mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
DACA
Richard J. Durbin (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2017-12-19

yesterday I went to Benito Juarez high school in Chicago, in the southwest part of the city, in the Pilsen neighborhood. It has a predominantly Mexican-American enrollment at this high school. It is one of my favorites. I have been there time and again for so many different events. It is full of life and full of some amazing young students and some great teachers and a great principal, Mr. Ocon. I was there 2 weeks ago for a mariachi band ensemble, training students across the city to be musicians in the Mexican tradition. There is so much life there. prgtoken But yesterday was not the happiest occasion. It was sad and worrisome. I met with about 20 of the students there, all of whom have been protected by DACA. DACA was President 's Executive order that was issued in 2012. That Executive order said that if you were brought to the United States as a child, an infant, a toddler, a young person, and grew up in this country undocumented; if you had no problems of any serious nature with the law; if you finished your education; if you went through a criminal background check and paid a fee, you would be protected and be able to stay in America 2 years at a time to go to school, to work, whatever your aspirations may be. prgtoken Under President 's Executive order, 780,000 young people came forward, and the 20 I met at Benito Juarez were among them. They got the protection they needed to legally get a job. For a lot of these young students, that is a critical part of their lives because, being undocumented, they don't qualify for any Federal assistance to go to college. If they want to go to college, they have to save up for it, and they have to find the money and work for the tuition and other expenses. So getting a job is a very important part of it. prgtoken These young people, as they went through the DACA process, knew that they were safe from being deported. That is a fear which many of us can't even understand, but it is a real fear for many people in this country who are here undocumented. So for these young people, they have that chance. prgtoken On September 5, President announced he was ending the DACA protection program as of March 5 of next year, putting an end to the protection these young people have. As their DACA expires, they will be vulnerable to deportation. They will reach the point where they can no longer work in America. prgtoken The end of DACA as we know it will dramatically change the lives of thousands of young people. It will change the lives of 900 of these DACA-protected young people who volunteered to serve in our military-- currently serving in our military, willing to risk their lives for a country that will not give them legal status. Imagine that for a moment. If they had to prove that they really cared about America, what more could they do then to put their lives on the line? They have done it, 900 of them. When DACA goes away on March 5 of next
CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 1, TAX CUTS AND JOBS ACT
Judy Chu (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-12-19

we were promised a middle class tax cut. This is not it. What we have instead are tax cuts for the wealthiest paid for by the rest. prgtoken So what happened? prgtoken Maybe thinks multimillionaires are the middle class or maybe this all is just a tax scam. prgtoken To see how working families will pay for corporate interest, all you have to do is read the bill, which is hard to do, because it was written overnight behind closed doors. prgtoken Tax cuts: they reduce the tax rate for the wealthiest from 39.6 percent to 37 percent. prgtoken State and local taxes: they cap the deduction to just $10,000. But in my State of California, the average deduction is $18,500, meaning families will be forced to pay taxes now on twice their income in order to give a staggering tax break to corporations. prgtoken So hear this: 83 percent of the benefits of this bill goes to the top 1 percent. prgtoken Who gets cut? prgtoken Seniors, families, children. prgtoken Is this the right thing to do? prgtoken The answer is a resounding no.
TAX CUTS AND JOBS ACT--CONFERENCE REPORT
Thomas R. Carper (Democrat, DE) \u2014 2017-12-19

it is a pleasure to be on the floor tonight with my friend the Senator from Alaska. The Navy salutes the Marine Corps and salutes him for his service before. prgtoken Now I just want to follow up on a couple of things that he mentioned. He need not stay on the floor if he doesn't want to, but he is more than welcome to as he spent a little bit of time criticizing the individual mandate. prgtoken Harry Truman used to say that the only thing new in the world is the history that we forgot and never learned. So I just want to take a minute and talk about the history of the individual mandate. prgtoken The individual mandate was not invented by . Care was never invented by --the idea for exchanges in all 50 States and the sliding scale tax credit to buy down the cost of healthcare in those exchanges. The idea to have an individual mandate so that everybody has to buy healthcare and that if you are not eligible for Medicaid or Medicare, you need to get healthcare and that, if you don't, there is a fine was not 's idea. The idea that employers of a certain size and with a certain number of employees have to provide healthcare coverage for their folks was not a idea. The notion that the insurance companies could not deny coverage to folks who had preexisting conditions was not an idea that was invented by . prgtoken Care with those five provisions--exchanges in every State, a sliding scale tax credit to buy down the cost of the care, the individual mandate to make sure that everybody is getting coverage, the employer mandate by which the employer has to cover the employees, the prohibition against insurance companies in their not providing coverage for those with preexisting conditions--had its origin from right here in the U.S. Senate in 1993--right here in 1993. prgtoken The legislation was introduced by a Senator from Rhode Island, Chafee. It was cosponsored by 22 other Senators, including the chairman of the Finance Committee--one of the people I most admire here in this body. prgtoken Those five ideas didn't go anywhere in 1993, but do you know who took them? A Governor of Massachusetts took those five ideas and said: Maybe we could use those five ideas to cover everybody in the State of Massachusetts. Governor Mitt Romney created RomneyCare. Do you know what? For the most part, it worked. It covered just about everybody there. Initially, it had problems with affordability, but it has done better over time. prgtoken When we worked on the Affordable Care Act, we took that Senate proposal from 1993. We took RomneyCare from 2006, and we included it in the Affordable Care Act because it was a market-based approach to making sure that everybody who didn't get coverage from their employers and who were not eligible for Medicaid and were not eligible for Medicare could get coverage. prgtoken We see in thi
OPPOSING THE GOP TAX SCAM CONFERENCE REPORT
Nydia M. Velázquez (Democrat, NY) \u2014 2017-12-19

I rise in opposition to this tax scam bill. Not only will it harm working families across the Nation, but it will visit another hurricane on Puerto Rico: an economic hurricane. prgtoken Today, Puerto Rico is in the grip of a humanitarian crisis. More than 235,000 of its people have already fled the island for the mainland. prgtoken After Maria, many of my colleagues--from Ryan to Leader McCarthy--went to Puerto Rico and promised they would assist the island and help them recover. Instead, what they are doing is finding a way to further drive Puerto Rico's economy into the ground. prgtoken Even though it is part of the United States--remember, since 1898, when military forces invaded Puerto Rico--this bill treats Puerto Rico as a foreign jurisdiction, levying new taxes on corporations operating there, creating incentives for them to leave the island and take jobs with them. prgtoken Let's be clear. Puerto Ricans are American citizens. They fight in our wars, many of them laying down their lives for our freedoms, yet this bill continues treating Puerto Rico differently than the rest of the United States. prgtoken For decades, decisions made right here in this body hollowed out, weakened, and undermined Puerto Rico's economy. This tax bill continues that awful tradition, undercutting Puerto Rico's economy once more. prgtoken All told, these tax provisions will cost Puerto Rico more than 200,000 jobs, at exactly the time when the island needs all the help it can get. prgtoken While this tax scam would hurt Puerto Rico, it also does nothing to help. While they had talked of it, there is nothing to expand the child tax credit for Puerto Rico. They eliminated the meager extensions of section 199 and rum cover-over provisions contained in the House version. prgtoken The of the House and the leader went to Puerto Rico. They looked the people of Puerto Rico in the eye and made promises to help them. prgtoken That is how you help Puerto Rico? prgtoken What we are seeing is that their tax bill would serve simply to crush Puerto Rico's economy. prgtoken , this bill is morally bankrupt. It harms American citizens everywhere. It kicks Puerto Rico when it is down. It must be rejected. Vote ``no.''
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
Linda T. Sánchez (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-12-19

yesterday December 18, 2017, on Roll Call Number 685 through 687, The Motion to Fix the Convening Time, H.R. 4375, STEM Research and Education Effectiveness and Transparency Act and H.R. 3979, Keep America's Refuges Operational Act, I was unavoidably detained and missed the vote. prgtoken Had I been present, I would have voted: Motion to Fix the Convening Time: No; H.R. 4375: Yes; H.R. 3979: Yes.
TAX CUTS AND JOBS ACT--CONFERENCE REPORT
Amy Klobuchar (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2017-12-19

today we are voting on the motion to adopt the conference report on H.R. 1, the Tax Reconciliation Act. I will be voting against adoption of the conference report. prgtoken I have long called for tax reform. We should bring down the business income tax rate. We should bring back the money being held overseas to fund the infrastructure improvements we need across the country. We should simplify the code and help middle-class Americans pay their bills. prgtoken But I have been disappointed by the most recent effort, which has not been bipartisan at all and has resulted in a bill that will add to the debt, create huge new loopholes that will encourage companies to move money around and move jobs overseas to avoid taxes, and will have huge unintended consequences for our economy. prgtoken One of the most troubling developments of this bill was the inclusion of a provision to repeal a key part of the Affordable Care Act that would kick 13 million people off their insurance by 2027 and increase premiums by 10 percent in the individual market. That means less money in the pockets of American middle-class families. The American people want us to work together to make fixes to the Affordable Care Act, not move backwards with a partisan approach to healthcare added into a tax bill. prgtoken This bill also hurts middle-class families by doing a bait and switch. Under the bill, millions of middle-class Americans would end up paying more in taxes in the long run. Many of the tax cuts they receive, if they receive a tax cut at all, would only be temporary. prgtoken This bill would allow a one-time opportunity to bring back some of the trillions of dollars of earnings held overseas by U.S. companies. I have long supported this, but I also would like to see at least part of any of the billions in taxes raised by this provision to be used to fund infrastructure. prgtoken The American Society of Civil Engineers' 2017 report card gave our Nation's infrastructure an overall D-plus grade. There is an economic imperative to fixing our infrastructure: Businesses rely on our transportation network to move goods to market. If our deteriorating infrastructure goes unaddressed, it will cost our economy nearly $4 trillion by 2025, leading to the loss of 2.5 million jobs. That is a crisis that we have an opportunity to address through a tax bill, but we aren't. It is a missed opportunity. prgtoken If done right, we can close loopholes, bring back money U.S. companies are holding overseas to fund infrastructure projects here at home, give local businesses the ability to compete against out-of-State Internet retailers, support our rural communities, and provide incentives to keep jobs in America. prgtoken I have always said we could bring down the corporate tax rate, but not by adding $1.5 trillion to the debt. We need to work together to pass a tax plan that works for everyone, one that helps middle-class families and Main Str
CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 1, TAX CUTS AND JOBS ACT
Suzan K. DelBene (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2017-12-19

in this tax bill, s have gifted the wealthiest corporations and individuals with massive new tax cuts and loopholes to take advantage of. But when I go home to my district, there isn't a mother working two jobs to put food on the table or a farmer struggling through a bad year or a senior trying to pay for a prescription who has ever told me that tax reform means corporate cuts on the backs of them and their families. prgtoken They know s always promise that the benefits will trickle down to working people, but they never do and they never will. What is worse, s have made it clear that cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. prgtoken This bill takes care of corporate special interests, the wealthy, and the well connected, while putting middle class Americans' finances and healthcare on the chopping block. prgtoken We need tax reform that helps middle class families. This bill does the exact opposite. I urge my colleagues to oppose it.
TAX CUTS AND JOBS ACT--CONFERENCE REPORT
Jack Reed (Democrat, RI) \u2014 2017-12-19

tonight, the leadership intends to force a vote on their tax bill. President has called this tax bill historic. Indeed, it will make history, but not for the right reasons. It is a historic transfer of wealth from students, seniors, and working families to the wealthiest corporations and individuals in America and, indeed, throughout the world. Historians and voters will look at the way this bill was written, in a rushed and sloppy manner, without thoughtful debate--indeed, we have to send it back to the House of Representatives so they can vote again--and with a reckless and willful disregard for facts and independent analysis. prgtoken In forcing this massive restructuring of our economy through Congress, leaders have permitted no real amendments and ignored every nonpartisan analysis of their bill that does not fit their worldview. As a result, this trickle-down tax bill is quite possibly the most fiscally irresponsible piece of tax legislation to have ever been railroaded through Congress over the objections of the American people. prgtoken Some will say: Wait, what about the Affordable Care Act? Let me remind you, the ACA was paid for. It had to get 60 votes. It was on the Senate floor for 25 consecutive days. There was a full committee process, and accepted many amendments in the House and in the Senate. That is not the case with this historic bill. prgtoken The tax will adversely affect my home State, Rhode Islanders, in so many ways. The temporary benefits will not cover the long-term damage prgtoken from this bill or offset the increased costs for things like childcare, education, healthcare, and housing. The reason the American people oppose this bill is simple--and they do oppose it--it forces the middle class to accept yet another tax giveaway to corporations and the richest 1 percent with little or nothing for them. prgtoken It also gives trillions of dollars in permanent tax cuts to corporations while raising taxes on over half of American families over the next decade. In doing so, it gives $48 billion to the foreign investors who own roughly 35 percent of American company stock. That is right. Many of these tax benefits will go through corporations by either dividends or stock redemptions to foreign owners, amounting to $48 billion to foreign investors. That is not putting the American working man and woman first; that is putting them at the end of the line. It makes the Tax Code more, rather than less, complicated and very clearly incentivizes and rewards multinational corporations that send jobs and stash money overseas. prgtoken Moreover, special loopholes for passthrough entities will create a bonanza for tax lawyers and accountants and people figuring out ways to get out of paying their taxes. It will not help working men and women who come in and punch in every morning, work hard, and then go back to their f
SYSTEMIC RISK DESIGNATION IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2017
Al Green (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2017-12-19

the arbitrary numbers that they have they don't care to defend. prgtoken Let's talk about the one-size-fits-all accusation, if you will. prgtoken , I have a source, and it is the Department of the Treasury, which indicates that we have a tiered system, and we actually have five different tiers. These tiers will allow banks to be classified as small, midsize, regional, international active, and G- SIBs. prgtoken There is a tiering system, but within the tiering system, we have given the regulators the authority to tailor rules to fit banks within the system. prgtoken , my colleague mentioned institution failure. I was here. I know what happened in 2008. I understand why we have Dodd-Frank. We don't have Dodd-Frank because Mr. Dodd and Mr. Frank woke up one morning and decided that they would like to regulate banks to the extent that they were regulated. prgtoken We have Dodd-Frank because we had a crisis. We had Dodd-Frank developed because of exotic products, the 327s and the 228s, which had teaser rates that would allow persons to get into loans that had fixed rates for 3 years or 2 years, and then they would have 27 years of variable rates or 28 years of variable rates. prgtoken This was the exotic product that a good many people had and could not get out of because, quite frankly, they also had a prepayment penalty that would coincide with these teaser rates. prgtoken It was a time of great crisis for banking. prgtoken We also had the so-called credit default swaps, which were just another way of laying off bets. Banks found clever ways to lay off their bets that they thought were risky. prgtoken We had no-doc loans, negative amortization. You could pay as much as you wanted and would add to the principal what you didn't pay, which means that you would end up paying a lot more for your loan than you initially started out owing. prgtoken We had interest-only loans: just pay the interest, let the loan continue to increase in value. prgtoken There was no firewall between commercial banking and investment banking. They finally got Glass-Steagall. Took them decades to do it, but they did. prgtoken Then we had the dastardly yield spread premium, which would allow the person who was servicing you, the loan originator, to qualify you for a loan at 5 percent, come out and shake your hand and say: Good news, you now have a loan for 10 percent. prgtoken That was all lawful, but Dodd-Frank ended all of this. prgtoken We have Dodd-Frank because we had a deregulation era, very much comparable to what we are about to go through now. Banks were regulated to the extent that they couldn't do all of these things, but we deregulated, just as we are about to do it now, and we will get back to the future, where banks will not have the liquidity necessary, where the credit risk that they take will be unreasonable. prgtoken This is a bill that belongs on the trash heap of history. I adamantly oppose the bill. I believe that it is time fo
SYSTEMIC RISK DESIGNATION IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2017
Josh Gottheimer (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2017-12-19

I rise to support this bipartisan legislation and to thank my friend, Mr. Luetkemeyer, for working across the aisle with me on this commonsense measure. prgtoken This bill is a smart, thoughtful effort to perfect and improve our financial safeguards, cut burdensome regulation, and spur economic growth. Developed with and s on the committee, it addresses our systematic risk in the financial sector. prgtoken With these changes, we can free up resources at smaller banks to get loans into the hands of New Jersey small businesses, families, and consumers, ultimately growing our American economy. It does so by making practical changes to protect New Jersey. prgtoken , I urge support for this bipartisan legislation to help constituents in New Jersey's Fifth District.
300TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NEW HAMPSHIRE STATE LIBRARY
Jeanne Shaheen (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2017-12-19

New Hampshire takes pride in its many firsts among the States, including our first in the Nation Presidential primary. This year, Granite Staters have been celebrating the 300th anniversary of the New Hampshire State Library, the first State library in America. It all began in Portsmouth on January 25, 1717, when the 27th General Assembly directed ``ye Law books be distributed among ye severall towns of this Province in proportion according to their last Prov. tax, except two books which shall be for ye use of ye Govr & Councile and house of representatives.'' Three centuries later, the original books are surrounded by a modern collection of more than 600,000 items, housed across from the State house in Concord. The State Library is one of our most handsome public buildings, built in 1896 of New Hampshire granite, American steel, and Italian marble. prgtoken We Granite Staters love our libraries, and we have led the Nation in making books available to all citizens. As State librarian Michael York told New Hampshire Public Radio: ``We often use the term `anchor institutions.' There are 234 communities in New Hampshire and there are 234 public libraries. Nobody else can make that claim. Not McDonald's, not 7-11, not Dunkin' Donuts.'' prgtoken In 1833, Peterborough established the first tax-supported public library in the world, a central collection of books owned by the people and free to all residents of the town. In the early 1800s, so-called social or parlor libraries sprang up across our State--places where dues-paying members came together to share books. A century later, wealthy philanthropists built free public libraries all across our State, including nine impressive Carnegie libraries. Phillips Exeter Academy, a private school in Exeter, NH, is home to the largest secondary school library in the world. Today every city and town in New Hampshire has a public library, and a key mission of the State library is to provide professional development for local librarians to keep them abreast of the latest developments in library science and technologies. prgtoken The State library serves as a centralized location for State and government documents, and its collection specializes in New Hampshire newspapers, authors, and books on New Hampshire history and culture. It includes an archive of Granite State political history, including posters, buttons, and bumper stickers from New Hampshire Presidential primaries dating back to 1952. One of its most prized possessions is a 20-foot, floor-to-ceiling ``Hitchcock map'' of New Hampshire, with the State's mountains, valleys, and lakes carved in relief by Dartmouth College--students in 1877. prgtoken During my years as Governor, I had the daily pleasure of looking out on our beautiful State library from my office windows in the State capitol. Both the building and its collection are among our State's most prized cultural treasures. I am grateful to S