mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018
Tom McClintock (Republican, CA) \u2014 2017-10-26

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. prgtoken , unsustainable government spending drives both taxes and debt. prgtoken The budget resolution sets the spending architecture for the fiscal year. The House version provided for $200 billion of enforceable mandatory spending reductions over 10 years and balanced within the decade. The Senate amendments gut these provisions, squandering the one opportunity Congress has each year to bring mandatory spending under control, taking us another year closer to a sovereign debt crisis. This is tragic, and I condemn it in the strongest terms. prgtoken The Senate, though, has retained just one key provision from the House budget. It makes tax reform possible this year. Tax reform is essential to economic growth, and economic growth is essential to confront our debt. prgtoken Many are alarmed that it provides for $1.5 trillion of additional debt, but this is due solely to the Senate's rules that require tax cuts to be scored only as revenue losses without taking into account economic expansion. prgtoken During the years, our economy grew at an average of 1\1/2\ percent, annually. That is about half the average rate since World War II. Reagan averaged 3\1/2\ percent. Reagan did this by reducing the tax burdens that were crushing our economy. He slashed the top income tax rate from 70 percent down to 28 percent, and income tax receipts nearly doubled because of the economic expansion he unleashed. prgtoken Taxes driven by spending are the greatest threat to our economy today, and debt driven by spending is the greatest threat to our future. Controlling spending is currently impossible in the Senate. So it is obvious that we can't balance the budget and reduce our debt without significantly increasing economic growth; we can't increase economic growth without tax relief; and we can't get tax relief without the provisions in the Senate budget. prgtoken Arthur Laffer, the architect of the Reagan tax policy, forecasts that the corporate tax reform alone will increase GDP growth at a rate that should generate a temporary bump of 5 percent, settling down to an average of 2.6 percent over the decade. This will add $5 trillion to the American economy and directly increase revenues to all levels of government between $1.8 trillion and $2 trillion. prgtoken We have tried a static approach to tax policy during the years. The economy stagnated and the debt doubled. prgtoken I remember what it was like in the Reagan era. Wages were rising and opportunities for better jobs were everywhere. There was a sense of optimism that comes with prosperity and abundance. When we abandoned these policies, we lost that prosperity to a decade of despair. prgtoken I want my kids to know what that sense of relief and optimism was like, what it feels like when morning dawns again on the American economy. This resolution starts that transformation, and I urge its adoption.
TRIBUTE TO MAJOR GENERAL GARY L. SAYLER
Mike Crapo (Republican, ID) \u2014 2017-10-26

today, together with my colleague Senator Jim Risch, I wish to recognize the service of MG Gary L. Sayler as he retires from leading the Idaho National Guard this month. prgtoken With more than 40 years of his distinguished 45-year military career dedicated to the Idaho National Guard, Major General Sayler has served Idaho in a variety of leadership capacities, including 7 years as Idaho's adjutant general. Under Major General Sayler's direction as commander, the 124th Fighter Wing played vital roles in numerous overseas missions, including Operation Provide Comfort in 1994, Operation Allied Force in 1999, and Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 and 2004. He subsequently served as assistant adjutant general from 2004 to 2010 before being appointed as adjutant general for the Idaho National Guard in 2010, during the fighter wing's ongoing missions in the Middle East in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Inherent Resolve, and Operation Freedom's Sentinel. The 124th Fighter Wing has received numerous accolades under his steady guidance. These include the prestigious Spaatz Trophy in 2016 and again in 2017; the Governor's Outstanding Unit Award; and the U.S. Air Force Outstanding Unit Award. prgtoken Major General Sayler has built on his extensive experience to lead with practical knowledge. His educational background includes a bachelor of science in history and education at North Dakota State University in 1971 and later courses at the Air Command and Staff College, Weapons School, and Air War College. Major General Sayler began his first assignment in the U.S. Air Force in Thailand, flying combat missions in Southeast Asia before joining the Idaho Air National Guard in 1977 as a weapons systems officer for the 124th Tactical Reconnaissance Group. With a master navigator rating, he has extensive experience flying multiple aircrafts and has logged more than 4,100 flight hours. These include 392 combat hours that also account for his combat missions flying the F4-G over Iraq during Operations Southern Watch and Provide Comfort. His promotions and list of major awards and decorations that he has earned for his outstanding service are extensive and include the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Air Medal with silver oakleaf cluster. prgtoken Based on these accomplishments, Major General Sayler has provided reasoned and experienced council as we have worked together to address the needs of the Idaho National Guard, including protecting and advancing the flying mission at Gowen Field as an exemplary force within the National Guard for generations to come. While visionary in his goals for the Idaho National Guard, a hallmark of Major General Sayler's leadership has been his high regard for the servicemembers he leads and their families. In addition to the attention and support he has devoted to Idaho guardsmen and their families, Major General Sayler ha
TRIBUTE TO STEVE FOURNIER
Steve Daines (Republican, MT) \u2014 2017-10-26

I have the distinct honor of recognizing Steve Fournier of Butte, a tireless advocate for the most vulnerable Montanans. Steve is known by his peers for his dedication, compassion, and integrity working to help the homeless. prgtoken For nearly 16 years, Steve has helped Montanans find housing stability through his work as a case manager and service advocate for locally administered housing programs. When the rescue mission served as the emergency housing alternative for the Butte area after it closed earlier this year, Steve helped 22 households find a safe and warm place to stay. His efforts have helped many of his neighbors in southwest Montana overcome crisis situations and transition to a more hopeful path. prgtoken Steve's demonstrated commitment to assisting others is a genuine reflection of uncommon moral stamina. The Treasure State is humbled and blessed to have people like Mr. Fournier call Montana home. Thank you, Steve, for repeatedly finding a refuge in times of trouble.
CONGRATULATING COLLEGE WOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, A BLUE RIBBON SCHOOL
Susan W. Brooks (Republican, IN) \u2014 2017-10-26

I rise today to congratulate an outstanding school in my district that is being honored as a 2017 National Blue Ribbon School. It is a pleasure to congratulate College Wood Elementary School in Carmel, Indiana in celebration of this special occasion. prgtoken The National Blue Ribbon designation, given by the United States Department of Education, is awarded to both public and private schools across our great nation. Started by President Reagan and given annually since 1982, the award celebrates great American schools that achieve very high learning standards or are making significant improvements in the academic achievements of their students. In my district and across the country, the award recognizes the great educators, students, and parents who have worked so hard to ensure our children reach their full potential and achieve academic success. prgtoken For all of these reasons and many more, I am so proud that College Wood Elementary School is receiving this prestigious designation. It is a wonderful acknowledgement of the school's commitment to providing young Hoosiers an exceptional education. While hundreds of schools nationwide were nominated, only 342 schools were designated as 2017 National Blue Ribbon Schools. Of the 342 schools, College Wood Elementary School was one of seven Indiana schools to receive recognition, making this recognition all the more impressive. prgtoken All College Wood Elementary students are supported by a host of staff members in addition to the classroom teacher. Because of this, students are able to received personalized instruction in several subjects. College Wood Elementary strives to challenge each and every student to reach their fullest potential. With the help of this dedicated staff, academic teams representing College Wood have consistently scored in the top twenty-five percent of participating schools. Their hard work is deservedly rewarded with this Blue Ribbon Award. prgtoken As an advocate for education and youth, I also want to acknowledge how important it is to our nation's future to encourage and raise a new generation of Americans who have the skills and knowledge to succeed both in and out of the classroom. Students like those at College Wood Elementary School give me hope that we will accomplish this vital mission. Their outstanding work is an inspiration to students, educators, and parents across the nation. Once again, congratulations to College Wood Elementary School. I am very proud of you.
Veterans Choice Program (Executive Session)
James Lankford (Republican, OK) \u2014 2017-10-26

we are about to vote on a gentleman named Scott Palk, who was nominated by President to serve as a U.S. district court judge for the Western District of Oklahoma on May 8. prgtoken On June 15 of this year, he passed the Judiciary Committee with bipartisan support. It has taken us this long, from June 15, going through the committee process, to finally getting this to the floor in the last days of October. prgtoken This is the issue we face as a Senate right now. We have an opening with a judge who has already gone through the committee process, who has already been approved--who will be confirmed, I hope, with wide bipartisan support--but because of the ongoing delay of every nominee, of everything in the process, this is slowing down the wheels of our government across the country. Whether that be judges or whether that be individuals in the executive branch working in the agencies, we are seeing a constant slowing. We have to be able to correct this. prgtoken I would state that Americans will be very pleased when they get a chance to see Scott Palk on the bench. He will be a fair judge. He comes from a great family and has a great passion to serve people, both as he served in the U.S. attorney's office in the past and at the University of Oklahoma, working at the law school there. He will make the Nation proud. I am glad we have finally gone through this extremely long process to finally get him on and to get him seated on that bench. prgtoken In the days ahead, I look forward to the other positions in government being filled as well with other well-qualified individuals. I look forward to seeing this done. I look forward to seeing Scott Palk not as Scott Palk but as Judge Palk. prgtoken With that, .
Cloture Motion (Executive Session)
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2017-10-26

in my opening remarks today, I commended President once again for the outstanding judicial nominations he has made, and I reiterated the Senate's determination once more to continue confirming them regardless of the often mindless partisan obstruction we have been seeing across the aisle. prgtoken This pointless obstruction is designed simply to waste time, not to change an outcome, and it will not. It didn't stop the Senate from confirming Scott Palk, it will not stop the Senate from confirming Trevor McFadden, and it will not stop the Senate from confirming even more outstanding nominees next week. You can count on it. prgtoken I have filed cloture on four more well-qualified nominees for our Nation's circuit courts: Notre Dame law professor Amy Barrett, a nominee for the Seventh Circuit; Michigan Supreme Court Justice Joan Larsen, a nominee for the Sixth Circuit; Colorado Supreme Court Justice Allison Eid, a nominee for the Tenth Circuit; and University of Pennsylvania law professor Stephanos Bibas, a nominee for the Third Circuit. prgtoken By confirming these nominees, we can take a big step toward restoring our Nation's courts to their proper role, interpreting and applying the law based upon what it actually says, not what a judge might wish it to say. It is quite a departure from the last administration's philosophy when it came to selecting judicial nominees. prgtoken For the last 8 years, we had a President who said a criterion for lifetime positions was the ability to empathize with certain groups over others. It came to be known as the ``empathy standard.'' That is a great standard if you are the party in the case for whom the judge has empathy, not so great if you are the other person. It also is not in keeping with the longstanding American legal traditions of applying the law equally to all, giving every litigant a fair shake, and ruling based on the actual meaning of our Constitution and laws, not what a judge or some preferred political constituency might wish they meant. That, I believe, is the view of the American people. prgtoken President has done a terrific job of nominating judges who are already helping to restore the courts to their intended function in our system of government. The nominees we will consider next week are sure to do the same. prgtoken We will continue our efforts with consideration of the Barrett nomination on Monday. Amy Barrett is a professor of law at one of our Nation's premier law schools. Notre Dame happens to be a Catholic University. Amy Barrett happens to be a nominee who is a Catholic and who speaks freely and openly about her faith and its importance to her. For some on the left, that seems to be a disqualifying factor for her nomination. prgtoken I would remind colleagues that we do not have religious tests for office in this country. There is no religious test for office in the United States of America. prgtoken Amy Barrett's nomi
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018
Peter J. Roskam (Republican, IL) \u2014 2017-10-26

I am almost tempted to continue to yield time to my friend from the other side of the aisle. Just keep driving the expectations of any tax relief further and further into the ground, and I think people are going to be surprised and delighted with ultimately what the House ends up considering. prgtoken , this is why I am here. This is a prelude to tax reform. We vote on this. We then make it so that no single political party is able to deny a vote on tax reform, and both parties can come to the table and try and negotiate something that is thoughtful, because here is what we know: it is the current Tax Code that is benefiting people that everybody is scandalized that they are benefiting. It is the current Tax Code that allows corporations to lock trillions of dollars offshore. It is the current Tax Code that is really stifling and so difficult. And it is the current Tax Code that nobody can defend. There is not a single person on this floor that is going to say: Oh, the Internal Revenue Code? I love that, . Just leave it the way it is. It is a disaster, and nobody likes the IRS. prgtoken So rather than moaning and groaning and having posters and this and that, let's do this: let's dump the current Tax Code and let's have a transformational moment that is what our country and our constituents are yearning for, not old bumper stickers, not old shabby phrases from the past, but they are looking for us to lead and to bring people together, and that is what we are trying to do. prgtoken There is a meddlesome issue that affects my district as a high tax State, and it affects a lot of other folks, and that is how we deal with State and local tax deductibility. I am of the view that tax reform does not mean simply the redistribution of a tax liability from one part of the country to another, but it means tax relief for everybody. prgtoken , I think what we are looking for is to create middle class tax relief. And if the gentleman's expectations are that low, I think he is going to be pleased with what we ultimately are able to come up with. prgtoken , I urge an ``aye'' vote. I thank the gentlewoman for the time, and I look forward to passing this resolution and moving forward to changing our Tax Code.
HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES
Mike Rounds (Republican, SD) \u2014 2017-10-26

today I wish to recognize the courage and bravery of a fallen soldier, SGT Philip J. Iyotte of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. After 66 long years of waiting, Sergeant Iyotte's remains are finally being laid to rest this week in his hometown of White River, SD. prgtoken Sergeant Iyotte was born in White River on December 22, 1929. At just 18 years of age, Iyotte enlisted in the U.S. Army and was assigned to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, during the Korean war. prgtoken Upon being deployed overseas to Korea, Sergeant Iyotte's battalion was one of the first sent into battle in 1950. During combat, Sergeant Iyotte was wounded, but returned to the battlefield in just 3 weeks. prgtoken Months later, Sergeant Iyotte was detailed to Operation Thunderbolt on February 9, 1951. During this assignment, Sergeant Iyotte was captured and ultimately held at a prisoner-of-war camp in Changsong, where he passed away in 1951. However, his remains never made it home. prgtoken Due to his many heroic efforts, Sergeant Iyotte was awarded the Purple Heart Medal, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Prisoner of War Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Korean War Service Medal. prgtoken Through the combined effort of Sergeant Iyotte's family, the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and the Department of Veterans Affairs, Sergeant Iyotte's remains were positively identified earlier this year. This week, they return to his family so he can finally be laid to rest near his home in South Dakota. prgtoken With this, I welcome the opportunity to recognize the life of a fallen hero, SGT Philip James Iyotte, and commemorate his return to White River, SD. He is finally home.
Veterans Choice Program (Executive Session)
James M. Inhofe (Republican, OK) \u2014 2017-10-26

we have a very significant couple of votes coming up. One is the nomination of Scott Palk to be a district judge for the Western District of Oklahoma. We have been working on this for about 2 years now. He is one of the highest qualified individuals. prgtoken I thank the leader for moving forward on his nomination this week. I know judicial nominations are a priority of the leader's, and I share his belief in the importance of filling the many vacancies we have with judges who will uphold the rule of law, not predetermine outcomes and not legislate from the bench. Scott Palk fulfills and embodies this philosophy, and I have full confidence that he will be a judge whom Oklahoma and the Nation will be proud of. prgtoken This nomination is of great need to the Western District, located in Oklahoma City, which has a very heavy caseload. In fact, we have three vacancies on the bench there. One vacancy goes back over 4 years and another over 3 years, so this nomination is desperately needed. prgtoken Mr. Palk was nominated in the last Congress--so it was not this Congress--during the previous administration. He made it through the Judiciary Committee by voice vote before we ran out of time at the end of the 114th Congress. We would have had this done, but we just flat ran out of time. He had bipartisan support in the last Congress and has in this Congress, with there having been a 17-to-3 vote in the Judiciary Committee. It is not very often that happens. prgtoken He also has bipartisan support back home in Oklahoma. He comes highly recommended by David Boren. Everyone here knows who David Boren is. The Presiding Officer remembers David Boren. He was my predecessor in this seat. He was the president of the University of Oklahoma but is retired now. He is a . Actually, he and I were elected to the House of Representatives in Oklahoma on the same day, so we go back a long way. David Boren knows Mr. Palk very well because Scott Palk has worked at the University of Oklahoma College of Law for about 15 years now after his having left a successful career in both the U.S. attorney's office and as a county district attorney. prgtoken David Boren said of Palk--now, this is a talking about Scott Palk--``He would make an excellent judge,'' would be ``balanced and fair in his approach,'' and has ``an excellent reputation for complete honesty and integrity.'' I don't know what more you could want in a judge. prgtoken That is David Boren talking, my predecessor in the Senate. prgtoken Again, I thank the leader for his commitment to fulfilling our judicial vacancies, and I ask that my colleagues support the nomination, as I am sure they will, with a ``yes'' vote for Mr. Palk. prgtoken .
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018
Diane Black (Republican, TN) \u2014 2017-10-26

such time as I may consume. prgtoken I almost can't sit here and not make a comment on my colleagues' budget on the other side of the aisle. All of a sudden, they seem to be very concerned about deficits when, as a matter of fact, their budget assumed almost $1 trillion worth of deficits in their budget. prgtoken I want to also say that our committee did a really good job in having a balanced budget, and we are, obviously, looking at a budget from the Senate that we are going to be taking up so that we can do tax reform. prgtoken But they also, in addition to that, had $2 trillion worth of new taxes that they placed on the American people. So all of a sudden, this purity of worrying about these deficits just makes me scratch my head, and about raising taxes on the people when their own plan did the very opposite of what we are trying to do is cut taxes. They added $2 trillion worth of taxes. prgtoken .