mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM
Kevin McCarthy (Republican, CA) \u2014 2017-12-7

I will miss the colloquy tomorrow. I always look forward to speaking with my friend. prgtoken , as the gentleman knows, the Rules Committee has met, so we will see a Financial Services bill that they met on. Members will also get a list of all the suspensions. That will be by close of business tomorrow. prgtoken But the gentleman is right. There is a lot of work to be done. We have passed CHIP going forward. As the gentleman knows, in this bill that we just voted on, for those who voted yes, it continues funding for them for the rest of this year. prgtoken , as the gentleman knows, this House has passed all 12 appropriations bills, but we have more work to get done. prgtoken Knowing my friend is concerned, coming from the Appropriations Committee as well, I would hope you join with us. We would like to see the Senate take some actions. I know leadership from both sides of the aisle has just visited with the President. I hope we can come to an agreement so we can finish this out. prgtoken I also hope the gentleman would join with me in encouraging the Senate, not just on the appropriations bills, but the 352 bills that we have out of this House sitting over there. prgtoken , the part that the American people must know, most of those bills have very broad bipartisan support. prgtoken I am looking forward to a busy 9 days. It will not come up next week, but if it could, I would bring it up as soon as we come out of conference because I do believe the American people are waiting for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to continue what we have gone through. prgtoken , .
TAX REFORM BILL
James Lankford (Republican, OK) \u2014 2017-12-7

we are in the middle of a very protracted conversation about tax reform. This conversation started in January. I have heard people say that it has been rushed through at the end. We started in January, and we are starting month 12 of this process: hearings in the House; hearings in the Senate; different drafts coming out, shot down, starting over again, and coming back and forth. Now we are starting our 12th month of going through this process. prgtoken As we get close to the end, I want to outline a few things we are actually working on to be able to send back to this body and the American people--what is actually happening here. The focus of this from the beginning--from the very start--was two simple things: How can we reduce the rates for individuals so they can keep more of their own money and spend their own money, which stimulates the economy? The second aspect was this: How can we simplify the system? There is a lot of back and forth on the final details of it, but those two things are very clear. prgtoken This dramatically simplifies the tax structure that we have, and it reduces rates for people, so that people have more of their own money to be able to spend, and businesses have more of their own money to be able to invest in their businesses, to be able to pay their workers more, to be able to buy more equipment, and to be able to expand their businesses. That helps everybody in the economy. Whether you save your money or whether you spend your money, you are able to keep your own money. prgtoken So here is what this means for hard-working Americans and, in particular, in my State, for hardworking Oklahomans. Every bracket gets a tax deduction. In fact, as the Tax Foundation studied the Senate plan, going State by State, it looked at the middle-income family in Oklahoma, and the Tax Foundation stated that the middle-income family will have an increase in its take-home pay of $2,200 over the next year. People will see it in their own paycheck from what is not being withheld anymore, because they are able to keep more of their own money. prgtoken The Senate plan doubles the standard deduction. For a single working adult, the first $12,000 of their money is not taxed at all. For a married couple, $24,000 of their income is not taxed at all. We also double the Child Tax Credit to $2,000, directly, to be able to protect the people who need the help the most. prgtoken What does that look like for us? prgtoken Take an Oklahoma family of four. That typical family of four in my State, with all incomes put together and with two working parents, makes about $73,000, combining all of their incomes together. That family of four, with $73,000 of total income for the family, will see a cut in their tax bill of $2,200 next year. Typically, they pay about $3,600 in Federal taxes. Next year, they pay $1,500 in Federal taxes. It is a pretty dramatic shift for them. prgtoken Let's take a teacher in Okl
FURTHER CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2018
Michael K. Simpson (Republican, ID) \u2014 2017-12-7

first, I would like to acknowledge the chairman of the Appropriations Committee (Mr. Frelinghuysen). Under his leadership, the committee reported and the whole House considered and passed all 12 appropriation bills for fiscal year 2018. This year is the first time since 2010 that the House passed all 12 appropriations bills. prgtoken I would hope my colleagues on the other side of the aisle would listen for just a minute. prgtoken In 2010, the controlled both the House, the Senate, and the White House. prgtoken Guess what. They passed all of the appropriations bills on time. prgtoken But you know what they also did? prgtoken They passed a CR until December 19. When they hadn't completed their work yet, even though they had passed all 12 appropriations bills in the House, they passed another CR until December 22. When they hadn't completed their work, guess what. They passed another CR until January. prgtoken Then, when we took the majority, we ended up finishing the appropriations process. So their outrage now is a little bit misplaced. prgtoken Now we need to finish the final details with our colleagues in the Senate, and we must do this to ensure that the government stays open. prgtoken Continuing resolutions at this time or of any length are not anyone's ideal solution to funding our government. Ideally, all 12 appropriations bills would be enacted by October 1. That process provides the Congress with its best opportunity to set priorities across government programs, and it provides the most stability for agencies to carry out these programs in an efficient and effective manner. prgtoken But when we need more time to complete those negotiations, supporting a CR to keep our government functioning is the only responsible vote for national security, for our economy, and for the general welfare of the American people. prgtoken As chairman of the Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, I am very familiar with the positive impacts the Federal Government has in each of these areas. Whether it is the Department of Energy maintaining our nuclear weapons stockpile, the Corps of Engineers dredging our ports and waterways so that goods and materials can move freely, or the Bureau of Reclamation providing tens of millions of people with water, we must avoid disruptions to these vital activities by passing this continuing resolution before us today. prgtoken Will we get all our work done by December 22? prgtoken I don't know. prgtoken But one thing I can guarantee is that we will not get it done by tomorrow, and a vote against this resolution is a vote to shut down the government. So if my colleagues on the other side of the aisle want to shut down the government, all they have to do is vote ``no.'' prgtoken , I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''
TAX REFORM BILL
David Perdue (Republican, GA) \u2014 2017-12-7

last week the Senate finally broke through the gridlock and voted to change our archaic Tax Code once and for all. It only took 31 years to get here. prgtoken As to regulatory relief, so far this year this body and this administration have removed 860 regulations and rules, from the rule book here in Washington, that had been sucking the very life out of our free enterprise system over the last 8 years or so. But along with regulatory relief and unleashing our energy potential, this is the single most important thing we can do to unleash our economic growth and bring relief to American workers. These changes to the Tax Code are a win for American families, American workers, and American businesses. prgtoken Let me give just a couple of examples. A family of four that makes a median income today of $73,000 a year will see their tax bill go down by $2,200 a month. That is a 60-percent reduction in their Federal income taxes. A single payer, a single mom with one child, making the median income, will get a 75-percent tax cut. The standard deduction is doubled. The child care credit is doubled to $2,000. The individual mandate that was unleashed on the American people by Care is eliminated. prgtoken By the way, just in 2014 alone--that is the latest year we have any official record from the IRS--this insidious mandate fined 8 million Americans $2 billion. The irony of that is that almost half of those people make less than $25,000 a year. prgtoken In addition to those changes, the one I love and the one my mother and father will love--they were public school teachers--is that the teacher expense deduction has been doubled under this bill. In addition, 6 million taxpayers have been removed from the Federal income tax roll. That is just the half of it. prgtoken Businesses see their corporate tax rate go from 35 percent to 20 percent, allowing them to create jobs here in America and expand production and compete with the rest of the world. Due to our archaic repatriation tax, we are the last country in the world to have a double tax on profits made by U.S. companies around the world. That is $2.6 trillion, by some estimates, that we hope will be reinvested here in the United States. prgtoken According to outside analysts, this bill creates 1 million new jobs, and the average compensation of the average family in America should go up by $4,000--some estimate as high as $9,000 per year. prgtoken The GDP only has to go from 1.9 percent to 2.1 percent to more than pay for all of this. That is not my estimate. That is the estimate of the Joint Committee on Tax. If you don't believe them, then, the Congressional Budget Office, with which we have all kinds of problems, say that we only have to grow the economy 0.4 percent. So anywhere from 1.9 to 2.3 percent growth would more than pay for this investment in the American worker. I would argue, because of the last two quarters, that we are already seeing 3
FURTHER CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2018
Harold Rogers (Republican, KY) \u2014 2017-12-7

I thank the gentleman for yielding me time. prgtoken , I rise today in full support of the second fiscal year 2018 continuing resolution this year, which will fund the Federal Government through December 22 of this year. prgtoken This bill is a necessary measure to continue vital government programs and services. It also prevents uncertainty and harm in a shutdown. prgtoken This year, the committee worked at a historic pace to produce and then pass all 12 bills to fund the government. Chairman Frelinghuysen should be recognized for this feat of leadership. It is important that we eventually send these bills to the President's desk. prgtoken As chairman of the State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee, I want to highlight that the funding provided in our bill supports continued leadership by the U.S. and advances our national security and economic interests. This funding is critical to addressing the many challenges that we face around the world. prgtoken , while CRs are never our preferred course of action, the bill before us today will give us more time to complete our work with the Senate and put together a final bill that will support the American people. Our current continuing resolution expires tomorrow, so we must act today. prgtoken , I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the CR.
TRIBUTES TO LUTHER STRANGE
Pat Roberts (Republican, KS) \u2014 2017-12-7

I have had the unique privilege of knowing Senator Strange in that I have the privilege of being the chairman of the all-powerful--sometimes-powerful--Senate Agriculture Committee. prgtoken I hope every Senator will read your comments, sir. I think, perhaps, every Senator in their heart wishes, as you do, that we could get along better. For better or for worse, I think we represent the Balkanization in this country, but we come here with the hope that, yes, through compromise, and, yes, that in working together, we can represent our people in a much better fashion. Your remarks, I think, really hit the nail on the head in terms of what we should be doing. prgtoken We do that on the Agriculture Committee. When Luther first came to the Senate and asked to be on the Agriculture Committee, I knew right then he was a special person and would be a special Senator. A lot of people get sentenced to the Agriculture Committee. It is a pleasant sentence, really, when you do that work. I have been privileged to be the chairman in the House and in the Senate for quite a few years. We will not get into that. prgtoken The Senator asked to be on the Ag Committee, and so, when we try to put together a farm bill, it is our responsibility--both the distinguished Ranking Member Stabenow and myself--to travel to various States. We have sat on the wagon with the farmer, the rancher, the grower, and said: What do you think? We listen to the farmer first, knowing that if you are fair to the farmer--they are the backbone of the Nation and underappreciated in our society today. prgtoken So I have been going to Kansas, Michigan, and Montana, and I said: I haven't been down South, I am going to Alabama. I am going to go down there with our newest Member who wants to be on the Ag Committee and has already demonstrated his affection, not only for the committee but his commitment to represent farmers and growers and ranchers in Alabama. So we planned an event. We were going to listen to every commodity group, every farm organization, and any farmer who wanted to come in and talk to the chairman and the new member of the Ag Committee. prgtoken This was a special day for me and, as sometimes happens, planes don't fly. Planes fly to Atlanta, but they don't fly from there, which was the case when we were going down the night before, before we had this opportunity to visit with a lot of folks in Alabama. If you try to find a rental car that time of night, it is difficult. So we finally found a rental car after the third or fourth rental car opportunity, and then we drove to Montgomery. prgtoken Now, if you drive from Atlanta to Montgomery--people don't usually recommend doing that, but I will tell you, from about 1:30 in the morning to about 4 a.m it is an easy drive. Then you get to Montgomery, and you get to that square they have there in Montgomery where they have a statue of Hank Williams. So the first person to welcome me
TRIBUTE TO DONALD HARLAN HANSEN
Orrin G. Hatch (Republican, UT) \u2014 2017-12-7

I rise today to congratulate, recognize, and acknowledge the longtime public service that Donald Harlan Hansen has provided to the State of Utah. prgtoken This month, Donald Hansen will officially retire as the civil litigation chief for the Salt Lake County district attorney. He has worked for the district attorney since 2001, where he served as lead counsel in jury and bench trials before State and Federal courts and countless administrative proceedings. prgtoken Prior to his work with the Salt Lake County district attorney, he worked for the Utah Attorney General, in which capacity he served as litigation counsel for critical legal cases throughout the State. Utah- born and bred, Donald graduated from the University of Utah before obtaining his law degree from the S.J. Quinney College of Law. prgtoken Donald has been published in many legal proceedings and is admitted to practice law before the Utah Supreme Court, the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah, the Oregon Supreme Court, the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court. prgtoken Donald currently lives in the Mill Creek area of Salt Lake and is the father of four children and the grandfather of 12. He is a dedicated public servant, and I wish him the very best in his retirement.
HONORING THE MESSIAH COLLEGE MEN'S SOCCER TEAM FOR WINNING THE NCAA DIVISION III NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Scott Perry (Republican, PA) \u2014 2017-12-7

today I extend sincere congratulations to the Messiah College Men's Soccer Team for winning the NCAA Division III National Championship. This is the 11th time the Messiah Falcons earned the title, ``National Champions.'' prgtoken The Falcons defeated the North Park Vikings in a 2-1 victory on December 2, 2018. The win completed a 24-2 campaign for the Falcons that matched their team record for single-season wins, while also making Messiah 11-for-11 in title game appearances. prgtoken The dedication and perseverance of these student athletes should inspire everyone. I extend my congratulations as well to head coach Brad McCarty, and the school officials, family and friends who supported these young men on their incredible journey. prgtoken On behalf of Pennsylvania's Fourth Congressional District, I commend and congratulate the Messiah College Men's Soccer Team on the hard work and determination that led to their National Championship.
CONGRESSIONAL APP CHALLENGE
Erik Paulsen (Republican, MN) \u2014 2017-12-7

I rise today to congratulate Jack Hong from Edina High School who won this year's Congressional App Challenge in Minnesota. prgtoken Every year, the Congressional App Challenge encourages students to create an original app by writing computer code. The competition inspires students across the country to explore computer science and STEM fields, fosters innovation, and promotes involvement by some who are historically underrepresented in tech fields. prgtoken Jack won this year's competition by designing an app called Pomo Timer that blocks distracting websites on the user's computer for short periods of time. prgtoken I would also like to recognize Madiha Rizvi of Brooklyn Park who won runner-up for creating an app called Jobscope that helps young adults find jobs in their communities. prgtoken Zara Thomas and Omar Elamri from Minnetonka Middle School were also both honorable mentions for their apps. prgtoken , these students have shown ingenuity, imagination, and intellectual curiosity, and their inventive talent will take them far. I congratulate them on their achievement and wish them the best in future academics.
TRIBUTES TO LUTHER STRANGE
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2017-12-7

on behalf of all of our colleagues, I want to thank the junior Senator from Alabama for an extraordinary farewell. Due to the unusual circumstances of his arrival, his service here regretfully is limited to roughly a year, but I know all of our colleagues share the view that the Senator from Alabama has made an extraordinary difference for Alabama and for the Nation during his time here. I know I also express the views of all of our colleagues that we will miss him greatly.
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Steve Daines (Republican, MT) \u2014 2017-12-7

this week, I have the distinct honor of recognizing June Rychalski for her service with the Montana Department of Military Affairs. She has served Montana with grace, diligence, a positive attitude, and genuine care for the people of the Treasure State. prgtoken During her 35 years of service, June has been secretary to the senior Army adviser, administrative assistant to the adjutant general and next month will complete her career with the Montana Veterans Affairs Division. June demonstrated compassion and professionalism on a daily basis. Her ability to help a grieving family member navigate the challenges of veteran burial honors or steer a distressed veteran in the right direction to attain benefits is highly commendable. Her presence in the in the Montana Department of Military Affairs will be missed, but the mentorship she provided agency personnel over the years will ensure that her legacy endures. To her coworkers, June was regarded as their greatest advocate. prgtoken When June retires, she plans to do what she has always done, continue to take good care of others. At age 83, June's example is inspiring. Her work ethic, compassion, and commitment to excellence represent the best of Montana values. Thank you, June, for your service. I wish you the best in retirement and appreciate all you have done for our State.
TO ATTACK STUDENT LOAN DEBT, EMPOWER STUDENTS
Thomas A. Garrett, Jr. (Republican, VA) \u2014 2017-12-7

I appreciate the opportunity to address this Chamber and, indeed, America about the challenges that we face at this time in our country. There are many. Some exist within this Nation, some exist overseas, and some have many answers being batted around in Washington; whereas, others have nearly none. prgtoken One of those challenges that has hamstrung our youngest generation is the massive, dark cloud of student loan debt. When our colleague, Senator Sanders, from the other side of the aisle addressed student loan debt during the Presidential campaign last year, he was correct in identifying a problem. The way that he chose to address it I would disagree with, as he suggested that we should provide for people something from the government. I would suggest that the people should provide for themselves. prgtoken There are two schools of thought, one that the people rely on the government, and one that the government should rely on the people. prgtoken So how do you address this massive black cloud of student loan debt that is handicapping our youngest and most creative generation? That is something that we have started to do today with the filing of H.R. 4584, the Student Security Act. prgtoken I speak to you tonight about a brighter future, a future where individuals are empowered to make decisions for themselves and where they can escape this looming cloud of debt so they might be free to do things that we have, heretofore, perhaps taken for granted in this country, like buy a new car, like start a family, or, in the words of former Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, move out of mom and dad's basement. prgtoken But the most important thing that they are not able to do because of the black cloud of debt that faces them, , I would submit, is harness the creativity and the energy that is embodied by their ideas. This is a nation of ideas, and certainly when you prgtoken are encumbered with over $40,000 of loan debt per person on average, you are not able to get that small business loan, and you are not able to start that new business to put those ideas into action and create jobs. prgtoken In fact, a recent poll last month indicated that the majority of millennials would sacrifice their very franchise, that is the right to vote, in exchange for relief from their student loan debt. All too often, heretofore, the words ``student debt'' in the Halls of Washington have scared up images of free college. Anyone knows--even Mr. Sanders knows--that nothing is free; someone pays. But that is no excuse to ignore the problem. Why not allow individuals the option and opportunity to pay their own debt? prgtoken Over 40 million Americans--myself included--are paying back $1.3 trillion in student debt, yet we have done nothing realistic to address this problem. prgtoken How do you address new problems? You must address new problems with new ideas. H.R. 4584, the Student Security Act, is just that. prgtoken I will stop as an