtoken , in a few minutes, we are going to vote on the nomination of Mr. Kyle Duncan for a position on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. prgtoken Mr. Duncan was nominated by President . He has been vetted-- examined, if you will--extensively by the White House. He has been vetted--examined, if you will--extensively the Department of Justice. He has been vetted by the FBI. He has been vetted by the American Bar Association, and he has been vetted by the Senate's Judiciary Committee. All of those entities have found that he is qualified-- indeed, more than qualified--to sit on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. prgtoken If you look at his resume and his experience, you will understand why. Mr. Duncan clerked for the Honorable John Duhe on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. As you know, Federal clerkships are highly coveted, but judges generally pick the top students and the top members of their class. Mr. Duncan was picked. prgtoken He has an LL.M. from the Columbia University School of Law, one of the finest law schools in the world. Mr. Duncan is an honors graduate of LSU Law School and an honors graduate with a B.A. degree from Louisiana State University as well. prgtoken He has argued over 30 cases in Federal and State appellate courts. Some lawyers never argue a single one. He has briefed, prepared, and argued some 30 cases. prgtoken He served in the office of the attorney general in the State of Louisiana as appellate chief. He has represented my State in many high- profile cases, and he also has experience as an assistant solicitor general in the attorney general's office in Texas. prgtoken Those who know Kyle and who have participated in the vetting process know that he is articulate, a careful thinker, and has a deep understanding of the importance of the separation of powers, and for that reason, he has been supported by a bipartisan group of both current and former lawyers. prgtoken I do not recognize the Kyle Duncan being described by some of my colleagues. I say this with all due respect. I think some of my colleagues, in criticizing Mr. Duncan, are confusing the role of the lawyer and the client. prgtoken I used to practice law. When a client came to me and said ``Kennedy, I need you to represent me,'' I did what they asked in that particular lawsuit. If his position was lawful, I would say: OK, tell me what your problem is and what your arguments are, and I will look at it from my standpoint and maybe supply some additional arguments under the law. But when my client described to me his problem and his analysis of it, I can't remember a single time when I said: Oh, jeez, I don't agree with you. I don't like your politics. I just don't agree with your position. I could have, but that was not my role as a lawyer. So long as what my client was proposing was legal, my role as their lawyer was that they were entitled to legal represent
Senate Rules on Nominations (Executive Session)
James Lankford (Republican, OK) \u2014 2018-4-24

earlier today, the minority leader came to the floor to talk about multiple issues. During that conversation, he called me out by name regarding a rules proposal that I have in front of the Rules Committee this week. He said that he vehemently disagrees with that rules proposal. He even mentioned that he knows that I came here in 2014 and that I should study the history of the Senate a little bit more before I bring up a rules proposal. Well, I would only tell my colleague that I have studied the history, and I would like to get a little bit of context around those comments. prgtoken The rules proposal that the minority leader is opposing is the exact same rules proposal that he actually voted for in 2013 when he was on the Rules Committee and then voted for again when it came to the floor of the Senate. This is not some radical proposal. prgtoken In 2013, found intolerable what was happening with the nomination process, so at the beginning of 2013, they worked with s and said: We need to be able to put a structure in place to get nominations through because a President should be able to have his staff put in place, and there shouldn't be an arbitrary slowdown of that process. prgtoken s came on board, even during a very contentious time, because s did not agree with the policies of President . Yet they agreed. prgtoken With a vote of 78 total votes, 78 votes on the floor of the Senate, a rule change was made that was proposed by Senator Reid, supported by Senator Schumer, and supported by Senator McConnell, to say that this is a rule change that will go into place. It was a very simple rule. The rule was just for nominees. prgtoken When nominees come to the floor, the minority can always ask for additional time to debate. Most of the time in the past, they have not, but they could. The time allotted for that purpose is 30 additional hours for debate. The assumption is that it is a controversial nominee when 30 additional hours of debate is required. prgtoken The time was lowered in this 2013 rule so that for district court nominees, just 2 hours of debate on the floor is needed because, quite frankly, district court nominees had never been held up on a cloture vote, so 2 hours of extra time. The nominees have already been through the committee process. They have already been approved. Now prgtoken they are coming to the floor, and if there is a request for additional time, they would get an additional 2 hours on the floor. For any other nominee, they would get 8 hours of additional time, if they even asked for more time. Supreme Court, circuit court, and Cabinet-level nominees would remain at 30 hours. prgtoken That was the agreement that was made and that we functioned under in 2013 and in 2014. Fast-forward to today. A historic new precedent has been set for any President coming in. It was absolutely not done by s in the past, and it was abs
SUPPORTING EFFORTS TO BRING THE 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP COMPETITION TO CANADA, MEXICO, AND THE UNITED STATES
Edward R. Royce (Republican, CA) \u2014 2018-4-24

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , I want to thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood). prgtoken I thank him for introducing a resolution which expresses the broad bipartisan agreement that the United States supports the United Bid Committee's effort to jointly host the 2026 FIFA World Cup competition. prgtoken Soccer is one of the most popular sports in the world, and the World Cup is its most important competition. Hosting the tournament would be a win for the United States and for our neighbors in Canada and Mexico as well. prgtoken The United States has not hosted a FIFA World Cup since 1994, but 24 years later, we still hold the all-time attendance record. Over 3\1/2\ million people attended those matches. I remember. I was there in the stands for the games in L.A. The economic revenue generated by the 1994 tournament generated more than double what was expected. prgtoken The 2026 tournament is expected to break revenue and attendance records. FIFA has already announced that it will be the first time in tournament history that 48 teams, instead of 32, are going to compete in the World Cup. The addition of more teams will mean more economic opportunities for American cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco to host and entertain visitors from around the country and around the world. prgtoken The FIFA World Cup, much like the Olympics, has a long tradition of bringing countries together in a competitive but peaceful environment. prgtoken , .
WELCOMING FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON
Joe Wilson (Republican, SC) \u2014 2018-4-24

I want to thank the gentleman for his citation about UPS. I have had the same honor to put on the brown uniform to deliver packages. I found out something: the UPS employees--also FedEx, DHL, and others--are remarkable people delivering American-made products to the American people. What wonderful companies these are, and what wonderful employees they are. prgtoken Now I would like to go over some of the specific positive changes to our Tax Code that occurred under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. prgtoken An average middle class family in South Carolina will save $2,311 thanks to the tax cuts. prgtoken The child tax credit was doubled. I want to give a lot of credit because the reason it was doubled was the great work of our U.S. Senator Tim Scott, working with Ivanka Kushner. This was their effort to work to make this child friendly, family friendly, looking out particularly for persons who are single-parent households. The child tax credit was doubled, from $1,000 to $2,000, making it easier for single mothers and new families to provide for their children. prgtoken The bill also removed the mandate that required you to buy healthcare or pay a penalty. So now people aren't penalized by the government for not being able to afford healthcare and health insurance. prgtoken The standard deduction doubled to $24,000 for married couples filing jointly. This makes it simpler for couples to file their taxes because they will use the standard deduction and won't have to itemize their return. prgtoken Corporations that employ people create jobs. Their tax cuts dropped from 35 percent to 21 percent. Time and time again, I have heard from businessowners who plan to use their extra income to reinvest in the company, create jobs, provide bonuses, and raise wages. When taxes are low, businesses thrive and jobs are created in the Reagan tradition. prgtoken I am grateful for the leadership of Paul Ryan, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Brady, and I appreciate the opportunity of working with them, in addition to President , for delivering meaningful tax relief to the American people. They deserve it. prgtoken Local success of the law was first heralded in the Second Congressional District of South Carolina, the central part of South Carolina, by Lou and Bill Kennedy of Nephron Pharmaceuticals in Cayce, announcing 125 new jobs and a 5 percent pay increase. They said that they made this decision as a direct result of the tax bill. prgtoken In fact, I am really grateful that Lou put together a barbecue where I was present with Governor Henry McMaster and Attorney General Alan Wilson. She made the announcement right there at the barbecue to the extraordinary employees of Nephron Pharmaceuticals. They may have been the first; they were certainly not the last. I was so grateful. prgtoken I was going through Walgreen's to pick up some pictures that I was having developed and I ran into Bill Mooneyhan. Bill is th