mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Introductory Statement on S. 82
Jack Reed (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2017-1-10

I am reintroducing the Stop Subsidizing Multimillion Dollar Corporate Bonuses Act with Senator Blumenthal. This legislation would end special tax exemptions for huge CEO bonuses by closing a glaring loophole that allows publicly traded corporations to deduct the cost of multimillion-dollar bonuses from their corporate tax bills. If executives perform, companies may compensate them however they wish, but U.S. taxpayers shouldn't have to subsidize these massive bonuses. prgtoken Under current tax law, when a publicly traded corporation calculates its taxable income, it is generally permitted to deduct the cost of compensation from its revenues, with limits up to $1 million for some of the firm's most senior executives. However, a loophole relating to performance-based compensation has allowed many public corporations to avoid such limits and freely deduct excessive executive compensation. To illustrate how this loophole works, if a CEO receives $1 million in cash compensation and $14 million in performance-based compensation in a given year, the public corporation's taxable income would decline by $15 million. With the current corporate tax rate at 35 percent, the corporation in this case would receive a tax giveway of $5.25 million. prgtoken The Stop Subsidizing Multimillion Dollar Corporate Bonuses Act puts an prgtoken end to that giveaway and limits public corporations to a single $1 million per employee deduction as was originally intended. Using the same example above, a profitable public corporation could deduct $1 million of the CEO's $15 million compensation package but could not claim a deduction on the remaining $14 million. So instead of claiming $5.25 million in Federal subsidies for the CEO's pay, this public corporation will be contributing $4.9 million toward improving our roads, our schools, and our military--costs that middle-class families are already underwriting. prgtoken Indeed, over a 10-year window, the Joint Committee on Taxation, in their most recent assessment, estimated that closing this loophole would save U.S. taxpayers over $50 billion. prgtoken Specifically, our legislation first applies section 162(m) of the Tax Code to all employees of publicly traded corporations so that all compensation is subject to a deductibility cap of $1 million. Publicly traded corporations would still be permitted to pay their executives as much as they desire, but compensation above and beyond $1 million would no longer be subsidized by other hard-working taxpayers through our Tax Code. prgtoken Second, our bill removes the exemption for performance-based compensation, which currently permits compensation deductions above and beyond $1 million when executives have met performance benchmarks set by the corporation's board of directors. As a result, publicly traded corporations would still be able to incentivize their executives, but all such incentives would be subject to a corporate dedu
DON'T TURN YOUR BACK ON MILLIONS OF FAMILIES
Niki Tsongas (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2017-1-10

since the Affordable Care Act was signed into law, millions of Americans have gained access to valuable healthcare services, and every American has seen their health insurance benefits improve. prgtoken While there are ways the Affordable Care Act can be improved, we cannot afford to go back to the days when big insurance companies had the power to decide what care Americans could receive, deny coverage to children with diagnosed conditions, cancel coverage prgtoken when people got sick, and place limits on the amount of care people can receive. prgtoken Last week, Carol Lodi from Harvard, Massachusetts, in my district, called and told her story. She and her husband gained healthcare coverage under the Affordable Care Act. She is 61. Her husband is 63. They are self-employed. She said: ``If we lose the insurance, we don't know what we'll do.'' prgtoken , please listen to the Lodi family and millions of other families like them. Don't turn your back on them and make America sick again.
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2017--Continued
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2017-1-10

the 115th Congress convened just last week. I had hoped that with all the turmoil in the country that we would begin the year with a renewed sense of cooperation. But I am sorry to say, my friends in the Party have chosen a different path. prgtoken The very first thing on the agenda is to press forward with a sham budget. If you ask why we have a sham budget, a fake budget, an unrealistic budget--we find out that its only purpose is to set up a process to repeal the Affordable Care Act with a simple majority vote. Why? Because they know the American people would never allow a repeal to pass otherwise. prgtoken So instead of working to finalize appropriations bills for this year--already more than 3 months in--or to invest in our Nation's critical infrastructure, or to truly bolster our Nation's cyber security, when we see countries such as Russia and other places attacking our cyber systems, or even to improve the Affordable Care Act so we can ensure that more people can receive affordable coverage, I am afraid the s are recklessly rushing forward solely to fulfill an ill-considered campaign promise. prgtoken They are pushing American families over the cliff with the vague promise: Yeah, we will repeal it, but don't worry because eventually we will come up with a plan to replace it. prgtoken Jump first, plan later is anything but a responsible formula for someone's health, for sound decisions; and all the more so when the health insurance of tens of millions of Americans and American families all over the country--s, , and Independents alike-- is at stake. prgtoken The majority leader and others have said the repeal of the Affordable Care Act is only the first step. They say that a full repeal is necessary to pave the way for a replacement. They say: Let's leave Care in the past. Well, when you strip away the rhetoric and get rid of it, the only alternative they offer the American people is don't get sick--because if you get sick, you are in trouble. prgtoken The American people have a right to know what a vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act really means. A repeal of this law would not just take away the rights and care of millions of patients and their families; it would eliminate insurance coverage for millions more-- especially the aging, the elderly, men and women with preexisting conditions, and the most vulnerable children. prgtoken A repeal of the Affordable Care Act would turn back the clock to a bad time in this country where once again women would have to pay more for health insurance than men, where insurance companies could rescind a health insurance policy simply because someone gets sick, and coverage could forever be denied to someone born with a disease or ailment, and that includes children. So you could buy a health insurance policy so you were covered in case you got sick, but the insurance companies could then say: Oh, you are si
HELPING ANGELS LEAD OUR STARTUPS ACT
Kyrsten Sinema (Democrat, AZ) \u2014 2017-1-10

. Mr. Chair, s on the other side of the aisle for working with me, yet again, on this bipartisan bill to help entrepreneurs and startup companies create jobs and grow our economy. prgtoken American startup businesses are growing both in number and diversity. Entrepreneurs are finding new and better ways to bring together talent, innovation, and investment capital in an increasingly competitive small business environment. prgtoken The HALOS Act clarifies SEC regulations to ensure small businesses may participate in educational demo days without the burden of having to verify that attendees are accredited investors. Demo days provide invaluable opportunities for entrepreneurs to meet and exchange ideas with students, professors, business professionals, and potential future investors. prgtoken The HALOS Act creates a clear path for startups to participate in demo days sponsored by a government entity, nonprofit, angel investor group, venture association, or other entity permitted by the SEC. Specifically, the act clarifies the definition of general solicitation to exempt communications and presentations at these events where advertising for the event does not make specific investment offerings and where no specific securities offering information is communicated at the event. prgtoken This permits startups to connect with business experts, potential future investors, and other entrepreneurs, all while maintaining existing accredited investor verification requirements and exemptions under Regulation D for the actual purchase or sale of securities. It does not, in any way, permit the sale of securities to unaccredited investors at demo days. prgtoken Companies such as Amazon, Costco, Facebook, Google, and Starbucks were all initially funded by angel investors. As we work to make America more prgtoken competitive in the new global economy, we need to encourage the growth of innovative startups and job-creating small businesses. prgtoken Again, I thank Representative Chabot for working with me on this commonsense, bipartisan bill. I am committed to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure that Arizona startups have the support they need to grow their businesses and create jobs.
WHO GETS THE BREAKS FROM REPEALING THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT? THE SUPERWEALTHY
John Garamendi (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-1-10

indeed, we do have an extraordinary country. Down through the last 230 years, this Congress has met, has discussed, decided, voted upon, and set in place policies that advanced our country. And we are so very fortunate, all of us Americans, to be living here with all the promise that this incredible history has given us. prgtoken But at this period of time, we also have some profound questions about where this country is going. We wake up and we say: What is happening here? What is happening in the international scene? What is all this about Russia hacking? What is all this about trying to influence the American election? Did they really, and did it really happen, and was it effective? prgtoken Well, we know it really happened. The American public is scratching their head and they are saying: What is it? prgtoken And then all this talk about change, all this talk about we are going to change things; we are going to repeal Care, and we are going to replace it with something great. Hmmm. I wonder what that might be. And I suspect all across this Nation there are men, women, families that are also wondering: What do they mean it will be great? What is it that is great? prgtoken Well, if you were to go around the Capitol, if you were to talk to Members in the House of Representatives or over in the Senate and say: So it is gonna be great; what is it? prgtoken Well, we will tell you tomorrow or we will tell you later, but it will be great. prgtoken Maybe, maybe not. prgtoken Right now, the Senate is working on a piece of legislation that will set the stage for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act--and some would derisively call it Care. Repeal it. prgtoken Oh, yeah, get rid of that thing. But not to where it is going to be great as soon as it is gone. prgtoken Really? I don't think so. prgtoken I know that in my part of California, a lot of people--in fact, more than 20,000--don't think it is great at all. They are going to lose their health care. And there are a whole lot of seniors in my community that are going: Wow, it is going to be great. prgtoken Really? prgtoken But I will lose my annual check-up. And that awesome drug doughnut hole that was so frightening just years ago is going to come back? That is not so great. prgtoken I drove into town or into the Capitol today. I don't live so far away, but it is 20 degrees, and I decided I would rather drive than freeze. So I drove in and an advertisement came on the radio, and it said: You are going to get a trillion-dollar tax cut. Wonderful. The middle class will have a trillion-dollar tax cut. I said: Well, that is not what I saw last night when I read the statistics about the great repeal of the Affordable Care Act. In fact, I read something quite different from the tax committees, from Americans, various people. prgtoken Let me put something up here. Here it is. Who gets that trillion- dollar tax cut? Who is it? Is it the middle class? Well, I don't think
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 2017--Continued
Gary C. Peters (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2017-1-10

today I rise to express my strong opposition to partisan attempts to engage in a fast-track process to take health insurance away from hundreds of thousands of individuals in my State and millions across our country. In Michigan alone, 887,000 people are in jeopardy of losing their health coverage if s have their way and repeal the Affordable Care Act without a replacement. Important protections for people with preexisting conditions will disappear. Not only will they lose them but so will their spouses and children. prgtoken We will be repealing reforms that have benefitted seniors and saved more than 5 million beneficiaries an average of over $1,000 in drug costs in 2015. Repealing the Affordable Care Act will significantly increase drug costs for those seniors and threaten long-term solvency for Medicare. s are rushing a process that increases Medicare costs for seniors and weakens the program for future generations. Our Nation's seniors have worked hard their entire lives, and they deserve our best efforts to ensure they can depend on Medicare to help them enjoy a dignified and secure retirement. prgtoken Over 1 million seniors are enrolled in Medicare in Michigan, and they deserve a health care program that will cover the costs of prescription drugs and other health care services they need. Since 1965, Medicare has done a tremendous job of giving seniors the care they need, and we should be working to strengthen this successful program, not putting it at risk. prgtoken Let's be clear. Reforms in the ACA extend the solvency of Medicare by over a decade. Let me say that again. It extends the solvency of Medicare for over a decade. prgtoken Given these challenges, we have to ask: Why are we rushing to dismantle these reforms? prgtoken We are rushing a process that will ultimately hurt the Medicare Program, our Nation's seniors, and so many others. prgtoken Many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle suggest that we can simply keep or quickly reinstate the popular parts of this law, such as preventing discrimination based on preexisting conditions, allowing children to stay on their parents' coverage until they are 26, and helping seniors afford their prescriptions. I would pose this simple question to any of my colleagues advocating for repeal: What comes next? Show us your plan. Just show us your plan. prgtoken Former Governor Cuomo of New York famously said: ``You can campaign in poetry, but govern in prose.'' We are now facing a majority that campaigned on a bumper sticker and is trying to govern with an IOU. Enacting a repeal of the ACA that takes effect at some undetermined point in the future will create chaos in our insurance markets. Health care reform is not a stand-alone program that can be removed overnight without creating widespread ramifications for our economy. prgtoken Yesterday, I attended the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. As a M
CABINET NOMINATIONS
Charles E. Schumer (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2017-1-10

as hearings for the President-elect's nominees get underway starting today, I want to reiterate that a fair and thorough vetting process is a top priority, not only for my caucus but for the American people. prgtoken Chief to achieving that is a fair hearing schedule and process. First, it means hearings that are sufficiently spaced out so Members who sit on multiple committees can actually attend all the hearings. It means only holding hearings after the full committee paperwork--OGE review, FBI background check, and a full divestment plan--has been received and Senators have adequate time to review the information. That means, if there are Senators with remaining questions that weren't covered in a first hearing, they can have the nominee come back for a second day. prgtoken Our caucus and much of America was alarmed and disappointed by the announcements of the hearing schedule this week, which did not meet these basic courtesies and best practices that have always been extended in the past. However, I am happy to say that after negotiating with my friend the majority leader and his respective committee chairs, we have been able to make some progress on a fair hearing process. prgtoken I appreciate the majority leader's openness and efforts to accommodate our caucus in the last few days. Originally there were six hearings scheduled for this Wednesday, all especially important Cabinet posts: State, Attorney General, Education, Transportation, Homeland Security, CIA. That was largely unprecedented. We have looked back in history and can only find one instance where there were that many hearings of important Cabinet members on one day like that. prgtoken After negotiations with the majority leader, we have moved things around so prgtoken that there are now only three hearings scheduled for Wednesday: Secretary of State, Transportation, and the second day of the AG hearings. All of these nominees have their paperwork in. The nominee for Secretary of Education, who does not yet have a signed ethics agreement and whose paperwork is not close to complete, was moved. That hearing will take place next week, pending her paperwork being submitted with time for Senators to review. prgtoken It is still a busy week. It is a little too busy for my personal taste, but it is a good first step. I hope we can continue to negotiate in good faith, to sort out the schedule in a way that is acceptable to both of our caucuses. prgtoken I also want to make clear that this progress does not mean our caucus is any less intent on having the President-elect's nominees complete the standard ethics forms, questionnaires, and FBI background checks required of every nominee. To have all this information come in after the hearing is sort of like ``Alice in Wonderland''--it makes no sense and has things upside down. I am still concerned, for example, that we don't have a completed FBI background check for the nominee for Secret
REMEMBERING DR. PIERS SELLERS
Bill Nelson (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2017-1-10

on December 23, 2016, the world lost a true hero. prgtoken Dr. Piers Sellers was a scientist and an astronaut, having flown three times on the space shuttle. On his first mission, he flew aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis to the International Space Station, where he completed nearly 20 hours of space walks outfitting and assembling the orbiting outpost. prgtoken Several years later, following the tragic loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia, Piers returned to space and to the International Space Station aboard Discovery, carrying out the second of two test flights NASA needed to test critical on-orbit inspection and repair procedures resulting from the Columbia accident investigation. prgtoken On his third and final mission, he once more flew aboard Atlantis to the ISS. On this mission, he served as the robotics officer, again playing a key role in assembling and outfitting the space station. prgtoken His career as an astronaut exploring the frontier of space is by itself sufficient to justify Piers' status as a national hero; yet his service as an astronaut and explorer is a small subset of the contributions Piers made to our country and to our entire civilization. prgtoken Piers was a renowned climate scientist, specializing in using computer modeling and space-based observations to understand and predict the dynamics of our changing planet. He was also a brilliant communicator, whether testifying at a Commerce Committee field hearing in Miami about the impending dangers of sea level rise or standing in front of NASA's ``hyperwall'' video system narrating stunning and informative visualizations of the massive data sets that embody the ``vital signs'' of planet Earth. Countless policymakers, industry leaders, and even other scientists owe much of their understanding of the complex interactions of Earth's systems and of the alarming and undeniable signs that our civilization's carbon emissions are warming the planet to Piers. prgtoken Yet Piers' most heroic deed may be the decision he made shortly after being diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer. He simply decided to keep going to work. To those that knew Piers, this was no surprise. A three-time shuttle astronaut and very capable manager, scientist, and engineer, Piers no doubt had many lucrative offers for employment following his final shuttle flight in 2010. Instead he chose to remain a civil servant scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center because he felt that was where he could contribute most to the future of our home planet. A few years later, when Piers received the devastating news that he had not long to live, he chose to spend his remaining time continuing his work at NASA and communicating climate science to the public in the calm and charming manner that was uniquely his. prgtoken In a short video Piers recorded shortly before his death, despite his body having been ravaged by cancer and surely knowing that he had very litt
MODERNIZING GOVERNMENT TRAVEL ACT
Seth Moulton (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2017-1-10

I want to thank my colleague from California for yielding. prgtoken , I rise today in strong support of H.R. 274, the Modernizing Government Travel Act. This legislation is a bipartisan effort that demonstrates a consensus amongst all of us that the Federal Government has failed to keep pace with the technological advances and innovation that have come to define the 21st century. prgtoken Despite the emergence of new technologies designed to improve the way we travel, today, some Federal employees are unable to be reimbursed for using more cost-effective, innovative modes of transportation when traveling on official business. prgtoken Innovative ridesharing services supported by mobile apps have dramatically changed how we get from one place to another. Now, with just a few taps on a phone, we can access a variety of new transportation options like rideshare, carshare, and bikeshare that complement rapid transit, take more cars off our congested roads, and reduce fuel emissions. According to a recent study, 52 percent of people using transit for work-related travel chose to use ride-hailing services and other innovative technologies. prgtoken While the General Services Administration allows agencies to authorize the use of these transportation options by Federal employees, it has not nor is it required by law to issue comprehensive guidance across the Federal Government. prgtoken H.R. 274 would require the General Services Administration to implement regulations to allow Federal employees to use transportation options like rideshare and bikeshare for official travel. The GSA Administrator would be required to submit annual reports to Congress on the implementation of these regulations and the resulting amount of government savings. prgtoken I want to thank my friend and colleague, Representative Hurd, for working with me on this legislation, as well as Representatives Swalwell, Issa, Meadows, and Bustos for their support. This is truly a bipartisan effort that will increase the Federal Government's engagement in the sharing economy while saving taxpayer dollars. prgtoken I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation.