mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL UNDER CHAPTER 8 OF TITLE 5, UNITED STATES CODE, OF THE RULE SUBMITTED BY THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY, RELATING TO...
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2019-10-23

today, are forcing a vote to repeal the administration's sensible rule to disallow bogus charitable deductions that are designed to circumvent the SALT, or the State and local tax, deduction cap that was part of the 2017 tax reform bill. prgtoken Frankly, I welcome this vote and today's debate. It gives us an opportunity to review all the benefits of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. prgtoken While drafting the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Congress made a conscious choice to cap the State and local tax deduction, or SALT, at $10,000. Doing so allowed us to provide additional tax relief to the middle class, support families by doubling the child tax credit, and simplify the Tax Code for filers by nearly doubling the standard deduction. prgtoken These changes resulted in the average family of four in my home State of South Dakota receiving a tax cut of more than $2,000. prgtoken In response to this cap, certain high-tax States adopted--what some would call ``creative'' but what I would call ``bogus''--schemes to try to circumvent the cap. These so-called charities that these States have set up are designed solely as an alternative method of paying State and local taxes so millionaires can shirk their Federal tax obligations. So the IRS did what the tax law directed. It enacted sensible regulations to shut down these bogus tax avoidance schemes. But it did so in a thoughtful manner, carefully considering more than 7,700 comments and creating a safe harbor for certain donations to avoid unintentionally discouraging actual charitable giving. prgtoken It is ironic that , who uniformly opposed the middle-class tax cuts in the new tax law, are now calling for a tax cut for the most well off Americans. Based on nonpartisan data from the Joint Committee on Taxation, 94 percent of the benefit from passing this CRA would flow to taxpayers with incomes of over $200,000. Fifty-two percent of the benefit would go to those with incomes of over $1 million. prgtoken In fact, repealing the SALT cap would result in millionaires receiving an average tax cut of nearly $60,000, while the average tax cut for taxpayers with incomes between $50,000 and $100,000 would be less than $10. prgtoken If you put that into perspective, the choice here is very clear. Today, we have an opportunity to vote no--to vote no--on the ' proposed tax cut for millionaires. Religious Freedom prgtoken The ic Party has undergone quite an evolution over these past 3 years. Like all political parties, the ic Party has always had an extremist fringe, with the far-left wing of the ic Party rapidly becoming its mainstream. have been falling all over each other to see how far they can run to the left. Socialism, a concept that, in America at least, seemed to have been firmly consigned to the ash heap of history is now being openly embraced by the ic Party. Leading Demo
TRIBUTE TO LEON G. FELT
Tom McClintock (Republican, CA) \u2014 2019-10-23

I rise tonight to tell a remarkable story of the unacknowledged patriotism and heroism of a 23-year-old Army scout, who, on December 3, 1944, was immersed in the horror and peril of some of the worst of the fighting in the bloody nightmare of the Philippines campaign. At Mount Cabunganan, Technician 5th Class Leon G. Felt heroically engaged the enemy. prgtoken His family keeps the steel helmet he wore that day. The back half of that helmet is riddled with shrapnel holes from the inside out. A grenade exploded beneath him, and the deadly shrapnel blew up his left side, blowing off his helmet from below with enough force to pierce it. prgtoken Now, Leon never talked much about what happened that day. The war ended, and he came home after months in Army hospitals dealing with his grave injuries. The only thing his family really knew, years later, was a brief entry in his journal. It said, ``Lieutenant Hanna told me he put me in for a Silver Star for what I did in the attack,'' but nothing came of it. prgtoken His wife told me that the Army's final orders to Leon and his comrades were: go home, get a job, look after your families. Well, that is exactly what Leon Felt did. He joined the Southern Pacific Railroad, ultimately retiring as a shop foreman. He became deeply involved in his church. He married Lois Wade, his wife of 32 years, until she died in 1976. He then married Nola Pulsipher, who survives him after 42 years of marriage. He raised eight children and today has 41 grandchildren, 110 great-grandchildren with three more on the way, and seven great- great-grandchildren. prgtoken The war never left him. Nola says she would often rescue him from his frequent nightmares, and all he could say through his tears was, ``It's either kill or be killed.'' His children only knew that he was in the thick of the war, that he had come home wounded, and that those days in the Philippines still haunted him. prgtoken In recent years, Leon's family began looking into his service record. Having read his journal, his daughter, Lydean, began searching for what he did that day that would have rated a recommendation for the Silver Star. They had ordered copies of his medals, but there was no mention of a Silver Star in them. He had received the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart, among other decorations. prgtoken But Lydean remained curious about that entry in his diary, and what seemed to be a confusing note on one Army form that suggested there might be something more, though there was no official record of it. Now, Lydean, who has all of the timidity of a heat-seeking missile, wouldn't give up. She wrote the National Personnel and Record Center of the National Archives. The Archives could find no record of other medals, including the Silver Star. A fire in 1973, they feared, would have destroyed any record if he had. But Lydean persisted. prgtoken The archives kept digging, and then they stumbled upon a curious thing: a collect
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL UNDER CHAPTER 8 OF TITLE 5, UNITED STATES CODE, OF THE RULE SUBMITTED BY THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY, RELATING TO...
Roy Blunt (Republican, MO) \u2014 2019-10-23

this is a classic example of everything has been said but not everybody has said it yet. One of the great traditions of the Senate is to be sure everybody says it. We are going to say it now, and we will prgtoken continue to say it until the House finally has that vote. prgtoken It has been pointed out that this agreement was signed well over a year ago. It has been pointed out that our two biggest trading partners are Mexico and Canada, in that order. It has been pointed out that there is lots of focus on agriculture. Every State is an agriculture State. Every State has that as a significant part of their economy. Nobody in the world does that part of the economy more efficiently or more effectively than we do. So that is important. It is important to realize that lots of other things are in trade, as well, but agriculture has to be mentioned a lot until we get this done. prgtoken Whether I was at the Missouri State Fair in August or the roundtable meetings I was at in our State in October, cost comes up--$88 billion is the agricultural economy in Missouri. We are about the same amount. I think Senator Hoeven said his State is in the top 10. Ours is too. We export about $4 billion worth of ag products. We also export pickup trucks and airplanes and lots of technology from our State. We export our fair share of beer cans and other things that go all over the world. We are going to continue to make that happen. prgtoken Opening markets make a big difference. It also makes a big difference in how you look at the world. If you have strong trading relationships, you are pretty careful with how you deal with all those other relationships. We need to do that. We need to have this vote. The votes are in the House. The votes are in the Senate. It is up to the to bring this up. prgtoken I think the U.S. Trade Representative is working as hard with in the House as he could possibly be expected to do to maybe look at those last few things that might make this a better deal. prgtoken Senator Portman did a great job talking about why the choice here is if you want to continue to have NAFTA--which has been great for all three partners, Canada, Mexico, and us--or do you want to have USMCA, which in area after area has the 20-year update it needs. prgtoken We need to get on with this. We need to get on with the activities of the day. Remembering Ted Stevens prgtoken , I am going to start off by saying one of the things we are going to do today is accept the official portrait of Ted Stevens, President pro tempore of the Senate--the highest office that the Senate can possibly give to anybody. It is the highest office in the Senate. prgtoken He was the chairman one time of the Commerce Committee, chairman of the appropriating committee, and a guy who flew those tough planes in the toughest areas in World War II. prgtoken He was a person who always did his best to try to
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL UNDER CHAPTER 8 OF TITLE 5, UNITED STATES CODE, OF THE RULE SUBMITTED BY THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY, RELATING TO...
Cindy Hyde-Smith (Republican, MS) \u2014 2019-10-23

the American people elected President based in part on his promise to negotiate better trade deals with foreign nations--first among them, our largest trading partners, Canada and Mexico. prgtoken The President and his administration wasted no time in working with these two neighbors to rewrite the North American Free Trade Agreement to reflect today's economic reality. Those talks produced the United States- Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, prgtoken which the President unveiled more than 1 year ago. prgtoken When NAFTA was written more than a quarter of a century ago, the internet was in its infancy and few could have foreseen the increasingly globalized and digital economy we have today. USMCA takes us into the 21st century, updating antiquated rules to prohibit the theft of trade secrets, reward American innovators, and improve cross- border e-commerce, while also providing increased market access for American businesses and benefits for American workers in more traditional sectors like agriculture and manufacturing. prgtoken Market access is very important to agriculture and to our Nation's economy in general. Ninety-five percent of the world's population lives outside of these United States. Without good trade agreements that give us free access to the world's marketplace, we cannot prosper in agriculture or any other business that depends on exports. The USMCA will result in a fairer deal for U.S. businesses and consumers. prgtoken Today the American people should ask why it has taken more than a year for the House and Senate to take up, debate, and pass an agreement that will boost the American economy and job creation. prgtoken Manufacturers, farmers, and other businesses in my State of Mississippi certainly want to know why we have not done that. The truth is, House have delayed taking action because they want first to deny President a win for as long as possible and, secondly, to secure last-minute favors for Big Labor. prgtoken It is ironic that these same and big labor groups now oppose USMCA because of environmental protections or labor rights. The truth is, they are largely responsible for the original NAFTA, which they now claim incentivized a mass exodus of U.S. companies to Mexico and decimated our manufacturing sector. prgtoken Unfortunately, ' inexcusable foot-dragging is just hurting American consumers and businesses. For years, Mississippi has worked aggressively to increase the market penetration of its manufactured goods and agricultural products in foreign markets. My State exported $11.8 billion in goods in 2018--a 61-percent increase over the past decade. Foreign trade accounts for almost 10 percent of Mississippi's GDP. More than 50,000 workers and large manufacturers, medium and small businesses, and farms played a role in producing these goods for use around the world but primarily to Canada and Mexico, my State's largest trade
CONDEMNING UNFAIR IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS
James Comer (Republican, KY) \u2014 2019-10-23

. Madam , I rise today to strongly condemn the unfair, closed-door, hyperpartisan, impeachment inquiry process being conducted by House . prgtoken Nothing, not even the cold, hard facts, will stop the partisan politics of my colleagues on the left from nullifying the 2016 election. prgtoken One of Pelosi's committee chairs who she chose to lead this process promised years ago that she would find a way to impeach the President. This has been the plan from the beginning. prgtoken Certain minority rights have been denied to s during this process, like equal subpoena power, a right that s provided during the Clinton impeachment. prgtoken Chairman Schiff started this trend of dishonesty by promoting false allegations related to the President and Russia. Now, he has publicly mischaracterized his committee's handling of the whistleblower inquiry and deceived the American people about his relationship with the whistleblower. prgtoken still refuse to hold a full House vote on their impeachment inquiry, yet they continue this baseless impeachment inquiry of President instead of tackling the issues most important to our citizens. prgtoken I urge the American people to take a hard look at the lack of transparency and accountability surrounding this unfounded impeachment inquiry.
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL UNDER CHAPTER 8 OF TITLE 5, UNITED STATES CODE, OF THE RULE SUBMITTED BY THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY, RELATING TO...
Cory Gardner (Republican, CO) \u2014 2019-10-23

from Montana for his comments on the USMCA. prgtoken I come to the floor today to talk about a farm tour that I have done every year that I have been in the Senate. This is a tradition that started when I was in the House of Representatives with the wheat growers in Colorado, where we go around the Fourth Congressional District talking about those issues that matter to our farmers in the wheat business. Colorado's Fourth Congressional District raises the vast majority of wheat in the State of Colorado, and about 87 percent of that wheat gets exported. prgtoken Senator Daines' comments on the USMCA and what that means for Eastern Colorado are incredibly important. I hope that is a bipartisan effort that we can all get behind in the House and the Senate, and, of course, it has to start in the House, and we need the House to act as quickly as possible because those wheat farmers in Eastern Colorado need the certainty of new markets. The cattlemen in Colorado need the certainty of new markets and existing markets. That is exactly what the USMCA will do. I commend my colleague for his words on the USMCA. prgtoken Over the last several months, I have been participating in this annual Colorado farm tour that I undertake every year with not only my staff but producers from across Colorado. It is in conjunction with a number of organizations in Colorado, like the Colorado Farm Bureau, Colorado wheat growers, corn growers, cattlemen, and others, prgtoken who all come together to show us every aspect of Colorado agriculture, from the production itself to the actual processing and finishing of agricultural products. prgtoken We drove hundreds of miles across the State of Colorado, starting in Greeley at a cheese-making plant. Almost all of the milk that is produced in Colorado--Colorado being one of the highest milk-producing States in the country--goes into cheese that every American gets to enjoy. Whether it is Domino's pizza or Papa John's pizza, that cheese most likely comes from Colorado. This is a great opportunity on this tour to connect all four corners of Colorado and the work that we do in agriculture and to hear their concerns. prgtoken We ended the farm tour at the State Fair in Pueblo. prgtoken What was particularly special about this year's farm tour, though, was, of course, being joined by the Colorado Farm Bureau, and the fact that it is the 100th year anniversary of the Colorado Farm Bureau. Congratulations to the Colorado Farm Bureau. We will be talking about that more over the next several months. Congratulations on this very historic anniversary, and thank you so much for joining this tour and making it happen once again. prgtoken As Members of Congress, all of us are used to discussing policy topics, but keeping farming and ranching at the forefront and keeping rural America at the forefront of those discussions is critically important because we need to focus specific
STOPPING HARMFUL INTERFERENCE IN ELECTIONS FOR A LASTING DEMOCRACY ACT
Rodney Davis (Republican, IL) \u2014 2019-10-23

. Madam Chair, I support this amendment. prgtoken I want to thank my colleagues, Mr. Levin, Ranking Member McCaul, Mr. Rouda, Ms. Speier, and Ms. Slotkin, for offering this very thoughtful amendment. I would like to note that, even though the issue of using shell corporations to make contributions is covered under the existing straw donor prohibition, I do believe more clarity is needed on this issue. prgtoken Madam Chair, I want to thank my colleagues. I am prepared to close, and .
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL UNDER CHAPTER 8 OF TITLE 5, UNITED STATES CODE, OF THE RULE SUBMITTED BY THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY, RELATING TO...
Patrick J. Toomey (Republican, PA) \u2014 2019-10-23

I rise to address the Congressional Review Act measure we will be voting on later today. prgtoken Let's be very clear. This is a vote the purpose of which is to overturn a very, very important part of the tax reform that we passed in December of 2017 that made the Tax Code much more fair than it was before. Specifically, I am referring to the limitations that we put on the ability of people to deduct State and local taxes. prgtoken Let's remember what our Tax Code looked like before our tax reform. Wealthy individuals could deduct the full amount of any State and local tax deductions, however high they got. And we use the acronym ``SALT'' to refer to these State and local tax deductions. So why do I say that is unfair? Well, it is unfair because it subsidizes people who choose to live in high-tax jurisdictions. It does that because it lowers the tax bill of somebody who lives in a high-tax jurisdiction, like Manhattan or San Francisco, because they get to deduct the full amount of the outrageously high State and local taxes they choose to pay. The fact that they get to deduct that big number means the rest of us have to pay higher rates on our income than we otherwise would have to pay. Why should my constituents in Blair County or Cambria County or anywhere else in Pennsylvania--constituents with modest incomes who choose local governments that keep a modest level of service and therefore a modest level of taxes--why should those constituents have to pay higher tax rates to subsidize the folks who have multimillion- dollar condos on the Upper West Side of Manhattan? It is totally unfair. They certainly should not have to do that. And have no doubt about it--the huge benefits of this unlimited State and local tax deduction that we used to have always flowed to a handful of States that have chosen to have very, very high taxes. California and New York are two good examples. Under the old regime, about one-third of all the benefits of the State and local tax deductions went to just those two States--just California and New York. They had one-third of all the benefits. prgtoken Take New Jersey, right next door to my State of Pennsylvania. New Jersey has 4 million fewer people than we have in Pennsylvania, almost one-third fewer people, but they got more of the benefit of the SALT deductions than my entire State. That is because New Jersey is a very high-tax State. Guess what. It is a high-tax State because the people who live there voted for politicians who raise their taxes. That is apparently what they want. They want to have all of the services that go with that. They are happy with very high State income tax and local property taxes. That is their decision. Look, if you want to vote for someone who is going to impose exorbitantly high taxes on you, you should be free to cast that vote. But don't expect my constituents to subsidize them. prgtoken So that was the regime we had in place. Tax r
REMEMBERING TED STEVENS
Pat Roberts (Republican, KS) \u2014 2019-10-23

today I wish to pay tribute to my dear friend and colleague, the former senator from Alaska, Ted Stevens. He was an incomparable and one of kind senator. prgtoken With Ted, they broke the mold. prgtoken To me, he was my friend, mentor, and a person that comes along your pathway of life who changes everything. prgtoken In all my years in the House, I seldom sheathed my sword with appropriators who were always rustling our mandatory and authorized money. Our cause was just, but seldom successful. prgtoken It did not take Ted and Danny Inouye long to convince me not only to sheath my sword but give it to them. I had been in the Senate for just a few months when Ted cornered me on the Senate floor, jabbed me in my shoulder and said, ``You're coming with me to North Korea. Don't argue with me, Dole says you are Mr. Agriculture. You don't have to say anything, just nod your head.'' prgtoken He was trying to arrange a third-party grain sale to alleviate constant famines in North Korea. He and Danny almost pulled it off. prgtoken If you wanted to get things done, it was a good idea to listen to Uncle Ted. His advice: ``Get to really know people. Don't pay attention to partisan diatribes, socialize and gain their trust.'' prgtoken By following his advice, it is amazing what you can get done. I still apply those lessons today; it works: 87 votes for a farm bill that the President just signed last year. prgtoken Example may be better than advice, but when the two join hands they make a team that is hard to beat and that would be Ted Stevens and his friend--if not brother--Danny Inouye. Either one could be chairman, and the result would be the same in behalf of our military and national security. prgtoken We who have the public trust know we are only as good as our staff, and Ted had the best, many of whom are in the audience. prgtoken As the Senator toting the bucket for our beloved Marine Corps, I mention one: Sid Ashworth. prgtoken Back in the day, the Commandant would trust me to follow up after meeting with Ted. We all knew the Air Force got top dollar; then the Army, Navy, and maybe we got retread tires and bailing wire. prgtoken Sid said, ``Take in three requests. Make the first so big, he'll say, `You know we can't afford that.' Then with number two, make that difficult to understand and fill it with acronyms, and he'll shut you down. Finally for your third request: take your number one ask and plead your case, `What am I going to tell the Commandant? At least give me this.' '' prgtoken And it would work. Then I would call the Commandant and casually say, ``Sir, we're okay, we got our top ask.'' Thanks, Sid. prgtoken My relationship with Ted was simple, I did what he asked. On a CODEL, very late at night, we were watching ``Band of Brothers''--again; it was Ted's favorite. All lights were off, it was past midnight, everyone fast asleep. I was sitting next to Ted whose eyes were closed, so I got up quietly and at