mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
AUTHORITY FOR COMMITTEES TO MEET
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2017-10-25

I have 8 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority leaders. prgtoken Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate: Committee Commerce, Science, and Transportation prgtoken The Committee Commerce, Science, and Transportation is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, October 25, 2017, at 10 a.m in room SR-253 to conduct a hearing entitled ``The Commercial Satellite Industry: What's Up and What's on the Horizon.'' Committee on Environment and Public Works prgtoken The Committee on Environment and Public Works is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, October 25, 2017, at 10 a.m in room SD-406 to conduct a hearing on the following nominations: Michael Dourson, of Ohio, to be Assistant Administrator for Toxic Substances, and William L. Wehrum, of Delaware, Matthew Z. Leopold, of Florida, and David Ross, of Wisconsin, each to be an Assistant Administrator, all of the Environmental Protection Agency, Paul Trombino III, of Wisconsin, to be Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, Department of Transportation, and Jeffery Martin Baran, of Virginia, to be a Member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Committee on Environment and Public Works prgtoken The Committee on Environment and Public Works is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, October 25, 2017, at 10 a.m in room SD-406 to conduct a hearing entitled ``The Wildfire Prevention and Mitigation Act of 2017.'' Committee on Foreign Relations prgtoken The Committee on Foreign Relations is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, October 25, 2017, at 10 a.m to hold a hearing entitled ``Nigeria Security Update.'' Committee on Indian Affairs prgtoken The Committee on Indian Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, October 25, 2017, at 2:30 p.m in room SD-628 to conduct a hearing on: S.1223, Klamath Tribe Judgment Fund Repeal Act. Committee on Indian Affairs prgtoken The Committee on Indian Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, October 25, 2017, at 2:30 p.m in room SD-628 to conduct a hearing on: S.1870, Securing urgent resources vital to Indian Empowerment Act 2017; S.1953, Reauthorization of the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010; and S.1942, to direct the Attorney General to review, revise, and develop law enforcement and justice protocols appropriate to address missing and murdered Indians. Committee on Veterans' Affairs prgtoken The Committee on Veterans' Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on
Healthcare (Executive Calendar)
Lamar Alexander (Republican, TN) \u2014 2017-10-25

I see the Senator from New Hampshire on the floor. I ask through the Presiding Officer if she is about to speak or if I may speak after her. What I would like to do is to give a brief report on the Congressional Budget Office's report of the Alexander- Murray proposal, of which the Senator from New Hampshire is a cosponsor. I would like to do that either before or after she speaks. Either way would be fine.
SANCTIONING HIZBALLAH'S ILLICIT USE OF CIVILIANS AS DEFENSELESS SHIELDS ACT
Thomas A. Garrett, Jr. (Republican, VA) \u2014 2017-10-25

I thank Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel. prgtoken , today, I think, represents the culmination of a series of wonderful bipartisan efforts that, while on their face to those who are not initiated may seem to deal with disparate subjects insofar as they stem from Iranian ballistic missiles to Hezbollah's use of humans as shields, are, in effect, dealing with the same subject. prgtoken , one can't separate Hezbollah from Iran. In fact, Hezbollah was born only a few short years after the Iranian Revolution, which brought such heartache that the loss of life in Iran, adjusted for population, mirrors that of the entire loss of life by the United States in combat during the entire Second World War. prgtoken These are innocent Iranians killed by their own government, Mr. . And we see, also, that the Hezbollah forces in Israel, Lebanon, and, indeed, around the world quite literally have continued to use human shields. prgtoken My friend and colleague from California, Congressman Rohrabacher, said that Hezbollah actions had degenerated to the point where they were using human shields. While I hold Mr. Rohrabacher in great esteem, I would submit that they haven't degenerated, because that implies at some point that Hezbollah didn't engage in such reprehensible behavior. prgtoken So the bipartisan actions led by Ranking Member Engel and Chairman Royce today bring us to where, indeed, we need to be by virtue of the reality of the world in which we live. Hezbollah does not exist but for the largess of Iran and the monies funneled by the Iranian regime. prgtoken The Hezbollah missiles, which Member Frankel eloquently spoke of, are, indeed, Iranian missiles, and the ICBMs that Iran is developing that we seek to curtail stem from a failure to include a prohibition on ICBM development in the JCPOA under which this Congress and this administration now labor. prgtoken I would note for the Record, for the Members, and for those who might be viewing at home that U.N. Security Council Resolution 1929 of 2010, which included signatures from the Russians and the Chinese, said that Iran was forbidden from engaging in missile development. The JCPOA says Iran is asked not to engage in this.
A TRIBUTE TO JACK AND MONA QUEE
David Young (Republican, IA) \u2014 2017-10-25

I rise today to recognize and congratulate Jack and Mona Quee, of Afton, Iowa for being selected as Union County's 2017 inductee into the Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame. prgtoken Over the past 50 years, the Quees have been stepping up to help with youth wherever help is needed. From organizing food for the Saddle Club trail rides, to chaperoning youth while camping at the Iowa State Fair, Jack and Mona have been providing youth leadership in Union County for generations. It was in 1970 that they first became involved with 4-H as Horse and Riders club leaders and haven't stopped helping out since. prgtoken , Jack and Mona's efforts embody the Iowa spirit and I am honored to represent them, and Iowans like them, in the United States Congress. I ask that my colleagues in the United States House of Representatives join me in congratulating Jack and Mona for this award and wishing them nothing but continued success.
Healthcare (Executive Calendar)
Cory Gardner (Republican, CO) \u2014 2017-10-25

I come to the floor this afternoon to talk about the Healthcare Tax Relief Act, legislation I introduced to delay the health insurance tax that was created by the Affordable Care Act. prgtoken This tax is often referred to as the HIT tax. The HIT tax imposes fees on health insurance coverage to consumers. It is a pretty simple business concept that this HIT tax results in. If a fee increases on an insurance policy and the fee goes up--there is a fee charged to the company that issues this insurance policy--then that fee gets passed on to the consumer. It is the consumer, then, who pays the fee in the form of higher health insurance costs. prgtoken As is the case with most excise taxes, whether it is an excise tax on food or beverage or any other item of personal good, if this health insurance tax takes effect, costs will be passed on to consumers directly in the form of higher premiums. That is confirmed by the Congressional Budget Office. prgtoken This is one of the cost drivers that was built into the Affordable Care Act. This health insurance tax would directly increase the premiums of the consumer's insurance product. This tax was supposed to begin a few years back in 2014. It was going to start at $8 billion, and by 2018 the tax would reach $14.3 billion. However, Congress recognized that this tax was going to have a significant impact on the price of coverage and, as a result, suspended the tax from taking effect in 2017. Without congressional action to delay or stop or prevent this Care tax from taking place again, this tax will take effect in 2018. prgtoken According to nonpartisan actuarial analysis conducted by Oliver Wyman, prgtoken an estimated 157 million Americans will be affected by this massive tax. Even more middle-income earners across this country, 157 million Americans and working Americans, are expected to shoulder the weight of this tax. prgtoken Oliver Wyman estimated that premiums will rise by 3 percent in each year; 2018, 2019, and 2020. That is 3 percent each year. That is 9 percent over 3 years. prgtoken To put this in simple perspective, in Colorado alone, premiums in the individual market rose by 34 percent from plan year 2017 to plan year 2018. Adding an additional 3 percent every year for those 3 years would leave those on the individual market paying nearly 43.3 percent, on average, more year to year if combined with the 2018 increases at the end of that 3-year, 9-percent increase run. prgtoken What is more, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, the average individual market premiums have increased by 105 percent from 2013 to 2017. Think about that. When the Affordable Care Act passed, when Care was passed, a promise was made that the average family would see a decrease in their healthcare costs of $2,500 per family, but, instead, from 2013 to 2017, they saw a 105-percent increase in costs. If the health insurance tax takes effect, as
HIZBALLAH INTERNATIONAL FINANCING PREVENTION AMENDMENTS ACT OF 2017
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Republican, FL) \u2014 2017-10-25

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , I thank the chairman of our committee, Mr. Royce from California, and the ranking member, Mr. Engel from New York, once again for their leadership. They are the dynamic duo of the Foreign Affairs Committee on this issue. This is a very important day, in terms of sanctioning evildoers in the world. prgtoken , I am proud to cosponsor the bill promoted by Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Eliot Engel, H.R. 3329, the Hizballah International Financing Prevention Amendments Act. This is yet another strong, bipartisan bill that they have authored and brought to the floor, aimed at holding Iran and its proxy, Hezbollah, accountable for their illicit activity. prgtoken I was pleased that my amendment to this bill was included to ensure that we identify those Hezbollah parliamentarians and cabinet officials who are subject to the sanctions in this bill and the underlying bill that it amends. prgtoken This is important, , because Hezbollah members have prominent positions in Lebanon's Government, and we want to ensure that they cannot use government funds to divert to Hezbollah's terror activity, and, if they do, those institutions that help facilitate such activity are held to account. prgtoken I was also pleased to see other provisions approved that would allow us to identify and track individuals and entities that are being used by Iran to supply Hezbollah with arms or support for its missile production facilities in Syria. prgtoken We know that Iran uses commercial civilian aircraft to fly weapons, arms, and fighters to Syria in support of Hezbollah. We cannot allow Iran to use these civilian aircraft for such activity. This is the first step toward making sure that, once these aircraft are identified, responsible nations will think twice about allowing these Iranian planes to land in their countries. prgtoken This bill also addresses Iran's and Hezbollah's ability to finance their illicit activities, which is so important, . We must go after those individuals and those institutions that provide financial safe havens to these terror groups, and we have got to disrupt their financial networks. prgtoken That is why this bill is so important, and I urge my colleagues to support Chairman Royce's and Ranking Member Engel's measure before us today. prgtoken , .
Tax Reform (Executive Calendar)
Roy Blunt (Republican, MO) \u2014 2017-10-25

yesterday in the middle of the day, the Presiding Officer and I and the Senator from Texas and others had a chance to meet with the President and talk about tax relief. It seemed to me very clear that the President and those of us who are advocating tax cuts right now are on the same wavelength, which is, let's have tax cuts for hard-working families, and let's do the other things we need to do in the Tax Code to ensure that those very same families have better jobs. prgtoken As I said on the floor of the Senate last week, there are two ways to increase take-home pay. One is to start taking less out of the paychecks people are getting now, and another one is to give them an even better paycheck in the future. We need to look at both of those ways to increase the opportunity for working families and working individuals. prgtoken We are now into the eighth year of almost no economic growth. If there is no economic growth, there is very little incentive for your job to be a better paying job than it was the previous year no matter what has happened to your other costs, and we clearly see that happening. prgtoken We are into the first year of this new administration. We are looking at 3 percent annual growth after 8 years in which growth didn't exceed 2 percent. Anytime you begin to talk like an economist, people begin to wonder: Well, what does that have to do with me? Let me just say that for taxpayers generally, for working families generally, the more growth you have, one, the more revenue that comes in that takes care of problems like the deficit. The way you take care of those problems--the best way--is to grow the economy. Two, people are much more focused on keeping the workforce they have, getting the best of the workforce that is coming on board as their workforce moves on for retirement or relocates or does other things. prgtoken Three percent economic growth is not good enough. The post-World War II average--that is more than seven decades now of average--is, I think, almost 3\1/2\ percent. There are very few economic problems in our country that wouldn't be made substantially better, including our own Federal deficit, if we see growth exceed or even get to the 70-year average. There is no reason to believe that can't happen. prgtoken Yesterday, the President was talking about the two ways to immediately relieve pressures on families. One is more take-home pay, and two is a better job that also increases take-home pay. But the first step we can achieve immediately by the kind of tax relief we need. prgtoken There have been 8 years of stagnant wages. Half of the families in the country are living paycheck to paycheck. Very few families can face an emergency that is even $500 without having to restructure what they are doing and how they are doing it. We can do a better job at this. We need more jobs. We need higher wages. And the two principal goals of this tax bill should be to do exac
HONORING SOPHIA ANN MYERS
Steven M. Palazzo (Republican, MS) \u2014 2017-10-25

I rise today to recognize and remember Sophia Myers, who joined our Heavenly Father on October 20, 2017 after an eight-month battle with a type of brain cancer known as Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). prgtoken To all who knew her, Sophia was as strong as she was kind. Fondly referred to as ``Bug'', she is remembered as a confident and witty little girl with an infectious smile and laugh. Sophia was a seven- year-old student at Oak Park Elementary in Ocean Springs, Mississippi and was admired and loved by those who knew her for her vibrant love of life. She enjoyed the outdoors and was an accomplished fisherman, having won two awards at Sea and Sail Camp last year. Sophia was a fast runner and enjoyed running 1-mile races with her dad. She excelled at a variety of sports and participated in swimming, soccer, and was a member of the Girl Scouts. Her mother describes her as a talented dancer with her first lessons beginning when she was only two-years- old. She was a dancer on the competitive dance team Itty Bitty DKG and a student dancer at Donna's Visual and Performing Arts Center. Sophia was also known to be a beautiful singer and regularly made up love songs for her mom and dad. prgtoken Sophia was a child of the Lord and believed in His love and goodness even when faced with cancer. Although she was only seven-years-old when God called her home, Sophia's life and story have impacted not only the Gulf Coast community, but international communities as well. Stories of hope, prayer, and loss have been expressed to Sophia and her family from communities in South Africa, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Finland, France, Canada, Brazil, and Sweden to name a few. Many people go through life wishing to make an impression on the world, and Sophia did just that during her short time on this Earth. Her goodness and love inspired many and will continue to do so long after her departure from this world. We offer thanks to the many doctors, nurses and medical staff who worked tirelessly to fight for Sophia and, when time came, made her comfortable during her final moments with her friends and family. prgtoken I offer my sincerest condolences to Sophia's parents Angel and Josh Myers, as well as her many friends and family who remember her as a joy for all who were lucky enough to meet her. From my family to yours, we bear this grief with you and offer many prayers as well as thanks for gifting the world with as beautiful a person as Sophia ``Bug'' Myers.
URGING EUROPEAN UNION TO DESIGNATE HIZBALLAH AS A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION
Steve Chabot (Republican, OH) \u2014 2017-10-25

I want to thank Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Chairman Royce, and all the other folks that have worked on a number of bills here today. prgtoken I rise in strong support of H. Res. 359; H.R. 3329; H.R. 3342; and H.R. 1698, that one, in particular, aims to prevent Iran from acquiring ballistic missiles because they have the capability or soon will have the capability not just to target the Middle East and Europe, but also target us here on our soil right here in the United States if we don't do something about this, with ultimately a nuclear device. prgtoken Iran is determined to be the dominant power in the Middle East. The Iranian regime hopes to achieve this by exporting terrorism, destabilizing its neighbors, and promising death to America and to our allies. prgtoken Bearing this in mind, Iran's nuclear ambitions and ballistic missiles program are not only a direct threat to the United States and our allies, but they are a direct threat to the peace and stability of the entire world. prgtoken When the Iran deal was signed, I said back then and believed back then that this was a bad deal, it would ultimately lead to nuclear weapons, and that they weren't going to meet their commitments. And we are seeing here today the backsliding by Iran to these commitments. prgtoken Ten years ago, Russia agreed to sell a number of S-300 surface-to-air missile systems to Iran. The Russians suspended the deal in 2010, but renewed it after the Iran deal, the JCPOA was agreed to. Now Moscow has delivered multiple S-300 systems. prgtoken While the S-300 missile platforms strengthens Iran's conventional capabilities, it also fundamentally complicates the United States' strategy for eliminating a potential nuclear threat against us or against our allies. Iran displayed this surface-to-air missile system to the public late last month, so we know it is there and it is dangerous. prgtoken That is exactly why H.R. 1698 is so important. It will help combat Iran's ongoing nuclear ambitions by requiring the President to report on the Iranian ballistic missiles program and to oppose targeted sanctions on Iranian Government entities and foreign actors that aid Iran in its nuclear development. prgtoken I also want to speak briefly relative to the threat that Hezbollah poses to the Middle East and the entire world. I, again, want to thank Congressman Royce and Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen and Ranking Member Engel and many others for their hard work on this. prgtoken Hezbollah's mission is to destroy Israel. It is backed by Iran. It poses a constant threat to the Middle East peace. We have designated it as a terrorist organization due to its routine attacks, especially rocket attacks on prgtoken Israel that have led to war, and its brutal tactics. prgtoken For years, Hezbollah has continued to accumulate larger rocket stockpiles, grow their presence, and develop even more unimaginable barbaric strategies. prgtoken , I want to thank my colleagues for these,
Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis (Executive Calendar)
Todd Young (Republican, IN) \u2014 2017-10-25

for his leadership on this issue. It has been a pleasure to lead a subcommittee in the Foreign Relations Committee with Senator Merkley. We have always worked in a constructive fashion on some consequential issues and none more consequential than the one before us today. prgtoken With respect to the crisis in Burma, we recently met with the lead person on an international NGO who just returned from camps in Bangladesh. He briefed us on some of the horrible circumstances facing these individuals who have been forced out of Burma. prgtoken This last Friday, as Senator Merkley indicated, we also led a letter to Ambassador Haley regarding the Burma crisis. I would also note that we had an important hearing on this topic yesterday in the full Foreign Relations Committee. I commend our leadership for putting that together. prgtoken I want to share some of my thoughts about this crisis. Before I do, I would like to acknowledge folks back home in the State of Indiana. I happen to represent a significant number of Burmese Americans. These are patriotic fellow Hoosiers, who have played an instrumental role helping to educate me and members of my team on this crisis, and I am happy we can be responsive to their concerns. prgtoken It is important for all Americans to understand what is happening in America and everything outside our shores. Burma is a country that doesn't typically capture the imagination or attention of people in the United States, but, right now, in light of this humanitarian crisis, it requires all of our attention. prgtoken The Burmese military has conducted a deplorable campaign of violence against the Rohingya Muslim minority, including the systematic use of arson, murder, and rape. Our State Department tells us that nearly 300 villages have been either partially or completely destroyed by fire just since August 25 of this year by the Burmese military. That is more than half of the approximately 470 Muslim villages in northern Rakhine State. prgtoken Ambassador Haley has indicated that the Burmese military's actions constitute a sustained campaign to cleanse the country of an ethnic minority--ethnic cleansing. The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights has referred to this situation as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing. prgtoken We have seen more than 600,000, who are mostly of the Rohingya ethnic minority, flee the violence in the Rakhine State and seek refuge in Bangladesh. They travel on foot for days, carrying what they can of their belongings, carrying their young children. It is mostly women and children who make this trek. Upon arrival in Bangladesh, we have been briefed that many of them require immediate lifesaving assistance. prgtoken To put this severity in some measure of context, yesterday, our Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development characterized the resulting population movement as ``almost unprecedented''--almost unpre