mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Tax Reform Bill (Executive Session)
Roy Blunt (Republican, MO) \u2014 2017-12-13

the good news about the tax bill that I believe we will pass over the next few days is that it will go into effect on the first day of January and people will quickly see, no matter how loud others are talking, the exact facts. For work done in January, people who get that check in January or February or whenever they get paid for their January work--there is going to be a substantial tax decrease for working families at all levels. Our friends want to talk about what happens after 2025 or 2027, but surely the Congress can do its job between now and then. prgtoken This is a pro-growth policy. There are two ways to increase people's take-home pay, and we are going to pursue both of them. One is to take less out of your pay right now. That will happen not a year from now and not a year and a half from now; that will happen next month. So next month, when people get their paychecks, it will be clear to them who had the facts and who didn't have the facts on this. The second way it will increase people's pay is by having better jobs to start with. Hundreds of economists who have looked at this bill say that it will make the United States of America the best place to invest money and create jobs, and I think we will know sooner rather than later that that happens. prgtoken So good tax policy, commonsense regulation, and judges--another thing we are working on this week--make a difference in how people look at the economy that they want to invest in and an economy that they want to grow. Why would judges make a difference? Judges make a difference because judges create a sense of fairness in the court. They create a sense of an ability to get your case heard. And they create a sense that what the law says hopefully is what the judge will decide rather than what the judge thinks the law should say. prgtoken We are making great progress in all of those areas if we add good tax policy to what has been happening. prgtoken Right now, , we are talking about judges, and President has a unique opportunity to shape the long-term view of the judiciary. This week we are going to confirm three circuit judges, and I wish to speak in just a little while about what that means. prgtoken At the start of President 's term, 12 percent of all of the Federal judiciary seats were vacant. No President has had that kind of opportunity prgtoken since President Clinton had that opportunity now almost 25 years ago when he started his first year. And the President will have the opportunity--and is making the most of it--to fill those vacancies. prgtoken I believe President made the right choice when he selected Justice Gorsuch to serve on the Supreme Court. There was a record as a circuit judge; you can look at what he had decided. The Presiding Officer and I and other Members of the Senate can look at what he has decided and anticipate, after 10 years of that record, what his record would look like.
IRANIAN LEADERSHIP ASSET TRANSPARENCY ACT
Tom Emmer (Republican, MN) \u2014 2017-12-13

since our founding, and as Ronald Reagan emphasized regularly, America has stood as a shining city upon a hill whose beacon light guides freedom-loving people everywhere. Today we have an opportunity to shine a little brighter. prgtoken As we continue our battle to defeat terrorism, the Islamic Republic of Iran remains dangerously corrupt. While the average Iranian earns a mere $15,000 a year, corrupt, top political and military leaders control an estimated one-third of the nation's total economy. These same leaders are, more often than not, the same ones who repeatedly provide support for acts of terrorism in the Middle East and continue to sponsor terrorist groups around the world. prgtoken Unfortunately, the Iranian Government continues to tolerate this corruption, which is why the State Department has named Iran as a country of primary concern for money laundering and it continues to be listed as a state sponsor of terrorism. prgtoken These officials who perpetuate such destructive and destabilizing behavior should and need to be exposed. prgtoken Today, I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 1638, the Iranian Leadership Asset Transparency Act. This bill will require a list of the known assets of senior Iranian officials to be made publicly available in all three of Iran's major languages. Specifically, the U.S. Treasury Secretary will submit a report to Congress on the assets held by Iran's most senior political, military, and business leaders and on the probable sources and uses of the assets. prgtoken This report will serve as yet another tool in the toolbox of businesses and financial institutions, both foreign and domestic, to better comply with existing sanction regimes and international financial restrictions. prgtoken It will provide clarity and certainty for companies when determining the legitimacy of their business partners if they decide that doing business with Iran is in their interest. prgtoken Moreover, with this information, with better knowledge of where their money is going, Iranians who wish to invest not in terrorism or in corruption, but in freedom, can. prgtoken Today, we can help the freedom-loving people of Iran. We can help shine a light on Iran's corruption, and America can continue to be a shining city on a hill. prgtoken I appreciate the work of my colleague from Maine (Mr. Poliquin), prgtoken whom I am proud to serve with on the Terrorism and Illicit Finance Subcommittee. I thank Chairman Hensarling and Monetary Policy and Trade Subcommittee Chairman Barr for moving such an important bill through the committee and to the floor today. I urge all of my colleagues to vote in support of H.R. 1638.
Tax Reform Bill (Executive Session)
Ted Cruz (Republican, TX) \u2014 2017-12-13

this week is a great week for the State of Texas and for the Federal judiciary because this week we will be confirming two exemplary judges from the State of Texas to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit: Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Willett and former Texas Solicitor General Jim Ho. These will be the 11th and 12th court of appeals nominees who we will have confirmed this year--a modern-day record. prgtoken Indeed, I looked up just the other day the number of assigned slots on the Federal courts of appeals. It is 179. This means the 12 that have been nominated and confirmed this year represent roughly 7 percent of the appellate bench. That is a powerful accomplishment for the first year of this Presidency, a powerful accomplishment for this majority in the Senate, and a powerful legacy that will extend decades into the future, protecting our constitutional rights, protecting the Bill of Rights, protecting the First Amendment, free speech, religious liberty, protecting the Second Amendment, and protecting all the fundamental liberties we enjoy as Americans. prgtoken With respect to Don Willett and Jim Ho, I have known both of them for decades. Both are close friends. Both are brilliant lawyers. Both have spent decades earning a reputation as principled constitutionalists who will remain faithful to the law and will not impose their own policy preferences from the bench. prgtoken Beyond that, both Don and Jim are testaments to the American dream. They have both taken different paths to the Fifth Circuit, but both of their stories encapsulate what is so incredible about this great Nation. prgtoken Justice Willett was born Donny Ray Willett--his birth certificate doesn't say Donald; it says Donny Ray--in July of 1966, to an unwed teenage mother. He was a sickly and frail newborn who was not even expected to survive until Christmas. But he was nursed back to health and then adopted by an incredible couple who were unable to have their own children. prgtoken Justice Willett grew up in a double-wide trailer in a small town of just 32 people, surrounded by cotton and cattle. His town had a cotton gin and a Catholic church. That is about it. prgtoken Justice Willett suffered heartbreak early in life. His father passed away at age 40, just 2 weeks after Justice Willett turned 6 years old. He was prgtoken raised by his widowed mother, who waited tables at the local truck stop. She would leave the trailer for her 6 a.m. shift before Justice Willett even woke up in the morning. He would wake himself up, get fed, dressed, and then catch the bus to a neighboring town to go to school. prgtoken Justice Willett was the first person in his family to even finish high school, let alone go to college and then to law school. He has four degrees. He got his bachelor's from Baylor with a triple major in economics, finance, and public administration. He then received a master's degree in political
Ken Buck (Republican, CO) \u2014 2017-12-13

I rise today in support of the rule and the underlying legislation. prgtoken This rule provides for consideration of two bills dealing with Iran and its continued support of international terrorism. In addition, the rule makes in order all submitted amendments. prgtoken These bills were the subject of hearings in the Financial Services Committee and were marked up and reported favorably to the House. Both prgtoken bills received bipartisan support in the committee, and I would expect that we will see significant bipartisan support on the House floor. prgtoken , it is no secret that Iran's leaders have a threat to our way of life. We don't have to look any further than Iranian support for lethal attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, particularly through IEDs, to witness Iran's hostility toward us. Going back several decades, Iran has routinely terrorized the Middle East and has sought to export terror worldwide. prgtoken Iran's numerous threats to annihilate our friend and ally, Israel, are a steady drumbeat that should continuously remind us of Iran's threat. prgtoken In 2001, the Ayatollah Khamenei is quoted as saying: ``It is the mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to erase Israel from the map of the region.'' prgtoken In 2002, a leader of Hezbollah, which is a known extension of the Iranian regime, said: ``If Jews all gather in Israel, it will save us the trouble of going after them worldwide.'' prgtoken But lest we think these are the views of the past, the Ayatollah was quoted in 2014 saying that ``this . . . regime of Israel . . . has no cure but to be annihilated.'' prgtoken And we could go on. The evidence of Iran's intent on the destruction of Israel is nearly endless. Just yesterday, the commander of Iran's revolutionary guards offered to support Palestinians if they choose to stage an armed uprising to take by force Israel's newly recognized capital: Jerusalem. prgtoken Any country whose leaders actively support terrorism against Israel and whose leaders take an official position that the nation of Israel should be eliminated from the Earth are, and always must be, a sworn enemy of the United States. prgtoken But it is not just Israel. Other Middle Eastern allies in the United States have been the target of Iran's hostility as well. Namely, Saudi Arabia has been increasingly threatened by the Iranian regime. prgtoken In 2011, our FBI and DEA agents successfully disrupted a plot by Iran to assassinate the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the U.S. here in Washington, D.C. The uncovered plot included bombing a restaurant in D.C. at which the Saudi Arabian Ambassador was planning to eat. The bombing would almost certainly have killed innocent Americans as well. prgtoken The list could go on. prgtoken Iran has fomented unrest in Iraq, has sought to subject Sunni Muslims to Shiite militias, has supplied the Syrian regime in its years-long civil war, has supported Hezbollah and Hamas, has flagrantly disre
David A. Trott (Republican, MI) \u2014 2017-12-13

I thank my friend from Georgia for yielding and for his hard work on this rule. prgtoken , I rise in support of the rule today, which allows for consideration of H.R. 2396, the Privacy Notification Technical Clarification Act. prgtoken I would like to begin by thanking Chairman Hensarling for guiding this bill through committee, and Chairman Sessions for his work on bringing this rule to the floor. I also want to thank Mr. Clay for his very helpful amendment. prgtoken One of the reasons I came to Congress was to reduce the regulatory burden in our country so that businesses could have the freedom to grow, thrive, and create jobs for hardworking Americans. This bill is about modernizing one of those outdated regulations that has been a burden to businesses and consumers alike, the privacy notification rules. prgtoken Now, a couple of minutes ago, my friend from Colorado gave a very nice speech about DACA, about tax reform, about the public opinion of this institution; but the speech had nothing to do with consideration of this rule today. When he finally got around to talking about the rule, he said we should not allow the rule to move forward because the underlying bill, H.R. 2396, in light of the Equifax scandal, we should not be eliminating privacy notices and allow banks to circumvent those rules because it is going to hurt consumers. prgtoken None of this is correct. This bill is a very simple bill. It deals with auto finance companies and it relieves them from the burden of having to send out privacy notices to consumers year after year when the policy hasn't changed. If the auto finance companies change the policy, they have to send out new privacy notices. If a consumer calls up and says, ``I know the policy hasn't change, but I would like to see the rule,'' they can go on the website or they can ask that the policy be mailed to them. This bill in no way harms consumers. prgtoken Now, just last year, we passed the bipartisan bill that allowed banks to stop sending privacy notices to consumers if nothing in the policy had changed. This noncontroversial measure passed by voice vote, with Members on both sides of aisle realizing that companies were wasting enormous amounts of paper and money sending out duplicative and unnecessary privacy notices year after year. prgtoken The bill achieved its goal. Millions of dollars that would have been spent on paper and postage were instead put back into our local communities. My bill builds on this success and extends the provision to companies lending money to people buying vehicles. prgtoken This means that those who extend credit to consumers who buy vehicles from Ford, GM, Harley-Davidson, and other iconic American companies would receive the same benefit as banks, and, more importantly, consumers would no longer be bombarded with a never-ending stream of little print privacy notices and policies that haven't changed. prgtoken This is a bipartisan, commonsense m
IRANIAN LEADERSHIP ASSET TRANSPARENCY ACT
Ted Budd (Republican, NC) \u2014 2017-12-13

I rise today in support of Mr. Poliquin's bill, the Iranian Leadership Asset Transparency Act, and I thank him for his leadership on this issue. prgtoken It is not uncommon these days to see Iranian fingerprints all over the instability and unrest that plague the Middle East. That is why our own State prgtoken Department classifies Iran as a country of primary concern for money laundering and international terror financing. prgtoken Just this weekend, Mr. Chair, we saw their handiwork yet again. This time, it was Lebanon, where the now largely Iranian-backed Hezbollah influenced government called for economic sanctions on the United States. Why? prgtoken Simply for recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. prgtoken Just a few at the top in this corrupt Iranian regime are flush with cash, but they support illicit causes and terror in the Middle East, all the while the average Iranian gets by on an average salary of $15,000 a year. prgtoken Accountability for those profiting at the top, at the expense of those suffering at the bottom, is long overdue. Luckily, Mr. Poliquin's bill helps us to achieve this goal by requiring that the Treasury Department provide a report to Congress on the financial assets of these senior Iranian officials involved in corruption and illicit finance. prgtoken Also, if enacted, this bill will shed light on Iranian terror activities and let the Iranian people know how their leaders actually operate. This is a key aspect of the bill, since most news is disseminated through government-controlled outlets. True information is hard to come by. prgtoken The bottom line is this: This is an important piece of legislation that I believe will help disrupt the Iranian terror network. I urge all my colleagues to support this measure. Let's send a message to this regime that this body, the people's House, is united on this front, and let's send a message to the Iranian people that we are with them as well. prgtoken I again thank my friend, Mr. Poliquin from Maine, for his leadership on this issue, and I urge adoption of his legislation.
STRENGTHENING OVERSIGHT OF IRAN'S ACCESS TO FINANCE ACT
Jeb Hensarling (Republican, TX) \u2014 2017-12-13

my friends on the other side of the aisle seem to be schizophrenic. They can't seem to figure out whether they want to coddle Iran or to ``stand up to'' Iran. We were also told that H.R. 4324 was designed to ``blame and shame'' financial institutions, and now they offer a motion to recommit to blame and shame financial institutions. prgtoken So here is what is going on, : What we have is a regime that wakes up every morning shouting ``Death to America; death to Israel,'' and yet we have a motion to recommit trying to relitigate the 2016 Presidential election. prgtoken We have a regime which has been certified as the world's foremost state sponsor of terrorism whom we are trying to hold accountable and from whom we are trying to get information, and our friends on the other side of the aisle are trying to relitigate the 2016 Presidential election. prgtoken We know that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps supports the Assad regime in Syria. According to the U.N the Assad government, with the help of Iran, has now carried out 27 chemical weapon attacks since the start of the Syrian conflict, including an April 2017 sarin gas attack that killed more than 80 people, including scores of women and children, and my friends on the other side of the aisle want to relitigate the 2016 Presidential election. prgtoken , Iran continues to imprison foreign nationals, including Americans--including Americans--including 81-year-old Baquer Namazi, who has lost his teeth in prison due to malnutrition. We have had another American prisoner, a student at Princeton, who has suffered health problems, and yet my friends on the other side of the aisle, with their motion to recommit, want to relitigate the 2016 Presidential election. prgtoken This is a serious moment, . H.R. 4324 by the gentleman from Texas is an important piece of legislation to ensure that civilian aircraft sales to Iran remain civilian aircraft and that our financial institutions are not unwittingly helping to finance this rogue terrorist regime, and it is no time to relitigate an election that my friends on the other side of the aisle lost. prgtoken We need to reject the motion to recommit, and we need to enact H.R. 4324. prgtoken , .
CONGRATULATING THE FESTUS TIGERS GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY TEAM
Blaine Luetkemeyer (Republican, MO) \u2014 2017-12-13

I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the Festus Tigers Girls Cross Country team on winning the Class 3 Cross Country State Championship. This team and their coach should be commended for all of their hard work throughout this past year and for bringing home the state championship to their school and community. I ask you to join me in recognizing the Festus Tigers Girls Cross Country team for a job well done.
STRENGTHENING OVERSIGHT OF IRAN'S ACCESS TO FINANCE ACT
Andy Barr (Republican, KY) \u2014 2017-12-13

I rise today in support of the Strengthening Oversight of Iran's Access to Finance Act introduced by my good friend, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Williams). prgtoken Since the seizure of the U.S. Embassy and the taking of 66 American hostages during the 1979 revolution, Iran has taken a long view on its global ambition, supporting terrorist proxies like Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis in Yemen. prgtoken From 1983, when Iran-supported Hezbollah bombed a U.S. Marines barracks in Lebanon, killing 243 servicemembers, to the killing of over 500 soldiers in Iraq by the elite Quds Force leader, Qasem Soleimani, Iran has earned its reputation as the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism. prgtoken Most recently, Iran Air, an Iranian state-owned airline, was sanctioned by the Treasury Department in 2011 for using its commercial passenger aircraft to transport weapons to terrorists helping the Assad regime in Syria and for transporting military cargo to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. This is in addition to what the world already well knows, that the Iranian regime has covered up and lied about its nuclear program for decades, deceiving international inspectors, agreeing to intrusive inspections, and then allowing those inspections to be implemented only provisionally and selectively. prgtoken Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, regularly chants ``Death to America'' and ultimately calls for the annihilation of the Jewish people. prgtoken In 2015, the administration made a historic mistake by agreeing to the ill-conceived Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or as it is also called, the Iran nuclear agreement or JCPOA. The agreement removed financial sanctions on Iran, enabling greater financial resources for Iranian-funded terrorism. prgtoken Adding insult to injury, later, in 2016, due to the agreement, the Treasury Department authorized the sale of more than 200 planes to Iran, the same Iranian airline that was sanctioned in 2011, and the Department also authorized U.S. banks to finance these transactions. But there is evidence that the carrier has continued its illicit behavior. prgtoken According to an April 2017 hearing in our subcommittee, Dr. Emanuele Ottolenghi, a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, testified that Iran Air operated at least 114 flights to Syria between January 16, 2016, which was Implementation Day of the JCPOA, and March 30, 2017. These flights are known as weapons resupply routes and stopovers in Iran with a suspected IRGC logistical hub that supports airlifts to the Assad regime. prgtoken In communications with the committee, Dr. Ottolenghi later confirmed that Iran Air had run at least 134 such flights between Implementation Day and May 4, 2017, which means the Iran nuclear agreement facilitated Iran helping the brutal murderous regime of Assad. prgtoken In exchange, what did the United States get out of this? prgtoken Only managed ac
IRANIAN LEADERSHIP ASSET TRANSPARENCY ACT
Bruce Poliquin (Republican, ME) \u2014 2017-12-13

. What difference does that have to do with the---- Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California reclaiming my time, I will tell Mr. Poliquin what difference it makes. prgtoken Here we are with threats from North Korea and the President of the United States unwilling to be involved with diplomacy, who, rather, would like to basically mimic and mock the leader of North Korea by calling him ``Little Rocket Man,'' and by telling the Secretary of State: Don't talk to him. It is no use to talk with him. prgtoken So here we have North Korea, who has already indicated that they have missiles that will reach us right here in the United States, anywhere in the United States, and Mr. Poliquin is telling me about his concern about missiles in Iran that are not a part of the nuclear deal. prgtoken , .
IN HONOR OF LANETT WINNING AHSAA CLASS 2A HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TITLE
Mike Rogers (Republican, AL) \u2014 2017-12-13

I ask for the House's attention today to recognize Lanett High School for winning the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) Class 2A football state title for the first time ever. prgtoken The Panthers sealed their victory by beating Leroy High School 33-15 on December 8 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. prgtoken , please join me in congratulating the students and faculty of Lanett High School, the coaches, the players and all the Panthers fans on this exciting achievement. Go Panthers.