mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
Tax Reform (Executive Calendar)
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2018-4-11

as my colleague from Pennsylvania has pointed out, the recently passed tax bill is already having a profound impact on the economy, and, as the Congressional Budget Office report points out, over the course of the next decade, it will significantly increase economic growth in the economy and increase the number of jobs. It said that over 1 million jobs would be created as a result of the passage of the tax bill. prgtoken To his point, as well, they talk about deficits and debt projected out into the future, which clearly are major issues but, again, I would point out, are a result of the rate of growth in spending and not of the impact of the revenues generated by lowering taxes because when you get greater growth in the economy, it means that more people are taking realizations and more people are paying taxes. The Congressional Budget Office, as a rule of thumb, suggests that for each percentage--a 1- percent increase in growth of the economy--you get about $3 trillion in additional revenue over the course of a decade. prgtoken If we assume, and I believe we will--even the CBO, which I think is very conservative in terms of growth estimates, suggests that there is higher growth attributable largely to the changes we made in the Tax Code, reducing taxes on families in this country and reducing taxes on our small businesses, which incentivize them to expand and grow their operations and, therefore, create better paying jobs and higher wages, but also will generate more revenue coming in to the Federal coffers. prgtoken Clearly, the issue that we have in terms of the debt picture in the long term is not about revenue; it is about spending, which is growing dramatically over that next decade, particularly in what we refer to as mandatory spending or entitlement programs. This cries out, I would argue, for reforms in entitlement programs. But to say that somehow tax reform is contributing to that is a far cry from the truth, and I think the Congressional Budget Office numbers bear that out. Again, I would argue that in terms of what they suggest we are going to see in growth as a result of the changes we made in the Tax Code, I believe it is going to be dramatically understated. prgtoken When it came time to draft tax reform, s really had two goals in mind. First, we wanted to put more money in the pockets of hard-working Americans, and we wanted to do that right away. Second, we wanted to create the kind of economy that would give Americans access to economic security for the long term. prgtoken Less than 4 months after we passed this bill, I am proud to report that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has already achieved the first goal and is well on its way to achieving the second. prgtoken To put more money in Americans' pockets, we lowered tax rates across the board for American families, nearly doubled the standard deduction, and prgtoken increased the child tax credit to $2,000, doubling the am
HONORING RONALD LOUTHERBACK
Dana Rohrabacher (Republican, CA) \u2014 2018-4-11

Corona Del Mar resident Ronald Loutherback passed on April 5, 2018 from heart failure. Ron was a deeply religious person, a kind and outgoing man who was an American patriot to the core and actively supported conservative events. He leaves his wife Therese Loutherback, children Lonnie and Debra, three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Ron is best known for being the founder and president of THE WINE CLUB, premium discount wine retail stores that earned the honor by Southern Wine and Spirits magazine as being the best premier wine shops in the United States. His shops were located in Santa Ana, San Francisco, and Santa Clara since 1985, and were sold in 2000. Ron had belonged to the Sunny Hills Tennis Club, the Newport Beach Tennis Club, and the Santa Ana Country Club. He lived life to the fullest and was loved by all. He will be truly missed.
Tax Reform and Government Regulations (Executive Calendar)
Roy Blunt (Republican, MO) \u2014 2018-4-11

over the last couple of weeks, many of us have had an opportunity to spend more time at home than we do just going back and forth a few days a week. prgtoken While I was there, I had the opportunity to talk to small business owners, employees--people who are seeing their paychecks for the first time reflecting what we have done with the tax bill. Both in my hometown of Springfield, MO, and around our State, I also heard a level of optimism that was very encouraging. prgtoken One of the people I talked to was on the national board of manufacturers. A recent poll of the manufacturers looking at their confidence level reflected that it was the highest it has ever been in all of the time they have been polling on how they see the future. prgtoken , where you and I live, in an economy that makes things and grows things, we always do better. We are a productive part of the country. We don't do quite as well in an advice economy, but we are not opposed to an advice-giving economy. We have people who give advice. But, frankly, if you put that on top of truly productive capacity and a marketplace that meets that capacity, we always do very well. prgtoken As I talked to people, I heard consistently two reasons that people feel their optimism is justified and understandably growing. One reason is the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. No matter what was said about the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, people who were told it wouldn't help them are finding out, when they get their first paychecks, that it is helping them. People who were told that the prgtoken investment opportunities that would encourage them to grow their small businesses wouldn't be there for them are finding out that they are there for them, and they see those things coming. The economy is generally seeing money stay where we live that otherwise would have gone to Washington, DC. Forty-three different entities have come to our offices with ideas about what they are doing. prgtoken The 53,000 State employees in our State--the payroll deduction would indicate that this year, $32\1/2\ million from just that group of employees that was sent to Washington, DC, last year--it will stay in Missouri this year. prgtoken I mentioned on the floor not too long ago that one of our counties had reported that their county payroll--that the average county employee would take home $1,800 more this year, with the same paycheck to start with. That is beyond what they would have taken home last year. For all of those county employees put together, in Boone County, MO, it would mean that $946,000 will stay in Boone County that previously would have gone to Washington, DC. That makes a difference in the economy of the county because there are a lot of other people beyond those 485 employees who see the same kinds of things happening to them, but it really makes a difference for families. That take-home pay difference that some people here in the Senate and other places i
SPEAKER RYAN'S RETIREMENT
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2018-4-11

this morning, Ryan announced to his colleagues that he will be departing the House at the conclusion of the 115th Congress. prgtoken Two and a half years ago, Paul Ryan was drafted by his colleagues to lead the House through a new era. Like a true leader, Paul stepped up to the plate. He answered his colleagues' call with exactly the earnest, selfless, and focused approach that has defined his entire career in Congress. The results have been beyond impressive. prgtoken Capping off a remarkable 20-year career in Congress, Paul's speakership has yielded one significant accomplishment after another for his conference, his constituents in Wisconsin's First Congressional District, as well as the American people. prgtoken True to his career-long reputation as a champion for pro-growth economics, Paul helped lead the way on last year's once-in-a-generation rewrite of the Nation's Tax Code. Thanks in large part to his personal passion and expertise, reform became a reality, and our economy is charting a new course toward greater prosperity and greater opportunity. prgtoken On its own, this generational accomplishment would secure the 's legacy as a transformational conservative leader, but, of course, it is far from the only fruit of his speakership. His leadership was vital to securing everything from the largest year-on- year increase in defense funding in 15 years to the remaking of the way we treat and find cures for rare diseases. What is more, Paul has paired that ambitious agenda with infectious good cheer and an unflagging commitment to serve all Americans. Amidst all the stresses and pressures of leadership, Paul's optimism and energy never waned. prgtoken It has been a sincere pleasure and a real inspiration to work alongside this humble servant and happy warrior. I am glad we can count on his continued leadership through the rest of this year because our work together is far from finished. I look forward to collaborating closely these next months to implement more of the inclusive, pro- growth, pro-opportunity agenda the American people are counting on us to keep advancing.
ORDERS FOR THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 2018
David Perdue (Republican, GA) \u2014 2018-4-11

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 9:15 a.m Thursday, April 12; 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 Pizzella nomination under the previous order.
Tax Reform (Executive Calendar)
Patrick J. Toomey (Republican, PA) \u2014 2018-4-11

it was about 2 weeks ago that I had the opportunity to tour a steel plant in Redding, PA. The plant is owned by Carpenter Technology. It is a company that was founded in 1889. It is quite extraordinary. It is a vast complex in Redding, PA. They have 2,000 employees in Berks County, which is where Redding is located, and they have an additional 1,200 or so folks throughout other parts of Pennsylvania. prgtoken Carpenter Technology is a leading producer and distributor of specialty metals, including what they call soft magnetics. As I understand it, soft magnetics increase the efficiency and the power and the battery life of electric motors. That is one of the main applications of these soft magnetics. It is a feature in steel and other metals that allows the magnetic properties to be turned on and off very rapidly. It is an amazing technology. It is an absolutely essential component for all kinds of products, including aircrafts, electric cars, even medical devices. It is quite a range of products. One of the things I learned, of the many things I learned while I was at Carpenter Technology, is that tax reform is working for Carpenter Technology. prgtoken While I was there, the CEO announced a $100 million investment, right there in Redding, Berks County, PA, to upgrade their capabilities and their capacity to produce these soft magnetics. To be more precise, they are buying an entire new hot rolling steel mill in Redding, PA. It is a $100 million investment in a new mill that will allow them to expand their output and meet increasing demand for this really fascinating product that they make. prgtoken One of the things the leadership of Carpenter Technology made abundantly clear in their press release and in their public statements was that they were able to purchase this mill and make this $100 million investment in their company now because of the tax reform we passed. This is exactly the type of capital investment we envisioned when we passed the tax reform bill. It was exactly for this kind of economic activity and expansion that we wanted to lower the cost of deploying this capital and expanding business and generate the economic growth and prosperity that comes with this. prgtoken By the way, Carpenter Technology is not an outlier. This kind of investment is consistent with the sentiment we are seeing all across the country. prgtoken Just at the end of the first quarter--the quarter that just ended-- there was a large survey of American chief financial officers--CFOs-- across the country. It was carried out by Deloitte LLP. It was exploring the question of growth expectations for capital expenditure. The fact is, their conclusion is that these CFOs anticipate greater growth and more hiring. In fact, the sentiment is at a multiyear high. Why is that? Here is what Deloitte had to say about it: Clearly, there's a high desire for investment in the U.S and that is coming from jus
CONGRESS OF FUTURE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY LEADERS
Ken Buck (Republican, CO) \u2014 2018-4-11

I rise today to recognize 9 high school students who were chosen by the National Academy of Future Scientists and Technologists to represent the State of Colorado as Delegates at the Congress of Future Science and Technology Leaders. The students are Daniela Arenas Berenste, Carter Brand, Benjamin Davis, Evelyn Esparza, Denita Guimaraes-Paez, Amanda Rees, Yoselin Thompson, Alex Truitt, and Christopher Zavakos. prgtoken The Congress is an honors-only program for top students in our country who aspire to work in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) fields. These students are nominated by their teachers or the Academy based on their leadership ability, academic achievement, and dedication. This program is designed to inspire young people to go into STEM fields and provides a path, plan, and mentoring resources to help them reach their dreams. During the Congress, the students will have the chance to learn from luminaries of the STEM field including top scientific university deans, leaders from government and the private sector, and even Nobel laureates. prgtoken These students' acceptance to this prestigious program is an incredible feat, and it is my honor to rise today and recognize the outstanding accomplishment of this future leader. Our nation greatly benefits from the achievements of scientists and technologists, and it is important that we continue to inspire younger generations to pursue careers in the STEM fields. prgtoken , on behalf of the 4th Congressional District of Colorado, I extend my congratulations to these students and wish them the best in their future endeavors.
China (Executive Session)
Dan Sullivan (Republican, AK) \u2014 2018-4-11

as we all know, our country is facing a lot of challenges, particularly overseas, and a lot of them are in the news--Iran, Syria, North Korea. When you prgtoken look out across the landscape of what the big, long-term, geostrategic challenges are that face our Nation, in my view, there is no doubt that the No. 1 challenge economically and from a national security standpoint is the rise of China as a great power. We need to be thinking about that a lot more because that is going to be the issue our country faces, not just this year or next year but for decades. prgtoken I come from the great State of Alaska. We are an Asia-Pacific State. We are always looking to that region--as a matter of fact, we are in that region. My hometown of Anchorage is closer to Tokyo than it is to Washington, DC. What I see as a positive on this issue--having been someone in this body for a little over 3 years, I have come down to the floor and talked a lot about this challenge, the rise of China. It is a little concerning that a couple of years ago nobody was talking about it. Very few people were talking about it, but that is changing, and I think that is positive. prgtoken It is changing. This administration is focusing, and it is changing with my colleagues-- and s. Certainly, this is an area where, I think, there is a lot of agreement. I was just presiding for the last hour. The majority whip and the Senator from Oklahoma both were talking about issues dealing with China and trade and strategy, and that is positive. prgtoken The administration is talking about it. If you look at the national security strategy of the administration, they are starting to focus on this issue. Front and center is the return of great power rivalries, with China as the leading, pacing threat and challenge, but it is also an opportunity for this great Nation of ours. prgtoken When you look at the history of our country, particularly post-World War II, the United States set up the international system--the international trading system and security system. We have been leading them, and so many countries--hundreds of millions of people in the world--benefited from that. The irony, of course, is that the one country that benefited probably more than almost anyone is China. prgtoken The rise of China was not only helped, but it was spurred by the American international trading system, the sealanes of commerce that we have kept open for decades. So there was a moment in the last couple of decades where we reached out very much--there was a great speech by our former Deputy Secretary of State in the administration, a gentleman by the name of Bob Zoellick, who went on to become head of the World Bank. He asked in a speech to the Chinese: You need to now become a responsible stakeholder in this system that we created because you have benefited so dramatically. You are big, you are powerful, and now help become a s
STRESS TEST IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2017
Andy Barr (Republican, KY) \u2014 2018-4-11

I thank the chairman for the recognition and the author of this legislation, Mr. Zeldin, for his leadership on the Stress Test Improvement Act, which I strongly support. prgtoken , the Federal Reserve administers two stress tests that they believe analyze the ability of U.S. firms to weather various forms of economic turbulence. While the Fed failed to sound the alarm prior to the last financial crisis, the thought is that, with these tests, one of which was instituted by the Dodd-Frank financial control law in the aftermath of the financial crisis, the Fed can prevent or at least mitigate the severity of the next crisis. prgtoken I believe that stress tests can be very productive and useful, but there is such a thing as overkill. When a relatively healthy patient goes to the doctor, the doctor typically doesn't say: And you need to go to another doctor, and you need to come see me again every month. That is really not required. It adds costs, it is redundant, it is duplicative, and it doesn't materially benefit the patient in terms of better health outcomes. prgtoken The analogy applies to banks. Stress testing is good, but overkill is costly, and it costs the financial system and doesn't materially add to financial stability. Certainly there is merit to stress testing, but there is no doubt that the cloud of secrecy surrounding these tests confounds the ability of financial firms to correctly identify systemic risks, to take corrective action, to chart a more sustainable or profitable path for the future. As a result, financial firms, many of them banks, are left trying to anticipate these Fed models, wasting valuable time and resources that could be used to actually address risks that threaten our economy. prgtoken So this environment of regulatory uncertainty actually, I would argue, undermines financial stability because it distracts from the mission of the institution, and it certainly is costly in terms of driving up costs and taking away access to capital for productive activities that actually strengthen the economy. For these reasons, I am a proud supporter of this bill, which is a great first step to clean up some of the regulatory uncertainties surrounding these tests. prgtoken The bill does a few things. First, it reduces the frequency of the required company-run stress tests to once per year. One is enough to identify risks, instead of two. Second, it eliminates one of the supervisory scenarios that must be run, leaving just two, again eliminating redundancy and superfluous, costly activities. Finally, it prohibits the Federal Reserve from objecting to a bank holding company's capital plan based on unknown qualitative reasons. prgtoken These institutions need to know what the Fed is looking for in order to satisfy the stress testing that is applied to them. Again, I applaud Congressman Zeldin and Chairman Hensarling for their hard work on this commonsense regulatory improvement bill. It is n
RECOGNIZING THE NORTHEAST INDIANA BASE COMMUNITY COUNCIL
Jim Banks (Republican, IN) \u2014 2018-4-11

I rise today to recognize the Northeast Indiana Base Community Council and its annual Race for the Warrior. Across eleven counties in northeast Indiana, the NIBCC is working with over 30 community groups, making my district one of America's most engaged regions when it comes to supporting our military. prgtoken The Race for the Warrior is the hallmark for the NIBCC. In its fourth year, proceeds from the event raise funds for the NIBCC Military Support Fund. This fund provides one-time grants to local military members for emergency relief, as well as other military and veterans support programs. prgtoken I am proud of the work the NIBCC does on behalf of our active duty servicemembers, veterans, and their families in my district.
COMMENDING SERGEANTS CHARLES JEFFERS AND GERALD ``JAKE'' STOFKO
Keith J. Rothfus (Republican, PA) \u2014 2018-4-11

I rise today to honor the careers of Sergeants Charles Jeffers and Gerald ``Jake'' Stofko of the Johnstown Police Department. prgtoken Sergeant Jeffers valiantly served the Johnstown community for 48 years, forging a legacy of bravery in public service. prgtoken Sergeant Stofko's 25-year-long career with the Johnstown Police Department is one marked by excellence and dedication. Spending the majority of his career working the midnight shift, the Johnstown residents could sleep soundly knowing that Sergeant Stofko was on watch. prgtoken , I want to thank and congratulate these brave officers for their combined 73 years of service and commitment to protecting the people of Johnstown. I wish them both the best as they move forward into the next chapter of their lives.
REMEMBERING HARRY SHIPLEY, JR.
John Boozman (Republican, AR) \u2014 2018-4-11

today I wish to pay tribute to the life of Harry Shipley, Jr from my hometown of Fort Smith, AR. Mr. Shipley was a husband, father, veteran, businessman, and community leader. He passed away on March 24, 2018, at the age of 96. prgtoken Born in 1922 during the Great Depression, Shipley graduated from Fort prgtoken Smith High School, where he was student body president. He attended the University of Arkansas and served as student commander of the Army ROTC while earning a degree in business. prgtoken A member of the Greatest Generation, he was a second lieutenant in reconnaissance and intelligence in the U.S. Army during World War II. He served in the European Theater and was injured in the Battle of Siegfried Line. Shipley received the Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his service to his country. prgtoken After the war, he graduated from the American Institute of Baking in Chicago, IL, and joined his father at the Shipley Baking Company. He worked there for 54 years, from 1945 to 1996, along with his brother and sons. He retired in 1996 as chairman of the board after the company was sold to Flower Foods. prgtoken Mr. Shipley was also a man of faith and someone who was involved in his community in a variety of ways. He was a lifetime member of First United Methodist Church and served as an usher and on several committees within the congregation. prgtoken I join with many in the Fort Smith community to honor Harry Shipley, Jr and the wonderful legacy he leaves behind. My thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones as they mourn his passing and celebrate his life.