mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
BENEFITS OF TAX CUTS AND JOBS ACT
Brett Guthrie (Republican, KY) \u2014 2018-5-7

this evening, we will hear from myself and a colleague from Tennessee, and he is joining me today to talk about how the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has benefited our States. prgtoken In my congressional district, Kentucky's Second, I have heard from constituents who have seen more money in their paychecks and from businesses that have been able to grow and pass along the benefits of tax reform directly to their employees. prgtoken The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act doubled the standard deduction for both individuals and couples. For the 75 percent of residents in Kentucky's Second District who take the standard deduction, this is an automatic tax cut. Additionally, individuals in every tax bracket are paying lower rates. prgtoken When I visited Owensboro in February, I met Cheri and Ray Middletown, who own On Time Fab, a small business that provides fabrication services for agricultural, industrial, and commercial productions. Cheri and Ray shared with me that, during the first week of the implementation of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, each of the 20 employees of On Time Fab took home more pay as a result of tax reform. prgtoken One employee took home as much as $56 a week and more than $200 a month. A single dad working for On Time Fab is bringing home an extra $40 each week. Some thought there was a mistake in their paychecks because they are able to keep so much of their hard-earned money, and $40 a week is over $160 a month. prgtoken By cutting the corporate tax rate to make the U.S. competitive globally, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has given businesses the opportunity to pass along savings to their customers. For example, residents of 48 States, plus the District of Columbia, are seeing their utility bills go down because of tax reform. prgtoken In Kentucky, the Public Service Commission has ordered investor-owned utilities to track their tax savings and to reduce rates for hundreds of thousands of Kentucky customers. In fact, the Public Service Commission has already announced that Kentucky Utilities' and Louisville Gas & Electric's residential electric customers will see their average monthly bills decreased by 6 percent. prgtoken Atmos Energy, which serves western Kentucky, announced in March that it will be cutting the average residential bill by just over 3 percent. Other savings from tax reform will fund infrastructure upgrades across the Commonwealth. Companies in Kentucky have been able to expand their operation because of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. prgtoken Owl's Head Alloys in my hometown of Bowling Green recently announced a $3 million expansion which would create 17 new jobs, bringing their total employment in the Second District to nearly 100 good-paying jobs. When I visited their facility in March, Owl's Head owner and president, David Bradford, told me that the economic outlook resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act helped lead to their decision to expand. prgtoken This is exactly why we passed the Tax Cuts a
BLOOMINGDALE VETERANS MEMORIAL POST OFFICE BUILDING
Steve Russell (Republican, OK) \u2014 2018-5-7

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , I would like to echo the comments of my colleague from Illinois and also hope that the name of this post office will recognize the millions of veterans throughout our history that have returned home, led productive lives, have entered further public service, and have done so with gratitude, without issues, and have rendered great service to the Nation. prgtoken , I would like to make the gentleman from Illinois also aware that I have no further speakers and am prepared to close. .
TAX REFORM
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2018-5-7

on one final matter, in storefront windows across America, new signs are going up--signs that many communities haven't seen literally in years. Here is what the signs say: ``Now Hiring.'' Just 16 months into the administration and this Congress, the percentage of American workers who are unemployed, underemployed, or have given up finding a job is already smaller than it ever was in any of the years. In fact, it hasn't been this low since 2001. Let me say that again. Less unemployment, underemployment, and discouragement today than at any point in the last 17 years. Or we can look at how many Americans are receiving unemployment benefits. The answer is this: fewer today than at any time since--listen to this--1973. prgtoken We all know that these economic indicators can be noisy, but the big overall shift from the era is impossible to deny. policies have taken Washington's foot off the brake of the U.S. economy. We have rolled back a host of job-killing regulations. We have passed historic tax reform for middle-class families and job creators. These policies have helped to unleash a dynamic, growing economy that is producing many more new jobs. It is putting the stagnation of the last decade literally to shame. That means sidelined workers get the chance to check back into the game. It means renewal is coming to so many small towns, small cities, and rural areas that had to sit and watch as ic policies funneled nearly all of the new wealth and new jobs into our Nation's biggest and bluest urban areas. It means higher wages, as local businesses are forced to compete again for the best workers. prgtoken I recently read about a man named Chandler Steffy. He owns a roofing company in Iowa. Three years ago, in the economy, his laborers earned less than $15 an hour. Today is a different story. The unemployment rate in Iowa is under 3 percent, and Mr. Steffy pays $25 per hour to attract the best talent. American small businesses are doing well and outbidding each other for American workers. It feels good; doesn't it? prgtoken After 10 years of ic policies, this had practically become a foreign concept. Not anymore--it is a new day. There is more business for job creators, which means good jobs that need filling, which leads to higher pay for workers. This is happening all over our country. prgtoken Rich Obermark owns a small contracting business in Paducah, KY. They retrofit electrical systems, A/V equipment, and gas piping. He wrote me to explain: ``For our small company, the tax cuts will mean [we'll] be able to afford more trucks and tools.'' Tax reform, he said, ``will allow us to invest back into our company, which will in turn allow us to hire more people.'' prgtoken There is more business, more investment, more job openings, and higher pay for workers as a consequence. After 8 years of ic policies, this sure is
VETERANS CEMETERY BENEFIT CORRECTION ACT
David P. Roe (Republican, TN) \u2014 2018-5-7

such time as I may consume. prgtoken I am pleased that we are considering H.R. 4910, the Veterans Cemetery Benefit Correction Act, which was introduced by Representative Scott of Georgia. prgtoken Current law requires VA to provide an outer burial receptacle for each new grave in a cemetery under the control of the National Cemetery Administration. H.R. 4910 would extend this benefit to veterans who will be interred in cemeteries under the control of the National Park Service. prgtoken This bill only impacts two cemeteries within the National Park Service that are open to new interments. One of these cemeteries, the Andrew prgtoken Johnson National Cemetery, is in my home district in Tennessee and has a fascinating story. prgtoken Andrew Johnson served Tennessee as a Congressman, a Governor, and a Senator. He was also Abraham Lincoln's Vice President in 1865 and was sworn in as President after Lincoln's assassination. When he died in 1857, he was buried on the land that is now the Andrew Johnson National Cemetery. prgtoken The land remained in his family until the War Department acquired it in 1906. Finally, the jurisdiction of the cemetery was transferred to the National Park Service in 1942. Now the cemetery provides a final resting place for veterans who served our Nation since the Civil War, and it is still accepting new burials. prgtoken Veterans and their family members who choose to be buried in Andrew Johnson National Cemetery, or any other National Park Service cemetery, should receive the same benefits as those who are buried in VA cemeteries. prgtoken The manager's amendment incorporates some technical changes suggested by the National Park Service and is identical to S. 2372, which was introduced by the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Isakson, and passed the Senate by unanimous consent on March 1, 2018. prgtoken , I thank the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Bishop), chairman of the Committee on Natural Resources, for helping to expedite the consideration of the bill today. prgtoken I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4910, as amended, and . House of Representatives, Committee on Natural Resources, Washington, DC, March 27, 2018. Hon. David P. Roe, Chairman, Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Washington, DC. Dear : I write regarding H.R. 4910, the Veterans Cemetery Benefit Correction Act, authored by Congressman Austin Scott. This bill contains provisions under the jurisdiction of the Committee on Natural Resources. I recognize and appreciate your desire to bring this bill before the House of Representatives in an expeditious manner, and accordingly, I will agree that the Committee on Natural Resources be discharged from further consideration of the bill. I do so with th
Puerto Rico Recovery (Executive Session)
John Kennedy (Republican, LA) \u2014 2018-5-7

in a few minutes we are going to be voting on President 's nomination of prgtoken Mr. Kurt Engelhardt to be a judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and I can't think of a nominee who is more deserving and more qualified for this job. prgtoken Judge Engelhardt is the chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. He has been on the Federal district court bench for 17 years. If you add up all of the cases he has actually tried to verdict or to judgment, I think it is somewhere in the neighborhood of 75 to 100. That is on top of hundreds--undoubtedly, thousands--of motions that he has heard. He is eminently qualified. Yet, rather than recite his resume, I wish to share a personal experience that I had in Judge Engelhardt's court. prgtoken A number of years ago, the city of New Orleans sued a major Wall Street investment bank in a dispute over a $171 million bond issue. The bonds are called pension obligation bonds, and it is an extraordinarily complex transaction. I was called as a witness because, at that point in my life, I was the State treasurer of Louisiana and the chairman of the State bond commission, and we had jurisdiction over the bonds when they were issued. prgtoken I was not exactly sure whether I was a fact witness or an expert witness, and the lawyers fought over that for a while. My point is that I was on the stand for, maybe, 5 hours, 6 hours, and I got to observe a little bit about the case and about Judge Engelhardt. prgtoken The plaintiffs' counsel, who represented the city of New Orleans and the firefighters' pension system, were a handful of the finest lawyers in the State of Louisiana--indeed, I would say, in the country. A partner and number of associates from a major Wall Street law firm represented the Wall Street investment bank. In addition to their lawyers, there were dozens of clerks and associates and paralegals, who made it look like Bourbon Street on Saturday night because there were so many people. I remember thinking how many thousands and thousands and thousands of hours these lawyers and paralegals and clerks had spent in understanding this case. One could tell very quickly that both sides--both sets of lawyers--knew this case backward and forward and had almost memorized the depositions. prgtoken As a lawyer, it was fun for me to watch as they were going at it hammer and tongs. I mean, they could recite chapter and verse from the legal briefs, from the law books, from the depositions. Yet there was one person in that courtroom, among all of these accomplished professionals, who knew more about the case than anybody else. He was the presiding judge--Kurt Engelhardt. He had total command of the subject matter. That was not easy, as this was a very complex municipal securities offering. He had total command of the courtroom. prgtoken With both sets of lawyers being aggressive, accomplished litigators, they te
IN MEMORY OF MARY ELEANOR WIGGINS BOWERS
Joe Wilson (Republican, SC) \u2014 2018-5-7

South Carolina last week paid tribute to the late Mary Eleanor Wiggins Bowers of Estill, South Carolina. She will always be cherished as a Southern Lady who lovingly served constituents at the U.S. House of Representatives Office in Estill. prgtoken The following thoughtful obituary was published in The State on May 4, 2018: Mary Eleanor Wiggins Bowers died at home in Estill, surrounded by her adoring family after a long, rich, and wonderful life. Born March 20, 1931 in Estill, South Carolina to Robert Graham and Louise Folk Wiggins, she was the granddaughter of Thomas Jackson and May Smoak Folk and Robert Graham and Mary Crane Wiggins all of Estill. Mary Eleanor finished Estill High School as valedictorian and attended Mercer University. She loved to jitterbug, once dancing holes in the soles of the shoes bought that day and always said she fell in love with her Corrin while ``cuttin' a rug''. She married ``that cute Bowers boy'' of Luray on August 27, 1949. She was the mother of Sharon B. Green (Roy), Mayor Corrin Fitts Bowers, Jr. (Sallie) both of Estill, Elizabeth B. Palles (Mitch), and Graham B. Solana (Mark) both of Savannah. Grandsons include John Green (Deana) of Jacksonville, Corrin Green (Hanna) of Pawley's Island, Andrew Green (Elizabeth) of Aiken, Mitchell Palles III of Charlotte, Corrin Fitts Bowers III (Abigail) of Estill, Joseph Solana II, and Henry Solana of Savannah; three granddaughters, Mary Crane Palles Orne (David) of Savannah, Louisa Bowers Beach (Brandon) of Estill, and Mary Tippins Solana of Savannah; seven great grandsons, Patrick, William, and Thomas Green of Jacksonville, Corrin Green, Jr and Samuel Green of Pawley's Island, Marshall Beach of Estill, and Charles Orne of Savannah, two great granddaughters, Sallie Sims Beach of Estill, and Eliza Green of Aiken. She often stated ``My big family is the best thing ever!'' She loved the Lord and was a lifelong member of Lawtonville Baptist Church, sang in the choir, taught Sunday School, GAs, Sunbeams, Young Women's Association, and led Training Union for many years with Corrin. She served as W.M.U. president on two occasions, was a Circle leader, served on two pastor search committees, and was a charter member and chair of the Lawtonville Historical Society. For years, she collected children from around Luray to study the Bible on the family farm. Mama Mama, as she was known to her grandchildren and many who loved her, could bring a room to life with her magnetic personality and gift of gab. Often drawing company with her encyclopedic knowledge of the area's rich history and genealogy, she welcomed all into her warm home with bird dog under foot and food on the stove. A visit with Mama Mama was always a
ARMS SALES NOTIFICATION
Bob Corker (Republican, TN) \u2014 2018-5-7

section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. prgtoken In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications which have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.
NATIONAL SEERSUCKER DAY
Bill Cassidy (Republican, LA) \u2014 2018-5-7

today I rise in recognition of seersucker manufacturers and enthusiasts across the United States. I wish everyone a Happy National Seersucker Day. This uniquely American fashion has a storied history dating back to 1909. The first seersucker suit was designed by Joseph Haspel at his Broad Street facility in New Orleans, LA. Louisiana is proud to have played an important part in introducing the country to seersucker apparel. prgtoken This lightweight cotton fabric, known for its signature pucker, has been worn and enjoyed by Americans across the country during the hot summer months. Mr. Haspel said it best: ``Hot is hot, no matter what you do for a living.'' prgtoken In the 1990s, Seersucker Day was established by Members of this Chamber to honor this unique American fashion. I proudly resumed this tradition in 2014 in the U.S. House of Representatives and continued this tradition in the U.S. Senate. This year, I wish to designate Thursday, June 7, as the fifth annual National Seersucker Day. I encourage everyone to wear seersucker on this day to commemorate this traditionally American clothing. (At the request of Mr. SCHUMER, tie following statement was ordered to be printed in the Record.)
IN RECOGNITION OF MR. JOHN PASCHALL'S APPOINTMENT TO THE AIR FORCE JUNIOR RESERVE OFFICER TRAINING CADET FLIGHT ACADEMY
Will Hurd (Republican, TX) \u2014 2018-5-7

I am pleased to offer my sincere congratulations to Mr. John Paschall upon his appointment to the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Cadet Flight Academy. This appointment is one of the first of its kind and speaks to Mr. Paschall's work ethic and commitment to excellence. prgtoken I am proud to represent hardworking young men and women like John in Texas's 23rd Congressional District. W. H. Taft High School is fortunate to have such a dedicated individual representing the student body. I am confident that the skills and lessons he will learn through this experience will continue to serve him well. I have no doubt that John's talents and abilities will help him in his future endeavors. I encourage this young man to continue to serve others and be an active voice in his community as he continues his education. prgtoken Congratulations again on this fine achievement.
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
James M. Inhofe (Republican, OK) \u2014 2018-5-7

today I would like to recognize Rohan Rajeev, of Edmond, OK, a young man of exemplary character and talent. Rohan made history as the runner-up at the 2017 Scripps National Spelling Bee. In his first appearance at the bee, Rohan earned his position by qualifying from a pool of over 11 million students from around the world. In 2016, Rohan earned the distinction as the first speller from Oklahoma to win the Association of Christian Schools International Spelling Bee. prgtoken Rohan has used his skills to help and teach others. He has served as the first grand marshal of the Eastern Oklahoma State Spelling Bee, a nonprofit competition whose mission is to help students develop spelling and vocabulary skills. He has contributed to the community by volunteering and taking leadership positions in programs and organizations, including Oklahoma Student Voices and Youth and Government. prgtoken While his honors are many, I am most impressed by Rohan's humility and courage. He attributes his success to his faith in Jesus Christ, knowing that He has brought him thus far in life. Despite enduring the loss of his sister, Raina, to a severe neurological condition, Rohan continues to honor her memory by dedicating his performances to Raina, and she continues to inspire Rohan to pursue his dreams. prgtoken Congratulations, Rohan. I wish you well in your future endeavors, and I know your future is bright.
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR (Executive Session)
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2018-5-7

one of the items on our to-do list is continuing to confirm the President's nominees, which have faced an unprecedented level of obstruction and downright foot-dragging. It is maddening to prgtoken see our ic colleagues insisting that we go through all the motions and the time limits set out in the rules, when nominees are confirmed 99 to 1 or 100 to 0. In other words, these are not controversial nominees, in many cases, and there is simply no reason to drag their feet and to prevent the Senate from doing other important work, including confirming more nominees.
ORDERS FOR WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 2018
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2018-5-8

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 9; further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed. Finally, I ask that following leader remarks, the Senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the Engelhardt nomination under the previous order.
WOMEN'S BUSINESS CENTERS IMPROVEMENTS ACT OF 2018
Stephen Knight (Republican, CA) \u2014 2018-5-8

I thank the chairman for his leadership. I thank Mr. Lawson and Ranking Member Velazquez for their leadership in this very, very important measure. prgtoken , I do rise today in support of the Women's Business Centers Improvements Act of 2018. prgtoken I introduced H.R. 1680 so that the outstanding growth our country has seen within women's entrepreneurship within the last decade can continue. prgtoken Over the last 10 years, the number of women-owned small businesses has increased by 114 percent. With women-owned firms growing more than two and a half times faster than the average business, we must recognize women entrepreneurs as a driving force in the U.S. economy. prgtoken The legislation modernizes both the Small Business Administration's Office of Women's Business Ownership and the SBA's Women's Business Centers program. prgtoken The Office of Women's Business Ownership administers the grant program that funds women's business centers. H.R. 1680 would require consistent standards and application requirements for grant recipients, ensuring that those centers have the ability to provide women with small business counseling and training. prgtoken The bill also institutes commonsense oversight requirements, standards for continued funding, and conditions of participation. This will increase congressional accountability and responsibility. prgtoken H.R. 1680 will allow millions of women throughout the country continued access to reliable and effective small business resources. prgtoken , I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1680.