mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
TAX CUTS AND JOBS ACT--CONFERENCE REPORT
Ron Wyden (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2017-12-19

I thank Senator Sanders. prgtoken I want to pick up for a moment on his eloquent points and then pose a question to him about what we will be doing here in a few minutes. prgtoken Senator Sanders has eloquently spoken to the needs of the American people, our veterans, the Dreamers, the disasters. Those are bipartisan efforts. Mr. Crapo and I want to fix the broken system of fighting fires. prgtoken Senator Sanders mentioned children's health insurance. This bill borrows $1.5 trillion and is going to end up borrowing a lot of it from foreign interests. That would fund the Children's Health Insurance Program for 915 years. So what the Senator from Vermont is doing is saying: Look at all the constructive areas where we can really meet the needs of the people, and, instead, we are working on a tax bill that is going to betray the middle class. It is going to betray the middle class, and in my view, as the distinguished Senator from Vermont and I have discussed, this bill--this tax bill--is a textbook case of writing legislation in an undemocratic way, in a secret way, with provisions that were airdropped for lobbyists into this legislation in the middle of the night. prgtoken Senator Sanders and I were part of the so-called conference committee last week where we didn't even have the relevant bill in front of us. We were asking questions about bills that really didn't exist.
PASSAGE OF THE TAX CUT AND WHAT IT MEANS
John Garamendi (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-12-19

that is interesting. Perhaps the House of Lords is in our future. prgtoken I was just thinking, as Mr. Raskin was talking, of an old comic book that used to be popular. It was one of the Donald Duck comic books, and I remember it was Uncle Scrooge McDuck. I guess, in his treasury, he was playing with the dollars, throwing the coins up into the air. I am wondering if that is what we are really into here. prgtoken The superwealthy are just accumulating more and more wealth. For the benefit of the economy? Not really. It doesn't trickle down. There is absolutely no evidence that it does. In fact, there is plenty of historic economic evidence that trickle down doesn't work, but pushing up from the bottom would. We could have had a tax bill. prgtoken , from Maryland (Mr. Raskin).
HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF MR. FRANK WILLIAMS, JR.
Cedric L. Richmond (Democrat, LA) \u2014 2017-12-19

I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Mr. Frank ``Frankie'' Williams, Jr a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, who passed away on December 6, 2017 at the age of 50. prgtoken Mr. Williams was born on July 21, 1967 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was the oldest boy of six children to Mr. Frank Williams, Sr. and Mrs. Joan Williams. Mr. Williams received his education in the Orleans Parish Public Schools, graduating from George Washington Carver High School. He was employed by the Blue Crab Restaurant and Oyster Bar and a former employee of Margaritaville for ten years. prgtoken Mr. Williams went into the water near Lakeshore Drive to assist in rescuing two men. One of those two men died and another was hospitalized after their car plunged into a canal at West End, along with killing Mr. Williams as well. A co-worker of Mr. Williams stated that his actions that night were in line with his character. prgtoken It was said that, ``Frank was the true definition of a selfless person who always looked out for his fellow man, co-worker or friend-- the type of guy who would give you the shirt off his back. His large stature perfectly matched his large heart.'' prgtoken Mr. Williams loved the city and the people of New Orleans. His legacy will forever be a part of the city and his dedication to community embodies the spirit of New Orleans. We cannot match the sacrifices made by Mr. Williams, but surely we can try to match his sense of service. We cannot match his courage, but we can strive to match his devotion. prgtoken Mr. Frank ``Frankie'' Williams, Jr.'s survivors include his wife Doretha ``Kim'' Henry Williams, mother Joan Williams, son Frank Clark and two stepsons; grandchildren Adriana, Ma'Kye and Cam'ron Clark and two step grandchildren; and godchild Karionisha Polk. Siblings Karen Jones, Joan (Charles), Barbara (Will), Glenn (Chandra), Tyrone (Teidra) Willimas and Jessie (Brenda) Brue; eight brothers-in-law; and four sisters-in-law. He is prgtoken survived by a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives and friends. prgtoken , I celebrate the life and legacy of Mr. Frank ``Frankie'' Williams, Jr. a beloved husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and son
CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 1, TAX CUTS AND JOBS ACT
Ron Kind (Democrat, WI) \u2014 2017-12-19

if we are going to borrow $2 trillion from China over the next 10 years, it better be for a very good reason. And lavishing huge tax breaks to multinational corporations and to the most wealthy amongst us is not a good reason. prgtoken I am very concerned about many of my fiscally conservative friends across the aisle. So I offered an amendment that would have expanded the endangered species list to include fiscally conservative s because they are about to go extinct under this bill. prgtoken And under this bill, they are creating a mess that is going to take years to clean up because of the potential for fraud and abuse. prgtoken Consider this: They are pitting a hastily written bill, drafted without one hearing, considered without feedback from people back home, without proper vetting, all over the course of a few short weeks against some of the smartest accountants and tax attorneys that money can buy. prgtoken Who do you think is going to win that battle? prgtoken This is a bill that was drafted of, for, and by the powerful special interests in Washington, and it should be rejected.
REPUBLICAN TAX BILL
Tim Kaine (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2017-12-19

, the Senator from Oklahoma. prgtoken I rise to talk about the tax debate that the Senate is currently having. I wish to highlight some of the reasons why I think this bill is bad and, frankly, focus on the missed opportunity that we are about to embark on when we could have found a much better project. prgtoken Let me tell you a story from when I was mayor. I was mayor of Richmond. I know my colleague from Oklahoma was mayor as well. I had a city council colleague who introduced a seemingly benign bill. It was a bill to limit the number of dogs and cats that anybody could have at their residence. prgtoken Now, pursuant to the city rules, we had to post this resolution in the newspaper for a couple of weeks so that citizens could read it, and we had a public hearing where any citizen who wanted to speak for or against the resolution had the opportunity to do so. Then, the city council members debated, and then we had a vote. It turned out to be a little more controversial than the council member originally contemplated. prgtoken When I was mayor, the minor little debate in the Richmond City Council about the number of pets you could have at your residence received more openness and transparency and discussion and debate than the vote that we prgtoken will have within a few hours or days about the entire Tax Code of the United States. prgtoken Instead of doing a bill openly and deliberately, with a lot of public input, and ultimately reaching for a bipartisan result, we have moved hastily, in secret, and in a partisan way. In my view, that is the reason why the end product is going to be so discouraging. prgtoken We had a vote in the Budget Committee to move this tax bill forward. It was interesting. We actually voted before we discussed it. The bill was on everybody's desk. The chair decided that we would vote, and only later would we talk about it. That would never have been done at a Richmond City Council meeting. prgtoken We had a full audience of citizens who wanted to be heard, and they were not given an opportunity. That would not be done at a Richmond City Council meeting. Some of the citizens started to sort of protest and get angry, get mad, and shout. When that happens in a committee meeting, I cringe because it is a violation of the decorum I expect. But what choice do they have? This is only a tax reform that affects the entire American economy, every American family, and every American business, and they feel shut out of the process. prgtoken The first version of this bill that was live was released to the public in the Senate on Thursday, November 9. The current version, which is the fifth version of the bill, was only released last Friday night, 4 days ago. So this bill to completely rework the U.S. economy moves from introduction to passage over just 41 days with multiple versions, often with handwriting in them and handed out at the last minute before votes. <|p
CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 1, TAX CUTS AND JOBS ACT
John Lewis (Democrat, GA) \u2014 2017-12-19

I want to thank my good friend and ranking member, Mr. Neal, for yielding me time. prgtoken I rise to oppose this conference report with every bone in my body. prgtoken This bill is a $2.3 trillion cowardly gift to Wall Street, the rich, and the wealthy. This bill was conceived in the darkness of the night and birthed with the help of their donors and funders. prgtoken This bill is not for the people; it is not of the people; and, Mr it is not tax reform. They reward their donors so that our children and grandchildren will suffer. This is not fair, it is not just, and it is below the dignity and the worth of this body. prgtoken , I have said on many occasions that you cannot get blood from a turnip; you cannot justify robbing poor Peter to pay billionaire Paul.
TAX CUTS AND JOBS ACT--CONFERENCE REPORT
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2017-12-19

I want to thank my colleague Ron Wyden for the excellent job he has done in leading the opposition to this bill. I am incredulous that someone on the other side of the aisle said that this will decrease the deficit. That is just amazing. The lack of factual fidelity for what is in the bill and what the other side is saying is unparalleled--unparalleled. I want to thank Senator Wyden for his valiant efforts in pointing that out. I want to thank Senator Sanders and Senator Cantwell as well, the ranking members of our committees, who worked so hard on this bill. prgtoken In closing, very soon the Senate will vote for the final time on the tax bill. When future generations look back at the short and messy history of the tax bill, its most enduring lesson will be what it has taught us about how not to legislate. After only a few months of frantic, backroom negotiations by only one party, we are left with a product as sloppy and as partisan as the process used to draft it. Even today, three provisions of the bill were found to violate Senate rules. So now, all of a sudden, the House will have to vote again tomorrow. That is a perfect microcosm of the hasty and reckless process--can we have order?
TAX CUTS AND JOBS ACT--CONFERENCE REPORT
Jon Tester (Democrat, MT) \u2014 2017-12-19

tonight, once again, Congress is proving to the American people that Washington is broken. This bill is not a product of deliberation of the world's most deliberative body. It is a not a product of meaningful public hearings. It is not a product of compromise or months of hard work among multiple committees. It is certainly not the product of a grand legislative idea that was desperately needed to meet the demands of the public. The bill in front of us is the product of dysfunction, partisanship, and political desperation. prgtoken Thirty years ago, the Senate passed President Reagan's tax reform 97 to 3. After the conference committee had worked it over, it passed overwhelmingly with 74 votes. That could have been the case today, but there was never an attempt to have an honest debate about this bill, and there was no attempt to get bipartisan buy-in. I reached out to lend my perspective and Montana's perspective--the perspective of rural America--but my offer fell on deaf ears, and I never heard back. prgtoken I asked the President to work with me. I raised my concerns early, and they have never made an attempt to address those concerns. There was no effort to reach across the aisle and build consensus for this bill. prgtoken Once again, the leadership of this body chose to draw a line in the sand. They chose to empower the fringes and leave those in the middle out in the cold. As a result, the first major tax bill in Congress in a generation will likely pass with the support of only one party. That is not what the Founding Fathers had in mind. prgtoken As for me, I wanted a tax bill that would ensure that hard-working Montana families and businesses had a say in this process. I wanted to construct a bipartisan bill that provided folks with tax relief without adding to the debt. I wanted to simplify the Tax Code without gutting provisions that would help build our middle class. Today, we are stuck with this final bill that does none of those things, and our options are yes or no. prgtoken There are some things in this bill that are good--three, to be exact. This bill keeps in place important medical deductions that benefit seniors and help them pay for care as they age. It expands the child tax credit to provide a boost to families across the country. It lowers income tax brackets to keep a few extra bucks in your pocket each year. But when we look at the bill, we have to weigh the good and the bad. prgtoken Speaking of those individual tax cuts--the ones I just talked about a few seconds ago--well, they are only temporary. They are short-term promises that will disappear with the wind. Estimates show that more than 80 percent of this bill's benefits will go to the top 1 percent; 60 percent will go to the top one-tenth of 1 percent of our population. In fact, hard-working families will actually see a tax hike within 10 years. prgtoken But for this country's biggest corporations, this bill makes
TAX CUTS AND JOBS ACT--CONFERENCE REPORT
Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2017-12-19

the American people understand this bill. They understand this bill will hurt middle-income families, and they know this bill will add to the deficit. They understand the Joint Committee on Tax has scored the bill as adding to the deficit. I hear so many of my friends talk about these deficit hawks. We follow the recommendations of our professionals. This bill will add to the deficit. That is why the American people believe this tax bill, which has been advertised by s as a tax cut, is not good for America. It is an extraordinary thing to get the majority of Americans against a bill that is purported to be a tax cut, because they understand it is not a tax cut for middle-income families. prgtoken Let me give one number. The corporate tax rate under this bill will be reduced from 35 percent to 21 percent. That is a substantial reduction in the corporate tax rate. Now, understand that only about 5 percent of the largest businesses in America pay the corporate tax rate. It isn't a rate paid by small businesses. This is paid by megacorporations. They are getting a tax cut. prgtoken When we look at the cost of that tax cut as scored by the Joint Committee on Taxation--the professionals--it is about $1.5 trillion of business tax relief. Guess who pays that $1.5 trillion. It goes on our national debt, and middle-income taxpayers are going to be asked to foot the bill. prgtoken They get that. They understand this doesn't help middle-income families. You are not helping middle-income families when you raise the estate tax limits so fewer families pay the estate tax, which already affects only the 0.2 percent wealthiest in America. They are getting a break. Already, we have a concentration of wealth in America. The top 1 percent owns close to 40 percent of the wealth in America. They understand that doesn't help middle-income families because they understand that we have seen in America the shrinking of the middle class and that we have had an increase in income and wealth disparity in America. prgtoken That is not good for our economy. That is not how you grow an economy or how you grow a middle class. This bill will not grow a middle class. This bill will make even more extreme the income and wealth disparities in this country. prgtoken They also get it when we talk about what is temporary and what is permanent. I really appreciate my friends talking about the deficit. Of course, they don't include the fact that many of these tax provisions are only temporary, such as the major tax relief for individuals. That is temporary in nature. The business tax is permanent. prgtoken I hear my friends saying that we will just extend it. If you extend it, the deficit is even larger than the $1.5 trillion. As to the individuals and the middle-income families who get some of the benefits of this bill, when we add it all up, they lose. The benefits they get are temporary, but business
MUSIC AT KOHL MANSION 35TH ANNIVERSARY
Jackie Speier (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-12-19

I rise today to recognize the Music at Kohl Mansion concert series, conducted each year at Mercy High School, Burlingame. This is the 35th year of Music at Kohl Mansion. Built in 1914, Kohl Mansion's stunningly beautiful hall and associated rooms are the perfect setting for sparkling holiday lights and the joyous sounds of chamber music. prgtoken Music at Kohl Mansion has a national reputation for presenting chamber concerts of the highest professional standards, featuring local, national and international ensembles. The allied program of Kohl for Kids has instructed over 100,000 students in interactive music programs through 22 K-12 public schools. The instruction has also been offered through concerts, master classes, and coaching. Kohl for Kids also serves the public in public libraries, community centers and senior residences. Hundreds of students have received musical instruments through the year-long instrument drive for schools, and a partnership with the Young Chamber Musicians since 2011 has strengthened the education and performance opportunities for advanced, teenage musicians. prgtoken The holiday production of Music at Kohl Mansion and the year-round production of music through Kohl for Kids strengthen America. Despite different cultures, backgrounds and experiences, music is a unifying language that every person can appreciate without regard to race, heritage or training. Music connects each of us with our inner spark, and encourages all to unite around a common source of inspiration. prgtoken , I have the privilege of being an alumna of Mercy High School, and the proud trumpeter of its ongoing mission to elevate the human spirit. Music at Kohl prgtoken Mansion and its allied program of Kohl for Kids have spent 35 years making my community a more hopeful place in which to live. This holiday season, while viewing the lights around us, I want to celebrate the light within that is brought forth by the music emanating from Kohl Mansion. There is no finer location for music than the hall of Kohl Mansion where the love of God and country are palpable in the joyous renditions of this treasured winter festival in tiny Burlingame. Let the bells of this concert ring for as long as our human species have hope of joy and redemption.
PROTECT OUR DREAMERS
Jim Costa (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-12-19

I rise today to stand with the DREAMers, both in the San Joaquin Valley and throughout our country. Protecting our DREAMers is the responsible, moral, and just thing to do. prgtoken The majority of Americans want legal protection for our DREAMers, and Congress must listen. I have been listening to those who have visited my offices, university presidents, religious organizations, my constituents, who simply want us to provide legalization for these individuals who have come to this country at an average age of 6 years of age. This is the only country they have ever known. prgtoken Passing the Dream Act is a priority for and has strong support for many s. We just need to vote on the bill. prgtoken I am a cosponsor of the Dream Act, and I have joined nearly 200 of my colleagues signing a discharge petition to bring this legislation to the floor. I now call on my colleagues to do the right thing and allow a vote on the Dream Act. prgtoken I will continue to advocate for policies that protect our DREAMers. I urge our DREAMers to continue to make their voices heard, as they have across this country, and to urge people in Congress to do the right thing. prgtoken We must stay vigilant in our efforts to protect these individuals, and we as Americans understand what these individuals mean to our country. prgtoken Pass the Dream Act now.
CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 1, TAX CUTS AND JOBS ACT
Richard E. Neal (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2017-12-19

the balance of my time. prgtoken So, in 1 month, we have taken the entire revenue system of the country without one public hearing, without any witness testimony, without the solicitation of one expert. ``We,'' meaning the majority. They have decided to go forward with this reckless plan. prgtoken Contrast this with Reagan and O'Neill and Rostenkowski and Packwood in 1986. prgtoken When Gephardt and Bradley first offered their bill in 1982 on tax reform, 4 years ensued before the measure came to the floor for passage, and, in that time, 450 witnesses offered testimony. Every expert from every nook and cranny in America was invited to offer their vision of what a better tax system might look like. And those individuals--and I knew them all because I went to the committee when Mr. Rostenkowski was the chairman--saw that as the fabled achievement of their time in a bipartisan manner. prgtoken Do you know what else? prgtoken Secretary Reagan and Chief of Staff Jim Baker sat through the markups on that tax reform measure. prgtoken Now, Secretary Mnuchin, instead, has said, nobody at the top will get a tax cut. And then they cut the rate from 39.6 at the top to 37. Well, nobody at the top will get a tax cut. prgtoken We are going to double the exemption on this estate tax so that you might now keep $22 million rather than $11 million, without any formalization of taxation. prgtoken My friend, Mr. Brady--and he is my friend--he spoke before about the people's money. prgtoken Well, you know what the people's responsibility is? prgtoken A million new veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. That is the people's responsibility. prgtoken When we talk about responsibility and the people's money, Medicare is the people's responsibility. Social Security is the people's responsibility. prgtoken As we celebrate the extension of life expectancy in America, Medicaid today now cares for people with dementia and Alzheimer's disease. That is the people's responsibility. prgtoken They have carefully taken theology and wed it to science fiction. prgtoken Remember what we heard around here all these years? prgtoken Don't worry, tax cuts pay for themselves. That was the offering in 2001, $1.3 trillion worth of tax cuts. prgtoken Well, we get to 2003, another $1 trillion worth of tax cuts. By the way, there was time in between for a repatriation holiday, at 5\1/4\, all advertised on the basis of job creation, and layoffs ensued almost the next day. prgtoken This money is going to be used for stock buybacks and dividends. There will be little investment in this lost opportunity where we should have invested in community colleges and vocational education and apprenticeship programs. prgtoken Six million jobs in America go unanswered every single day because of a skills alignment problem and also the horror of what opiate addiction has done across the United States. It has sidelined 2 million people. prgtoken What they are tellin