mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
TAX REFORM
James E. Risch (Republican, ID) \u2014 2018-8-15

as you know, late last year, Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. As chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I supported this legislation because of its potential to spur investment, stimulate economic growth, and ease the tax burden on millions of small businesses. While our economy continues to grow, small businesses often don't receive due attention for their accomplishments and contributions. Owners and employees of small businesses nationwide continuously display resilient attitudes and a tenacious work ethic, proving that the American entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well. This law gives Americans the tools they need to grow and flourish, and their success stories encouraged me to begin this series of speeches highlighting the ways tax reform benefits small businesses. prgtoken Today, I am pleased to share the story of Centennial Bolt, INC, located in Denver, CO. Founded in 1979 by Mark Cordova, Centennial Bolt specializes in manufacturing top-of-the-line fasteners. The Cordova family story serves as an inspirational example for hardworking American families. From humble beginnings, Mark's father, Moses, worked his way to a managerial position at Triangle Steel, Inc and started his own business, Cordova Bolt, in San Diego, CA. After graduating from the University of San Diego, Mark moved to Denver and followed in his father's entrepreneurial footsteps by founding Centennial Bolt. This business became the premier fastener company in the Rocky Mountain region because of its ability to assist clients with projects of all shapes and sizes. After years of hard work and perseverance through tough economic times, Mark is now the CEO of both Cordova and Centennial Bolt. prgtoken Tax reform's impact on Centennial Bolt and other small businesses nationwide cannot be overstated. Changes in the tax law offer necessary relief to both Centennial Bolt's employees and their families. Due to an increase in savings from tax reform, Mark plans to expand his workforce from 50 to 65 employees, while increasing employee salaries. This past year, the company surprised all 50 of its employees with an unexpected Christmas bonus for their hard work. In order to compete on a larger scale, Mark also plans on reinvesting the company's savings from tax reform into an additional facility and existing infrastructure upgrades. Across the country, tax reform continues to provide owners and entrepreneurs with increasing opportunities that help them and their employees to realize their dreams. prgtoken Mark is optimistic about his company's future and believes the benefits his company receives from tax reform will give Centennial Bolt a competitive advantage. They are one of the many small businesses nationwide that can now more freely raise salaries, hire new employees, and compete with larger businesses in their industries. As tax reform continues to drive our economy forwa
RECESS
Sherrod Brown (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2018-8-15

a free, independent press is vital to our democracy, and it is vital to communities from Kansas to Ohio and across this country. prgtoken Reporters are not enemies of the people. They do vital work not just in Washington but around the country. I want to continue my, more or less, weekly honoring of local reporters who are doing their jobs, who understand that a free press is crucial to a free country and a free people. prgtoken This past week, I have been all over Ohio, from talking about investing in national security jobs in Dayton to meeting with local leaders tackling the opioid epidemic in Findlay, to promoting auto jobs in Lima, Toledo, and Cleveland. At every one of these stops, I talk with Ohio reporters who are out there doing their jobs, covering the important stories in their communities. Local journalists do that kind of reporting in every community in Ohio, in Kansas, and across this country. prgtoken Earlier this month, the Circleville Herald--a town 25, 30 miles south of Columbus, straight down U.S. 23--ran a story on the upcoming Veterans' Benefits Day in Pickaway County on August 25, reported by local reporter Heather Barr. The reporter talked with the executive director of the Pickaway County Veterans' Services Office, who said that veterans don't realize there is someone in their county to help them. prgtoken That is why they set up this event, to show veterans all the services available through the local county Veterans' Services Office and the Chillicothe Veterans' Administration Medical Center. I would add, Ohio is one of the lucky States in the country. Not nearly every State does this. Every single county has a Veterans' Service Office whose only function is to serve veterans. prgtoken Through its work, the Circleville Herald and local reporters like Ms. Barr are informing their community about ways veterans can get assistance with the benefits they have earned--everything from help applying for benefits to transportation to the Chillicothe VA or the Dayton VA or wherever, to VA appointments in local community-based outpatient clinics. That is the kind of work Ms. Barr does. That is the kind of work local communities' journalists do all over this country. This kind of reporting is what journalists do every day in my State. So when I hear the President of the United States call journalists enemies of the people, I think of Heather Barr; I think of reporters in Cleveland and Akron and smaller cities like Mansfield and smaller towns yet like Van Wert and Wapakoneta. They serve their readers. They serve their viewers. They serve their communities. They deserve our respect, not the venom of the President of the United States. Auto Industry prgtoken , over the past week, I have traveled my State visiting communities that rely on the American auto industry--Ford in Lima, Jeep in Toledo, the Ford engine plant in Cleveland. This Monda
REMEMBERING RONALD V. DELLUMS
Kamala D. Harris (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2018-8-15

our Nation mourns the loss of one of California's greatest civil rights leaders, whose nearly three decades in Congress and many more years in public service helped to shape the lives of countless individuals both at home and abroad. prgtoken Ron Dellums was born the son of a longshoreman and raised in Oakland, CA, a community he would later come to represent both as a Member of Congress and as mayor. A 1953 graduate of Oakland Technical High School, Ron enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1954, where he served for 2 years, before graduating from San Francisco State College in 1960 with a degree in psychology. Two years later, Ron received a master's degree in social work from the University of California, Berkeley. prgtoken Immediately following graduate school, Ron immersed himself in public service, first through a series of social work jobs at the California Department of Mental Hygiene, and, eventually, as an elected member of the Berkeley City Council in 1967. As councilman, Ron became an outspoken advocate for historically underrepresented and underserved communities in Berkeley and Oakland, in addition to becoming an anti- war advocate. prgtoken The convergence of the free speech and anti-war movements in the Bay Area in the 1960s drove Ron to launch a campaign for Congress on a platform for civil and human rights. He was elected to Congress in 1971 as the first African American from northern California. For the next 27 years, Ron prgtoken waged battle on a number of social issues plaguing distressed communities, including increased funding for education, jobs, housing, healthcare, and combatting infant mortality and lack of access to affordable housing. prgtoken As the first Black chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Ron forcefully advocated peace through diplomacy and disarmament in the midst of debates on the Vietnam war and excessive military spending. Ron also became a vocal opponent against LGBTQ discrimination in the military. A cofounder of the Congressional Black Caucus, Ron advocated passionately to end American support for the apartheid regime in South Africa, eventually sponsoring legislation to bring forth economic sanctions and divestment by American companies and U.S. citizens. prgtoken In 1998, Ron left Congress and remained active as a local and national civil rights leader. His departure from public service, however, was short lived, and in 2007, Ron was elected mayor of the city of Oakland in the midst of our Nation's worst economic recession since the Great Depression. As mayor, Ron secured a record number of Federal grants for the city of Oakland, supporting major infrastructure projects, including port developments at the Oakland Army Base and public transportation wins for California's East Bay. prgtoken Ron was a dear friend, trailblazer, and champion for civil and human rights, whose service and dedication to the United States will forever be cherished and r
RECESS
Bill Nelson (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2018-8-15

there was a new report published in POLITICO today that read that oil industry lobbyists have been consulting with the administration about drilling off of Florida in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf of Mexico, off of Florida, is off limits to drilling, pursuant to a law that Senator Mel Martinez and I passed in 2006 that prohibits any drilling up until the year 2022. prgtoken The U.S. Department of Defense--specifically, the Air Force, which runs the Eglin Gulf Test and Training Range--has asked us to extend that moratorium on any oil-related activities until at least the year 2027. The Air Force is requesting this simply because the Eglin Gulf Test and Training Range is the largest test and training range in the world for the U.S. military. prgtoken When the eastern training for the U.S. Navy was shut down in the Atlantic because the training range at the island of Vieques had been shut down, most of the Navy training for the Atlantic came to the gulf test and training range, not even to speak of the huge U.S. Air Force bases--Eglin Air Force Base, where all of our American and foreign pilots are trained on the F-35, as well as Tyndall Air Force Base, where similar training is done for our American pilots on the F-22. prgtoken In addition, the training range is of such a significant distance and square mileage that it allows some of the most sophisticated weapons to travel hundreds of miles in the testing of those weapons, most of them by air. They can either impact in the sea at a potential target or can impact on land, at the giant Eglin Air Force Base. As a result, this is an extremely valuable national asset. The training and testing not only takes place in the air, over the Gulf of Mexico, but it also takes place on the surface and, in some cases, underwater. prgtoken The U.S. military has asked us not to mess with the gulf test and training range. Yet, as we speak--and from this report in POLITICO today--efforts are being made by the oil industry to get the administration to allow up to 75 miles off the coastline of Florida to be drilled. I want to show you what that would do to the heart of the gulf test and training range. prgtoken All of this area in yellow is off limits until the year 2022 to any oil-related activities. You see the State of Florida. You see Pensacola, Eglin Air Force Base, here at Fort Walton, and the Tyndall Air Force Base, here at Panama City, and the rest of the peninsula of Florida. These are the Florida Keys and the Naval Air Station Key West, which is where a lot of those Navy squadrons of F/A-18s come down and will train for a week or two. When they lift off from the runway on Boca Chica, within a couple of minutes, they are over restricted airspace. So they don't have to spend a lot of fuel or time in getting to their training area. prgtoken You see the enormity of this area that is shaded in yellow. From here, this area is 125 miles off the c
45TH ANNIVERSARY OF MEXICAN FIESTA
Tammy Baldwin (Democrat, WI) \u2014 2018-8-15

today I wish to recognize Mexican Fiesta as it celebrates 45 years of bringing the culture and taste of Mexico to Milwaukee, WI. Mexican Fiesta offers Wisconsin's Hispanic community the opportunity to preserve its cultural identity and celebrate its colorful traditions. I am so pleased to honor this Wisconsin organization and to commemorate this significant milestone. prgtoken What began in 1973 as a Mexican Independence Day street festival on Milwaukee's south side has now become one of the region's largest festivals honoring Hispanic heritage. The festival grew so rapidly that it was moved to the mammoth Henry Maier Festival Park just 4 short years after its founding, where it has been held since 1977. Today, nearly 85,000 people attend this wonderful event every year, which contributes an estimated $8.5 million to Milwaukee's annual economy. prgtoken Mexican Fiesta honors Hispanic culture and showcases the beauty of Mexico's rich history, art, music, and food, but it is more than just a cultural celebration. The festival also provides an important gateway to a college education for young Hispanics. Mexican Fiesta has heightened the significance of its celebration by serving as the main fundraiser for the Wisconsin Hispanic Scholarship Foundation, Inc and by highlighting the scholarship recipients during the festivities. In addition to its scholarships, the foundation also works to improve the standard of living in the Hispanic community, train its leaders, and preserve and honor Hispanic traditions. The foundation has awarded more than $1.3 million in scholarships and nearly $500,000 in grants to nonprofit organizations since it was founded in 1987. prgtoken Wisconsin's Hispanic population increased by 95 percent from 2000 to 2015, growing to nearly 7 percent of the State's population. This was the most rapid rise among any major ethnic group in the State. While many Hispanic Wisconsinites reside in the southeastern corner of the State, it is important that we embrace Hispanic culture throughout the great State of Wisconsin. Mexican Fiesta serves as an important reminder of the social and economic benefits of a diverse community in Wisconsin and throughout our Nation. prgtoken We in Wisconsin owe a debt of gratitude to the organizers of Mexican Fiesta for sharing the vibrant traditions and respected values of their Hispanic heritage. That they take this time-honored celebration one step further by investing in the future success of the next generation makes this festival all the more meaningful. I am honored to recognize the 45th anniversary of Mexican Fiesta and look forward to many more successful fiestas in the years to come.
TRIBUTE TO LISA MALOFF
Catherine Cortez Masto (Democrat, NV) \u2014 2018-8-15

today I recognize Mrs. Lisa Maloff, of Zephyr, NV, on the grand opening of the Lisa Maloff University Center at Lake Tahoe Community College. On August 16, 2018, members of the Lake Tahoe community will come together for a ribbon- cutting ceremony. The facility will help Californians and Nevadans alike achieve their goal of obtaining a 4-year college degree. prgtoken Upon moving to Lake Tahoe in 1958, Lisa hoped to complete a teaching credential and give back to her community through public service. Unfortunately, the closest 4-year institution was the University of Nevada, Reno. The geographic isolation of the Tahoe Basin's mountainous terrain, sometimes unpredictable weather, and travel time forced Lisa to defer her dream of teaching and stymied her educational goals. Some of these challenges persist today, especially for the area's working students with families. Now, with the opening of the Lisa Maloff University Center, through partnership with nearby universities, the dreams of a 4-year college degree will become a reality to scores of students in the Lake Tahoe Basin. prgtoken This center is one of many philanthropic contributions by Mrs. Lisa Maloff and her husband, Robert Maloff, and adds to the lore that has earned her the moniker of Angel of Tahoe. Mrs. Maloff has been a strong supporter and advocate for a variety of Lake Tahoe causes, including Barton Memorial Hospital, the Boys and Girls Club of Lake Tahoe, the Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District, George Whittell High School, and Tahoe Youth & Family Services. Her passion for improving services, programs, and the quality of life in the Lake Tahoe community is commendable and serves as a great example to all Nevadans. prgtoken Today, I celebrate the many contributions of Mrs. Lisa Maloff to the Lake Tahoe Basin community and her work to enhance the opportunities for all young Nevadans to succeed and thrive. It is with pride that I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Mrs. Lisa Maloff for her generous philanthropy, her commitment to education, and her efforts to change outcomes for people in the Lake Tahoe Basin.
Republican Accomplishments (Executive Session)
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2018-8-16

today we will confirm two more appellate judges, bringing our total to 26 since the administration began. This has been one of the hallmarks of the President and of our agenda, and it is critically important. So I thank the President, as well as all of our colleagues who have worked so hard to fill these vacancies on our Nation's courts. prgtoken There have been many accomplishments this last year and a half, but perhaps the greatest has been the new, energized state of our economy. This is a direct, tangible impact on the quality of life of all Americans. The Declaration of Independence designates, among the unalienable rights, the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I like to think that by getting our foot off the neck of the economy, by repealing unnecessary overregulation, and by cutting taxes and letting people keep more of what they earn, we are pursuing those unalienable rights on behalf of the American people--certainly the pursuit of happiness. prgtoken The Labor Department reported earlier this month that unemployment had fallen to 3.9 percent in July, which is close to the 18-year low that was achieved in May of this year. One of the highlights of the jobs report was that high school dropouts and others who struggled during the -era recession are doing significantly better. Their unemployment rate fell to 5.1 percent, the lowest since the government started collecting data on those without a high school diploma. Of course, this is pointed out particularly at a time when labor is in short supply; that is, there are a lot of good-paying jobs for which there are not trained workers who could qualify for those jobs. I think it makes it incumbent on us, at all levels of government--Federal, State, and local--to do more to help train workers so they qualify for these good, well-paying jobs that right now are going unfilled because of a shortage of trained workers. That is one of the imperatives, I believe, of a tight job market caused by a booming economy. prgtoken The July report showed that the economy grew by 4.1 percent in the second quarter. That is an incredible number. The economy is literally on fire, and that is a good thing for the American people. All of this positive economic news is complemented by the tax reform package I mentioned a moment ago that we passed last December, which has become perhaps the biggest game changer of all, opening doors and offering new opportunities for American workers. prgtoken In order to make the rates of taxation in America competitive globally, we lowered the corporate rate from 35 to 21 percent. This is something that , like President , as well as s, have supported in the past, recognizing that we were chasing investment overseas and any earnings on investments overseas were not coming back to the United States to be invested here in workers and infrastructure. This was a self-inflicted w
RECOGNIZING GREEN BANNER PUBLICATIONS
Todd Young (Republican, IN) \u2014 2018-8-16

I wish to congratulate Green Banner Publications on their long and fruitful career in the publishing world. As a true family-owned business, the Green family has always served their customers as if they were one of their own. Their network of local and weekly newspapers delivered current events to more than 60,000 homes in southern Indiana. prgtoken After 85 years of service, they have made the decision to close up shop and end all publications. I thank them for their longtime commitment, and I appreciate all of their hard work informing thousands of Hoosiers in southern Indiana.
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2018-8-16

today I am introducing a bill to update and extend the Missing Children's Assistance Act. Senators Feinstein, Hatch, Klobuchar, and Portman have joined as original cosponsors, and I thank these colleagues for their support. I also want to thank Congressman Brett Guthrie and the chairman of the House Education Committee, Virginia Foxx, for championing a related companion measure in the other chamber. prgtoken The purpose of this bipartisan bill, entitled the Missing Children's Assistance Act of 2018, is to ensure the continued availability of federal resources for the work of missing children's organizations such as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Since its inception in 1984, the National Center has served as the official national resource center and clearinghouse on missing and exploited children. The National Center works in partnership with State child protective services agencies to help locate children who go missing from foster care. It also works in partnership with families, schools, corporate and nonprofit entities, the FBI, the Marshals Service, and the Secret Service, as well as other federal state and local entities, to prevent child abductions and facilitate the recovery of children who may become victims of sex trafficking. Each year, thousands of children run away or go missing in the United States, which is why this work is so important. prgtoken The names Johnny Gosch, Eugene Martin and Jetseta Gage, for example, still bring heartbreak to all Iowans. Johnny Gosch was a 12-year-old paperboy delivering newspapers in West Des Moines, Iowa, when he disappeared in 1982. Two years later, 13-year-old Eugene Martin disappeared in Des Moines, Iowa--also while delivering newspapers. And 10-year-old Jetseta Gage was kidnapped, raped, and murdered by a convicted sex offender in rural Johnson County, Iowa in 2005. Theirs are not isolated cases. Too many other children across the country have had to cope with the physical and emotional trauma of being abducted, trafficked or sexually exploited. prgtoken Under the legislation that I have proposed, the Justice Department will continue to play an important role in implementing the Missing Children's Assistance Act. Through its Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Department will continue to annually award grants to the National Center and other nonprofit organizations to further their important work of preventing and responding to offenses committed against vulnerable children. Extending this authorized funding at $40 million annually for five more years, as proposed in this bill, will ensure that the Office can continue to support these nonprofit organizations in their important efforts in public-private partnerships with families, private entities, and federal, state, local, and international law enforcement agencies. prgtoken The bipartisan legislation I have sponsored also includes several im