mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
HONORING THE LIFE OF ROSELYN BAKER
Jim Costa (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-2-13

I rise today to honor the life of Roselyn Baker, who passed away January 5, 2017. Roselyn was a wonderful mother, wife and friend, whose presence will be greatly missed. prgtoken Roselyn was born in Fresno, California in 1926 to Kourken and Varsenig Shabaghlian, both survivors of the Armenian Genocide. The family initially lived in the heart of downtown Fresno before relocating to San Francisco when Roselyn was a young child. There her parents operated several grocery stores. You would frequently find Roselyn by her father's side at the stores, assisting with deliveries and getting to know the customers. prgtoken Roselyn attended Girls High School in San Francisco, where her love of classical music was born and fostered by her teachers. Roselyn graduated high school in 1944 and enrolled in San Francisco City College. Roselyn began working in the ladies glove department for Roos Brothers and Ransahoff's Department Stores in downtown San Francisco. prgtoken Roselyn met the love of her life George F. Baker, a veteran who was attending the College of Physicians & Surgeons Dental School on the GI Bill. George and Roselyn were married in 1947 at St. John's Armenian Apostolic Church in San Francisco. The couple moved to Fresno, where George would open a dental practice in the Tower District. Roselyn served as the office manager and dental assistant in her husband's practice. Roselyn was a devoted mother, frequently serving as a volunteer teacher's aide. Roselyn enjoyed reading books and keeping up with current events. She was an avid San Francisco Giants fan, rejoicing when the team finally won the World Series in 2010. prgtoken Roselyn is survived by her two devoted children, Dr. Timothy G. Baker and Bethany R. Baker, in addition to family and close friends. Timothy practices dentistry in the same building in the Tower District as his father. prgtoken , I urge my colleagues to join me in memorializing the life of Roselyn Baker.
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR
Patrick J. Leahy (Democrat, VT) \u2014 2017-2-13

as the Senate has spent the last few weeks considering controversial nominee after controversial nominee, it is a refreshing break to consider Dr. David Shulkin to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Dr. Shulkin is a man defined by his professionalism, competence, and dedication to the mission of the agency he is tapped to lead. prgtoken The son of an Army psychologist and an experienced hospital system administrator, Dr. Shulkin was selected by President to restore trust and confidence at the Veterans Health Administration after years of struggles punctuated by the horrible scandal of wait times in Phoenix. Under his leadership, the VA has made great progress. Amid a sea of questionable Cabinet nominations, Dr. Shulkin is one about which I have no question. prgtoken Of course, Dr. Shulkin will face immense challenges. The VA needs significant overhaul, not just in its practices and policies, but in its facilities and technology. In eliminating the backlog for access to health care and in the midst of tackling the backlog in claims, facilities have been short-changed with respect to needed improvements and upgrades, while experiencing increased usage. New technologies provide new opportunities for providing care, but they also require new investments. prgtoken Areas that are finally receiving the attention required include mental health, posttraumatic stress, and other lingering invisible wounds of war. It has been one of my priorities to ensure that the best science and practices with respect to mental health and posttraumatic stress can be spread to the communities where veterans live and work, like the rural communities of Vermont. Only then will we see progress in improving the lives of veterans in those areas. prgtoken Dr. Shulkin must also rebuild the confidence of a VA workforce that has been unfairly targeted and vilified by some for the actions of a few. The Federal employees who work at the VA are among the most dedicated anywhere. Their devotion to improving care for veterans is inspiring, but their jobs have been made more difficult by both the disappointing actions of some individuals and the frustrating policies and organizational structures that sometimes get in the way of them serving veterans. prgtoken I believe that Dr. Shulkin is up to this challenge. It is evident from his testimony before the Veterans Affairs Committee and through his public statements that he believes in the VA and in the importance of its mission. It is evident that he understands the value of looking to the community for health care answers when that makes sense and that he also understands that the Nation should never ignore its solemn responsibility to care for veterans through all possible avenues. I am also reassured by his pledge not to dismantle the VA or turn its delivery of care into a voucher system. It is evident that he intends to speak his mind about what makes the most sense for
CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION MONTH
James R. Langevin (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2017-2-13

I am so pleased to join the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson), my friend and co-chair of the Career and Technical Education Caucus, to recognize February as Career and Technical Education Month. prgtoken In Rhode Island and across the country right now, employers are struggling to find workers with the skills that they need to fill jobs in STEM, in manufacturing, in IT, and so many other skilled trades. Hundreds of thousands of high-skilled, high-paying jobs are open right now, going unfilled, and this number is growing. prgtoken To close the skills gap, we must better align education and industry to make sure that what we are teaching in classrooms is better meeting the needs of real-world companies right now. We must increase work- based learning and build education pathways to help students become career and college-ready. prgtoken , I urge my colleagues to support investment in CTE in the 115th Congress, including by reauthorizing the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act to adapt our workforce to the 21st century economy. prgtoken , this act passed with strong, bipartisan support in the last Congress, and I hope we can quickly bring it up again to pass it with strong bipartisan support in this Congress as well. prgtoken I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for his leadership.
Cabinet Nominations (Executive Session)
Ron Wyden (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2017-2-13

. After breaking the Mnuchin rule once, the majority is now planning to fast-track a second tax break for the wealthy. This one will be even larger; in fact, it could be 10 times bigger or more. My guess is that a lot of Americans are wondering what has happened to all the campaign talk about fixing the Tax Code and really going out there and standing up for the working people. As the nominee, the President said he was the guy to repair the country's broken tax system. The particulars of the plan were buried deep in the business pages and on his Web site, but the broad strokes of the message were pitched in rallies across the Nation: alone knew how to do the job because he had taken advantage of the rules himself, and he was ready to crack down on those who weren't paying their fair share. prgtoken One of the few specifics offered on the stump was that he would close the carried interest loophole. That, of course, has been a favorite of investment fund managers. It would be great if it were actually true. In reality, the promise turned out to be pretty much just a head fake. Rather than closing the loophole and asking investment fund managers to pay their fair share, the plan actually gives them a 25-percent tax cut. In fact, the plan slashes tax rates for corporations and the wealthy across the board at a cost of trillions of dollars. prgtoken The President and Mr. Mnuchin might defend this plan by claiming it is a tax cut for the middle class, so I want to spend just a few minutes checking in with that part of the plan. If we read the fine print, we will notice that one of the tax plan's big casualties is something called head of household status. That is a particularly important benefit for a lot of middle-income taxpayers because it reduces their bills. What would it mean for head of household status to go away? Millions of working Americans, mostly single parents, would get hit with tax increases. prgtoken Furthermore, the plan eliminates key personal exemptions for millions of other middle-income families. It pushes a lot of families into higher tax brackets than they are in today. The administration touts its proposals for a larger standard deduction and a new child care tax credit as the cure-all for its tax increases on the middle class and on working people, but the math just doesn't add up. Families who are struggling to get ahead today are going to pay higher taxes tomorrow. prgtoken So let's recap the tax plan: a multitrillion-dollar tax break for the wealthy and corporations and a gut punch of higher taxes for working families. prgtoken At this point, it would be generous to say that the Mnuchin rule is now on life support. If we wanted to design a tax plan to push more Americans out of the economic winners circle, the plan is what you would come up with. When I look at the tax plan that Mr. Mnuchin would be in
Nomination of David Shulkin (Executive Session)
Jeff Merkley (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2017-2-13

even now, more than 2 months after then President-Elect nominated Steven Mnuchin to be Treasury Secretary, I still find it hard to believe. Month after month out on the campaign trail, President attacked Wall Street. He said, time after time, that he was going to take on Wall Street. He attacked his opponents in the primaries and in the general election by saying that they were too close to Wall Street and, specifically, too close to Goldman Sachs. prgtoken He said, regarding Secretary Clinton: She will never reform Wall Street. I know the guys at Goldman Sachs; they have total control. But he countered this by saying that he would do it differently. He promised to take on Wall Street. He promised to fight for middle-class Americans. He promised to drain the swamp and reduce and eliminate the powerful entrenched special interests here in Washington, DC. prgtoken But what a change can happen within a few weeks. Less than a month after winning the Presidency--I should point out, winning the electoral college but losing by a massive margin the popular vote, the citizen vote--who does Mr. pick to be Treasury Secretary? A 17-year Goldman Sachs veteran, a foreclosure king--Steve Mnuchin. prgtoken So here tonight, not even a decade after the second worst financial crisis prgtoken in U.S. history, we will be holding a vote on whether Steve Mnuchin is a fit character to be Secretary of the Treasury. prgtoken What is particularly puzzling is not only the Goldman Sachs background, in contrast with the President's campaign promises, but also that this individual was a contributor to many of the predatory practices that nearly destroyed our economy in 2008, and he is someone who made a fortune throwing struggling American families out of their homes and onto the streets. prgtoken I am somewhat shocked we are here tonight and that some of my colleagues are considering voting to put a man in charge of our Nation's financial system who played such a role in bringing it to its knees just a couple of years ago. prgtoken Let's remember the massive impact on American families. They lost jobs by the millions. The unemployment rate soared. They lost their retirement savings and often they lost their homes--not just because they lost their jobs and couldn't pay their mortgage but because of the predatory design of the mortgages. prgtoken So I am shocked that I am here tonight and we are holding this vote and that we are particularly considering an individual who worked to tear down the protections and throw American families to the Wall Street wolves. prgtoken Maybe we should have a Treasury Secretary who succeeded in the past to build up the economy, not one who participated in tearing it down. Maybe we should have a Treasury Secretary who worked hard to put tens of thousands of people into homes, rather than someone who personally profited by throwing tens of thousands of American families out of th
Nomination of David Shulkin (Executive Session)
Robert Menendez (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2017-2-13

I rise today to speak in opposition to President 's nominee to serve as Secretary of the Treasury, Steve Mnuchin. prgtoken From his days at Goldman Sachs, on the frontlines of developing the very products that brought our economy to its knees, to his reign as chairman of OneWest Bank, quantified by tens of thousands of foreclosures and qualified by years of despair, to his plan to get rich off cash-strapped seniors, to his investments in Sears that stripped pension benefits from low-wage-earners, Mr. Mnuchin made a career out of exploiting the financial turmoil of hard-working American families, never once stopping to consider the impacts of his profiteering on the people of this country. prgtoken At every step of the way, Mr. Mnuchin's mantra has been to privatize profits and socialize losses. prgtoken While our President spent much of his campaign railing against Goldman Sachs and Wall Street's stranglehold on Washington, it should be lost on no one that Wall Street has the majority vote in this administration. With friends like Mr. Mnuchin and Gary Cohn in high places, the country's largest and most complex financial institutions can rest easy, knowing this administration is firmly committed to their bottom lines. As Treasury Secretary, Mr. Mnuchin will be a chief architect of the GOP's ``Wall Street First'' policy. prgtoken Despite his self-described humble beginnings at Goldman Sachs in the 1980s, Mr. Mnuchin was on the frontlines of developing the now-infamous collateralized debt obligations known as CDOs and credit default swaps. prgtoken I urge my colleagues not to be fooled by Mr. Mnuchin. He was part of the cadre of corporate raiders that brought our economy to its knees. prgtoken In its 2011 report on the great recession that wiped out nearly $13 trillion in household wealth and cost nearly 9 million Americans their jobs, the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations described Goldman Sachs' role in the crisis as follows: Goldman engaged in securitization practices that magnified risk in the market by selling high risk, poor quality mortgage products. prgtoken It said: Conflicts of interest related to proprietary investments led Goldman to conceal its adverse financial interests from potential investors, sell investors poor quality investments, and place its final interests before those of its clients. . . .'' prgtoken Despite the damage they caused, Mr. Mnuchin never learned his lesson, and, as recently as 2012, he praised these instruments, calling them ``an extremely positive development in terms of being able to finance different parts of the economy and different businesses efficiently.'' prgtoken Now, after he left Goldman Sachs, Mr. Mnuchin started a hedge fund, Dune Capital, which started investing in an exotic financial instrument called life settlements, which are made up of life insurance policies purchased from cash-str
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2017-2-13

. Let me thank my friends and distinguished leaders of this Special Order, Congressman Veasey of Texas and Congresswoman Plaskett of the Virgin Islands. prgtoken As I begin today, I want to pose a question that was posed by Eddie Chambers. Chambers is a professor of art and art history at the University of Texas in Austin. prgtoken As I say that, let me respond to Congressman Veasey and indicate that we do have a lot of history in County, but also in the State of Texas. Also, I had the privilege of working for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference during the leadership of, then, Ralph David Abernathy and met Hosea Williams and many of the foot soldiers that worked with Dr. King. I can see the historic perspective that they were able to garner by their experience and association with this great modern-day profit, a man who understood that injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere. prgtoken As I answer the question, I want to cite from Eddie Chambers' article that appeared in the Chronicle today. He said in one of his sentences: ``Is there an important place for a celebration that might well appear in some respects as anachronistic? ``In a word,'' he said, ``yes.'' prgtoken He went on to say: ``As a professor whose classes invariably deal with aspects of African-American history and African Diaspora history, any moment of doubt I might have about the validity of Black History Month are dispelled once classes begin each semester. I am still shocked and saddened at the level of ignorance among students of important events and personalities that are part of African-American history, and consequently, American history. I don't, of course, blame my students, and this ignorance is by no means restricted to students of a particular ethnicity or cultural background.'' prgtoken In other words, he said: ``Widespread ignorance of Black American history leads to an insufficient grasp of American history.'' prgtoken So my few words tonight will explain or highlight the fact that this is a need for not only African-American History Month, which is February, but it needs to be taught throughout the year and integrated into the education of all students, no matter where they live; and it is shameful testimony that the books that children are learning from, the curriculum, is so missing, so lacking in the history that is American history--African-American history. prgtoken My challenge tonight is for those of my colleagues who are listening, those educators in primary and secondary education, in colleges, Ivy League and otherwise, what is your answer to the question: Is it now still time to celebrate and commemorate Black History Month? What are you doing about it? prgtoken I know that Texas is certainly full and rich with history, although our schoolbooks do not denote that. In fact, there was a vigorous fight with the Texas education board on their lack of responsibility in terms of insisting on textbooks that had
PRESIDENT TRUMP'S REPORT CARD
Lamar Smith (Republican, TX) \u2014 2017-2-13

here is President 's report card after less than a month in office: prgtoken The President wants to stop terrorist attacks by conducting background checks on refugees from countries that are considered security threats. prgtoken The President wants to prevent criminal immigrants from being released into our neighborhoods where they continue to prey on innocent Americans. prgtoken The President wants to lower the cost of health care and let individuals choose their own insurance plans. prgtoken The President wants to reduce our $500 billion trade deficit and export goods and services, not jobs. prgtoken The President wants to eliminate unnecessary regulations which are a drag on the economy. prgtoken , the President's critics oppose all these actions. Only the people are on the President's side.
PERSPECTIVE OF RURAL AMERICA TOWARD THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2017-2-13

there is a very good radio reporter in smalltown Iowa named Robert Leonard, or ``Dr. Bob,'' as he is known, who interviews me every month. I recently read an opinion piece he wrote in the New York Times where he gives his take on the perspective of rural America toward the role of government. This perspective is often lost in policy debates in our Nation's Capital. In this piece, Dr. Bob gives very thorough and intellectually honest commentary that more people should read. prgtoken I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the New York Times article entitled, ``Why Rural America Voted for '' by Robert Leonard dated January 5, 2017.
HONORING INVESTMENTS IN RECRUITING AND EMPLOYING AMERICAN MILITARY VETERANS ACT OF 2017
Gus M. Bilirakis (Republican, FL) \u2014 2017-2-13

such time as I may consume. prgtoken H.R. 244, as amended, would require the Department of Labor to establish a HIRE Vets Medallion Program to recognize and award employers with a HIRE Vets Medallion for their efforts to recruit, employ, and retain veterans, as well as their work to provide community and charitable services to veterans and their local communities. prgtoken While we still have work to do, it is important to note that the veteran unemployment rate has continued to decrease over recent years and, as of last month, was at the low rate of 4.5 percent. Again, we have more work to do. While many factors have led to the continued reduction of the unemployment rate for the men and women who have served, our Nation's employers in both the public and private sectors deserve a lot of credit, and it is important that we highlight the work that these companies have done and that we publicly recognize their commitment to hiring our veterans--hiring our true American heroes. I commend them so much. prgtoken With this idea in mind, H.R. 244, as amended, would authorize the Secretary of Labor to create the HIRE Vets Medallion Program, which would recognize employers who hire and retain veterans as well as companies that provide support services to the veterans and their communities. prgtoken Employers would earn either platinum or gold status based on requirements that are related to the number of veterans hired each year, providing pay equity for guardsmen and Reserve employees who were called up to active military service and other requirements. Once these employers have earned HIRE Vets Medallions, they would be able to publicly display their awards to illustrate the work they have done on behalf of our veterans and the priorities they place on hiring veterans within their workforces. prgtoken As we work to continue to decrease the national unemployment rate among our men and women who have served, it is vital that we highlight and thank the employers who have stepped up and have recognized the benefits of hiring a veteran, and there are many benefits as their work ethic is outstanding--their dedication, their integrity. They are really outstanding people, and I am glad that our employers have stepped up. prgtoken I thank the staff of the Department of Labor and the administration for working with us to make improvements to the legislation from what was passed last year. prgtoken I also thank Colonel Paul Cook of California for introducing and advocating for this bill, which, again, has my full support. prgtoken I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 244, as amended. prgtoken , .
ORDERS FOR TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2017
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2017-2-13

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m Tuesday, February 14; that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day; further, that following leader remarks, the Senate proceed to executive session as under the previous order.