mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Healthcare (Executive Calendar)
Elizabeth Warren (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2017-11-15

from Ohio for his leadership in impressing on the American people to take a look at Mr. Otting, who has been named to be the head of the OCC. I rise and join my voice with his in saying that this is a bad nomination for America. prgtoken promised during his inaugural address to fight for the ``forgotten men and women of our country.'' Yet, even before his bags were unpacked at the White House, he started bringing Wall Street to Washington, importing the worst of the worst bankers who had gambled away the economy, putting them in charge of regulating the same companies they once worked for. It is a long list. prgtoken It is the former Goldman Sachs president, Gary Cohn, to lead the National Economic Council and Wall Street fat cat Wilbur Ross to lead the Commerce Department. Randal Quarles went straight from his private equity fund to the Federal Reserve, where he is now responsible for regulating our biggest banks. prgtoken Maybe the most important and most ridiculous of all of the Wall Street imports is Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Mnuchin spent 17 years at Goldman Sachs. As the financial crisis was sweeping across the country, Mnuchin organized a team of billionaires to purchase IndyMac Bank out of Federal receivership. He rebranded the bank as OneWest and put himself in charge. Then Mr. Mnuchin and OneWest acted swiftly and decisively to boot more than 36,000 families out of their homes all over the country. prgtoken The Senate should never have confirmed that kind of person to run the Treasury Department, but it did. Now, among other things, he leads the Council that is responsible for making sure Wall Street does not blow up our economy again. I know it actually sounds like a joke, but the risks for the rest of us are way too serious. prgtoken s don't seem to have any problem with any of this. In fact, they are doubling down. Today, they plan to confirm Mnuchin's former OneWest business partner, Joseph Otting, to lead the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and take another seat on that same Council. prgtoken The OCC is one of the most important regulators you have probably never heard of. It is the main bank overseer of the United States. It charters, regulates, and supervises more than 1,400 banks. The OCC writes rules to make the economy more secure, and it puts examiners inside the big banks in order to catch new tricks and scams before they harm consumers or, worse, before they crash the economy, and when banks mess up, it is the OCC's job to enforce the law. prgtoken Mr. Otting is buddies with the Treasury Secretary from their days of leading OneWest Bank. I guess that is why he got this nomination, but if you care about making sure regulators watch out for families, businesses, and our economy, it is hard to think of anyone worse for this job other than Steve Mnuchin. We all know a segment of the banking industry specialized in squ
INTRODUCING LEGISLATION TO UPDATE THE SELECTIVE SERVICE REGISTRATION SYSTEM
Gwen Moore (Democrat, WI) \u2014 2017-11-15

I rise to introduce legislation to make a commonsense update to the Selective Service Registration system. prgtoken As my colleagues know, our country has long recognized the moral dilemma faced by those with strong religious or moral grounds against serving in the military and engaging in war. As noted by the Supreme Court in Welsh vs. United States, there are many in our country ``whose consciences, spurred by deeply held moral, ethical, or religious beliefs, would give them no rest or peace if they allowed themselves to become a part of an instrument of war.'' prgtoken Historically, Congress has provided for alternative service or exemption from service for those whose scruples and conscience cannot allow them to participate in combat or in any form of military service. prgtoken In today's all-volunteer military, those who have moral objections to participating in war can opt not to join the military. However, under the Universal Military Training and Service Act, all men between the ages of 18 and 26, including conscientious objectors, are still required to register for a national draft, should Congress authorize one. prgtoken My bill would require that the Selective Service provide registrants, at the time of registration, with the option to indicate a desire to be classified as a conscientious objector. prgtoken My bill would make clear that simply making that indication at registration does not bind the U.S. in any way and does not assure that the registrant will be so classified. prgtoken Finally, the bill would allow the Selective Service system to also accept, at the time of registration, written statements in support of a conscientious exemption claim. prgtoken I want to be clear that the legislation does not change current requirements for how such claims are handled. Under current law, those who pursue a conscientious exemption from military service during a draft can only put forward an actual claim, with supporting evidence, after they get an induction notice. prgtoken Again , our nation has a history of recognizing, as noted by the Supreme Court in Gillette v. United States, ``the situation of conscientious objectors to war, who, absent special status, would be put to a hard choice between contravening imperatives of religion and conscience or suffering penalties.'' My bill simply tries to make the process of registering those objections more direct and straightforward.
TAX CUTS AND JOBS ACT
Katherine M. Clark (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2017-11-15

I thank our ranking member for yielding and for all of his incredible work on this bill. prgtoken , we were promised tax reform, but that is not what we are seeing in this bill. In fact, you don't have to dig far into this 429- page bill to see that it is a con, a cynical bait and switch for families at home. prgtoken When this bill was released just 2 weeks ago, I started getting calls from families at home wanting to know how it would affect them. We dug into it, and I want to share just a few of those examples, but it didn't take long to see why it was developed in secret and why it is being rushed to a vote. prgtoken On page 254, s propose getting rid of a program that helps veterans find work when they come home. 300,000 veterans have been helped by the work opportunity tax credit. The repeal of this provision to reduce taxes for the very wealthiest is a coldhearted way to say thank you for your service. prgtoken On page 113, this tax scam sends a bill to 9 million households who have extremely high medical costs. Tax breaks for billionaires are expensive; we get that. Under this plan, Americans who live in nursing homes, have a sick child, high medical costs will foot the bill. prgtoken On pages 95 and 97, students get added to the list of Americans who will be forced to pay for the GOP's tax breaks for corporations. They will see increased debt and taxes. prgtoken This bill says: Good luck, students. Building an economy that will not allow you to pay off the $1.3 trillion of existing student debt but, instead, will add $2.3 trillion in deficit, this bill was created for you. prgtoken Just yesterday, the President's chief economic strategist was surprised when the CEOs gathered admitted they would not be investing their tax cuts in jobs and wages.
LET'S WORK TOGETHER TO CRAFT A TAX REFORM BILL
Niki Tsongas (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2017-11-15

tomorrow the House will vote on H.R. 1, the so-called Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which s say will support America's middle class. Unfortunately, that is not the case. prgtoken Middle-income Americans will receive, at best, one-fifth of the promised benefit of these tax cuts. prgtoken According to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, H.R. 1 will raise taxes on 36 million hardworking middle class American households. prgtoken It scraps benefits our families depend on, like the student loan interest and medical expense deductions. Imagine, in a time when access to higher education is critical to a family's economic well-being, making it even more expensive. prgtoken This legislation was written behind closed doors, in secret, without ic input and without any hearings. prgtoken , a bill to overhaul the Tax Code, the results of which will affect every American for decades to come, deserves open and transparent consideration. I urge my colleagues to work together to instead craft a tax reform bill that truly lifts up the middle class and invests in our future.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 1, TAX CUTS AND JOBS ACT, AND PROVIDING FOR PROCEEDINGS DURING THE PERIOD FROM NOVEMBER 17, 2017, THROUGH NOVEMBER 24, 2017
Alcee L. Hastings (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2017-11-15

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , last night, I pointed out to my colleague from Alabama, whom I greatly admire, that he has a number of people claiming medical expense deductions who won't be able to do so under this tax measure. The number of them, in fact, is 22,052, and the total amount claimed under medical expense deduction by them previously was $186 million. prgtoken , I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Polis), a distinguished colleague who I sit next to on the Rules Committee.
CONSEQUENCES OF PASSING THE REPUBLICANS' TAX PLAN
Ron Kind (Democrat, WI) \u2014 2017-11-15

. I appreciate the remarks of my friend from Chicago. He represents a large urban district. I represent a large rural district in Wisconsin. He may be a Bears fan, and I might be a Packers fan, but one thing we agree on is this a bill of goods for both of our constituencies. prgtoken I am especially concerned about the economic impact in the large rural congressional district that I represent where production agriculture is still an important part of our economy. prgtoken Some of the changes that they are making are going to be devastating to family farmers. They are taking away the 199 tax deduction, which is as important for our domestic manufacturers as it is for our family farmers. prgtoken If you want to grow things and invent things and create things, make things in America, the 199 has a proven track record of making it easier for our farmers and manufacturers to do it. Under their bill, that goes away. prgtoken That operating loss carryback, which is important for a lot of farmers in order to recoup some of the losses that they have experienced in their business, it goes away. prgtoken Like-kind exchanges for property and heavy machinery in farm country goes away. A lot of my farmers are operating on a margin right now. I am concerned about the impact this is going to have on the rural economy and our family farmers with what they are proposing. prgtoken You don't have to be from a city or from a rural district to understand that, again, the work wasn't put into this bill to understand the real consequences of what they are asking for. It is not too late. We can still regroup and work in the bipartisan fashion that tax reform was meant to occur and figure out a way to truly simplify, make us more competitive, but make it fair for working families, small businesses, and family farmers in all of our districts, rather than this rush to judgment just so they can score a political win before the end of the year. prgtoken So I think the points that my friend from Chicago raised are very valid, and it is something that I would hope all of us would heed before we reach our final decision tomorrow morning.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 1, TAX CUTS AND JOBS ACT, AND PROVIDING FOR PROCEEDINGS DURING THE PERIOD FROM NOVEMBER 17, 2017, THROUGH NOVEMBER 24, 2017
Kathy Castor (Democrat, FL) \u2014 2017-11-15

I thank my friend for yielding and thank him for being a champion for working families across the country. prgtoken , I rise today in opposition to the rule and the GOP tax bill because it is so fundamentally unfair. It is unfair that it raises taxes on tens of millions of middle class families while giving huge tax breaks to big corporations and the superrich. It does this, also, by adding over $1.5 trillion to the national debt. prgtoken The Center for a Responsible Federal Budget said this is a step backwards for fiscal responsibility, largely because it passes the tab on to our kids and our grandkids. They estimate that that will cost about $12,000 per household, just the debt portion of it--not even a mention. prgtoken Here is why middle class families get hurt: prgtoken s eliminate the deduction for medical expenses. That is over 630,000 Floridians in my home State. prgtoken They eliminate the tax deduction that helps make college more affordable by being able to deduct the interest on your student loan. prgtoken They eliminate all these deductions for the middle class and give all the breaks to the superrich and big corporations. It is fundamentally unfair, and I urge a ``no'' vote on the bill.
TAX CUTS AND JOBS ACT
Brad Sherman (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-11-15

by 2027, roughly one-third of middle class families will be paying more in taxes, and that average family will be paying $1,300 more. prgtoken The personal exemption, worth $4,150 per person in a family, that is $21,000 for a family of five, and they take it away. prgtoken The moving expense deduction, if you have to move to keep your job, you don't get to deduct that. But if you move a factory to China, you get to deduct all of the moving expenses. prgtoken The student loan debt, they won't let you deduct it. prgtoken As for the effect on simplicity, my CPA and tax law homeboys are going to be rolling in big dollars. Just from the provisions that define the difference between personal service income, passive income, active business income, the litigation and planning opportunities--talk about complexity--it is all there, and my homeboys love it. prgtoken We currently deduct extraordinary medical expenses. That is important to those with disabilities and families with children with special needs. They wipe it out. prgtoken The extraordinary casualty loss deduction, they wipe out. That is very important to people who face floods and fires. prgtoken They change the rules so that we don't have adequate indexing for inflation, so everybody is pushed into a higher tax bracket by inflation, except those at the very top; they are protected. prgtoken But look at the effect on our Nation's economy. This is a job- killing, deficit-exploding, growth-reducing disaster. Look at what happened to Kansas. These policies have already devastated one of our States. prgtoken You are going to be taking $1.5 trillion out of the money available for business investment. The Federal Government will come in and borrow all of that money, leaving less money for factories, farms, and homes. prgtoken As Ron Kind pointed out, there is an extra $800 billion of interest on top of that just in the next 10 years. Keep in mind, this increase in our debt is forever. Your grandchildren will be paying taxes on this debt. prgtoken Look at the chart. We had the policies of Ronald Reagan from 1988-- when his 1986 law became effective--through 1993, and we had 2.67 percent growth. In 1994, we got Clinton tax policies and we exploded to over 4 percent annual growth. Then with , we dropped to 1.7 percent growth. Then when we adopted tax policies, which are in force today, we are back up to 2.2 percent economic growth. prgtoken Which policies give you economic growth? prgtoken Let's look internationally. You can manufacture and pay zero percent on the profits you earn by a factory, but only if it is a foreign factory.
TAX CUTS AND JOBS ACT
Jamie Raskin (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2017-11-15

. In the meantime, Madam , 34 million middle class Americans get hit with a tax increase. Good-bye to the healthcare deduction. Good-bye to the college loan interest deduction. Farewell to a meaningful State and local tax deduction--oh, and farewell to the estate tax which applies only to billionaires and the richest millionaires in the country, 2 out of 1,000 families. Where is the democracy? Where is the legislative process? prgtoken When we had a bipartisan bill in 1986, we took more than 2 years. It passed with overwhelming support. Now this tax scam has had no hearings, no experts, and no citizen testimony. What a scandal it is. We do need tax reform, but we don't need a corporate tax scam imposed against the middle class.
VOTE EXPLANATION
Robert Menendez (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2017-11-15

I was unavailable for rollcall vote No. 274, on the nomination of Mark T. Esper, of Virginia, to be Secretary of the Army. Had I been present, I would have voted yea. prgtoken , I was unavailable for rollcall vote No. 275, on the nomination of David G. Zatezalo, of West Virginia, to be Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health. Had I been present, I would have voted nay. prgtoken , I was unavailable for rollcall vote No. 276, on the motion to invoke cloture on Joseph Otting, of Nevada, to be Comptroller of the Currency. Had I been present, I would have voted nay.
Nomination of David Zatezalo (Executive Calendar)
Patty Murray (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2017-11-15

I wish to make a statement about the second vote we are going to have, and I urge my colleagues to vote against the nomination of David Zatezalo as the Mine Safety and Health Administrator. prgtoken MSHA is responsible for protecting the safety and health of miners in this country and for holding companies that put their workers' lives at risk accountable. So it really is disappointing to me that President nominated one of the industry's worst health and safety offenders to lead this critically important agency. prgtoken This is, unfortunately, just another in a long list of decisions by President that jeopardizes workers' health, safety, and financial security in order to prioritize corporations and special interests. prgtoken I really hope our colleagues will join me in rejecting President 's extreme agenda and this nominee. prgtoken Thank you. prgtoken . prgtoken .
IN RECOGNITION OF AMANDA GRADY SEXTON FOR BEING AWARDED THE 2017 SANDRA MATHESON AWARD FOR EXEMPLARY COMMITMENT TO VICTIMS OF CRIME
Ann M. Kuster (Democrat, NH) \u2014 2017-11-15

I rise today to honor Amanda Grady Sexton, the Director of Public Affairs for the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, for receiving the 2017 Sandra Matheson Award for Exemplary Commitment to Victims of Crime. prgtoken Amanda is incredibly deserving of this recognition; having worked tirelessly at the New Hampshire Coalition for 15 years to ensure protections for survivors of sexual assault in the Granite State. She led the effort in the state legislature to pass legislation that strengthens New Hampshire's Rape Shield Law and established critical protections for survivors of sexual violence. She has also supported other initiatives to extend the statute of limitations in cases of child sexual abuse and criminalized acts of human trafficking and domestic violence in state law. prgtoken Though Amanda's voice is essential in New Hampshire, her advocacy extends beyond the Granite State. She regularly advises me and other members of the New Hampshire Congressional Delegation, and assisted Congress with the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act and the passage of the Sexual Assault Survivors' Rights Act. prgtoken Through her incredible work, Amanda has given hope and a voice to countless victims of crime in New Hampshire and nationwide, and has helped reduce the stigma associated with sexual assault. prgtoken On behalf of New Hampshire's Second Congressional District and all those who have benefitted from Amanda's work, I thank her for everything she has done and will continue to do for our state, and congratulate her on this well-deserved recognition. I look forward to our continued work together to make New Hampshire be an even better place to live, work, and raise a family.
Republican Tax Plan (Executive Calendar)
Chris Van Hollen (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2017-11-15

we are having a chance now to take a look at the House and Senate tax plans. Both of these plans were cooked up largely in secret, and as more information comes out, we see more and more how much damage they are going to do to our country. prgtoken The plans have many features that overlap, and one of those overlapping features is that both of them provide a massive tax giveaway to big corporations and powerful special interests. The Wall Street Journal, in an article just a little while back that was looking at the House plan, talked about a provision that is also in the Senate plan. They said that, at a 20-percent corporate tax rate, banks stand to be among the biggest winners from tax reform according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. The five biggest diversified U.S. banks alone might have had tax savings of $11.5 billion in 2016 at that rate. In other words, if that 20 percent rate had been in place back in 2016, those big banks--the biggest banks--would have seen that huge windfall, that huge additional profit. prgtoken A recent analysis from Bloomberg Law estimates that banks could see a 12-percent drop in their effective tax rates and an 18-percent increase in their profits. This is at a time that the biggest banks in the United States--not the community banks, but the biggest banks in this country--are already making huge profits, and this just provides them with an extra tax windfall that is going to be paid by millions of middle-class taxpayers and paid by increasing our national debt. prgtoken Of course, as the national debt goes up, people will come around and say: OK, let's also pay for them by cutting Medicare and Medicaid. In fact, that is right there in the Senate budget. So the bottom line is that both the House and the Senate tax plans are big giveaways to big corporations, paid for by many other Americans. prgtoken Now, this is not the only way the administration is working to provide big giveaways to the biggest banks. We remember back during the financial crisis and the meltdown that taxpayers had to be brought in to save big financial institutions in order to protect the larger economy. It was a terribly difficult decision people had to make to protect the economy, and at that time we said: Never again are we going to allow the big banks on Wall Street to gamble in a way that leaves taxpayers--all of our constituents--on the hook. They can take risks, but they shouldn't be taking risks with taxpayer money. That was the whole purpose of the Wall Street reforms. prgtoken Now comes the administration, and in addition to a tax plan that wants to provide big corporate breaks to the biggest banks, they want to take down a lot of the guardrails that prevent banks from taking big risks that taxpayers will end up paying for. One of the ways they are trying to bring down those guardrails is by appointing people to very important positi