mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
HONORING THE CAREER OF JOHN RUSSELL DEANE III
Bill Posey (Republican, FL) \u2014 2018-7-17

I want to recognize the service of John Russell Deane III, prgtoken who has led a distinguished career in support of motorsports and the automotive performance industry. prgtoken , I had the pleasure of getting to know Russ over the years through my service in the Florida State Legislature and a shared interest in racing. prgtoken Russ is an accomplished race car driver, but I stand here today to highlight his years of service as general counsel to the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), and many other race sanctioning bodies, which benefited Americans like me who are passionate about cars, racing and protecting our rights as enthusiasts. prgtoken While enrolled at Georgetown University Law Center, Russ started his career working as an aide to U.S. Representative Clark MacGregor (R-MN) and then served in various positions in the Nixon administration, including as a White House aide. In 1975, Russ left government to enter the private practice of law. It was there that he stood up for millions of automotive enthusiasts by helping shape federal and state laws and regulations to protect their hobby and the nation's automotive heritage. prgtoken Russ is a leading expert on laws and regulations that apply to motor vehicles and equipment as practiced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and other agencies. Russ worked closely with NHTSA, EPA and CARB as they established rules governing the installation of specialty automotive parts that customize and enhance vehicle performance. prgtoken Russ played an instrumental role in implementing the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1977 and in crafting the 1990 revisions. Similarly, one of Russ' most enduring accomplishments was his role in developing the CARB Executive Order program to test and certify the emissions performance of specialty auto parts sold across the country. He also helped shape state inspection programs based on testing rather than the mere presence of aftermarket parts. prgtoken Russ helped to establish the Congressional Automotive Performance and Motorsports Caucus, which held its inaugural events in 1996 over a two- day period at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, on the National Mall, and in the halls of Congress. I am proud to have served as co-chair of this caucus since 2011, which now has over 65 members in the U.S. House of Representatives. prgtoken Beyond the automotive world, Russ has worked with the U.S. Government, the American Bar Association and many universities to help develop democracies in countries such as Estonia, Ukraine, Georgia and Afghanistan. The Government of Estonia awarded him the Order of the White Star, the highest civilian honor, for helping the country develop a market-based economy after the fall of the Soviet Union. prgtoken Russ is a true Renaissanc
JOBS AND INVESTOR CONFIDENCE ACT OF 2018
Sean P. Duffy (Republican, WI) \u2014 2018-7-17

I want to thank the chairman for his great bipartisan work on this package in S. 488, as well as the ranking member, Ms. Waters, for her bipartisanship. prgtoken This is a package that takes the finer work, not just over the last 2 years, but work over the last 4 to 6 years of Chairman Hensarling's leadership, puts them together where we have had , , House, and Senate agreement on into a package that can hopefully make our markets and our economy work better. prgtoken I want to thank the chairman and the ranking member for including in this package our international insurance standards bill. This is a bill that was on the floor last week. It passed with a unanimous vote, which was fantastic. What we are trying to do is basically make sure that we maintain in international agreements our State-based model of insurance, that that doesn't get undermined. If we are going to undermine State-based insurance, it should come through this institution and not through an international agreement.
TAX REFORM
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2018-7-17

on a different matter, it is becoming a historic year for favorable economic news. There are plenty of ways to measure how American workers, job creators, and entrepreneurs are writing a new chapter. prgtoken After nearly a decade of stagnating pay and vanishing opportunities, recent months have brought remarkable milestones. Optimism among American small businesses has reached its highest level since President Reagan's first term. Sixty-seven percent of Americans believe that now is a good time to find a quality job in the United States--the highest percentage in 17 years of Gallup polling. Just last month, a manufacturing industry measure reported growth in 17 out of 18 sectors, from textiles to precision technologies. prgtoken It is no surprise, then, that the National Association of Manufacturers found last month that a record-high 95.1 percent of American manufacturers have a positive view of their company's outlook. prgtoken What do these numbers mean to real workers on the floor of American factories? At Mack Molding, an injection molder and contract manufacturer, with locations in Statesville, NC, and Arlington, VT, it means a $5.4 million investment in facilities with preparations to hire 100 new workers. At Sabel Steel, based in Montgomery, AL, it means large pay raises for most of the company's 230 employees and new, more efficient equipment at facilities across the South. Both companies credit last year's historic tax reform law with helping make their 2018 success possible. prgtoken Our ic colleagues can talk all they like about repealing middle-class families' and job creators' historic tax cuts and sending that money back to Washington instead, but this united government is proud of the new prosperity they are building. We will not let the take away their tax cut. prgtoken .
TRIBUTE TO JACKSON WILLIAM ``J.W.'' STINE
Bill Cassidy (Republican, LA) \u2014 2018-7-17

today I would like to acknowledge and honor Jackson William ``J.W.'' Stine on his 100th birthday. Mr. Stine is a longtime businessman and World War II veteran combat pilot who has served the State of Louisiana for many years. prgtoken Mr. Stine was born to Sulphur residents Andrew and Elma Stine on July 22, 1918. He attended Normal College--today Northwestern State University--and went on to marry his high school sweetheart, Doris ``Dee Dee'' Drost on January 14, 1944. They remained married for 67 years until Dee Dee passed away in 2011. Together they raised seven children, and today, they have 31 grandchildren and 71 great- grandchildren. prgtoken J.W. joined the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1944. Captain Stine flew over 40 combat missions as a pilot of a B-26 aircraft over Germany, Italy, and France. He flew the B-26 Marauder in the 17th Bombardment Group. J.W with the 17th Bombardment Group, and conducted bombing missions against critical targets throughout the Mediterranean, Italy, France, and Germany. It received the Distinguished Unit Citation, DUC, for its support of the Anzio invasion and another for its outstanding performance over Schweinfurt. For operations in support the invasion of France, it received the French Croix de Guerre with Palm. prgtoken J.W. and his best friend, J.C. Carlin, opened a construction company in Sulphur after World War II and then a prgtoken lumber company to supply the construction company which was called Starlin Lumber. He eventually bought out J.C.'s share and changed the name in 1973 to Stine Lumber. prgtoken J.W. instilled the core values of faith. family, and community in his seven children. He is a proud father of a nationally known artist, a colonel in the Air Force, a captain in the National Guard, two former Louisiana State legislators, a former Sulphur City councilman, a former Louisiana commissioner of administration, past president of Greater Beauregard Chamber of Commerce, past McNeese State University Foundation president, past chairman of the Boy Scouts of America Calcasieu Area Council, past chairman of the Council for A Better Louisiana, a current member of the Christus Health System Board, and current chairman of Louisiana Association of Business and Industry. prgtoken On July 22, 2018, J.W. Stine will celebrate his 100th birthday. I and my fellow Louisianans are proud of his accomplishments and the positive impact that he has had on our state. He fought for our Nation, raised an incredible family, and started a successful business. He has truly lived out the American Dream.
ORDERS FOR WEDNESDAY, JULY 18, 2018
Lindsey Graham (Republican, SC) \u2014 2018-7-17

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m Wednesday, July 18; 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. I ask that following leader remarks, the Senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the Oldham nomination and that time until 2 p.m. be equally divided; that at 2 p.m notwithstanding rule XXII, the Senate vote on confirmation of the Oldham nomination with no intervening action or debate; and that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H. RES. 996, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Tom Cole (Republican, OK) \u2014 2018-7-17

such time as I may consume, and then I will turn and yield time to my friend from Ohio. prgtoken , I just want to quickly respond to my friend's concern about the Election Assistance Commission funds. prgtoken As I am sure he is aware, that was the last installment last year, this fiscal year, of a $365 billion authorization that was actually done back in 2002. Currently, 39 percent of those funds for this year are still available to the prgtoken States. Actually, 19 States have yet to submit any sort of request, and the legislation itself has not been reauthorized. If the authorizing people reauthorize it, I am sure we will revisit this matter. prgtoken It also worth noting that anything added will be available only from October 1, and the election is 5 weeks after that. So the idea that we are going to do something in that period of time, I think, is a bit of a red herring. prgtoken , I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Gibbs), my good friend from the Seventh District.
JOBS AND INVESTOR CONFIDENCE ACT OF 2018
Roger Williams (Republican, TX) \u2014 2018-7-17

I rise today in strong support of the JOBS and Investor Confidence Act of 2018, which is comprised of 32 pieces of legislation that have passed the committee or the House this Congress with wide bipartisan support. prgtoken As a small business owner, I know how suffocating Big Government can be for the little guy. The fact is small businesses makes up 90 percent of American companies and employ almost half of our workforce. We need to fight for them. prgtoken In order for the United States to compete with the global market, we must continue to sustain long-term economic growth, and that starts with the passage of the JOBS and Investors Confidence Act of 2018. prgtoken I am proud to join my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in support of this bipartisan legislation, and I am looking forward to the Senate passing this package quickly. Quite simply, business is good. prgtoken In God we trust.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
H. Morgan Griffith (Republican, VA) \u2014 2018-7-18

I thank the gentleman very much, and I appreciate my colleague for introducing this amendment. prgtoken He is absolutely right. The Clean Air Act never gave the EPA this authority. They just created it out of thin air. prgtoken Their rationale is kind of interesting, because they took the authority that said that they could regulate new motor vehicles or new motor vehicle engines, and then the definition of new motor vehicle meaning any self-propelled vehicle designed for transporting persons or properties on a street or highway, and applied it to trailers. They are not self-propelled. prgtoken When I asked Janet McCabe, who was the Acting Director of the Air Division of the EPA, when she came in front of the Energy and Commerce Committee how in the world could they do this, and I presumed she wasn't a lawyer and she said: Well, yes, I am. prgtoken I was surprised, because the language is pretty clear. They don't have the ability to do that. prgtoken She said: Well, you can't haul any goods if the trailer is not attached to a truck. prgtoken That is not in the code. The code says that they only have authority over self-propelled vehicles. They created this out of whole cloth. prgtoken It doesn't make any sense to allow an agency to create law. That is our job, and I told her that that day. prgtoken I said: Look, you think this needs to be changed, bring in a bill, and we will discuss it. prgtoken They have never done that. They don't have authority. We shouldn't fund something that is clearly illegal based on the plain English reading of the terms.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Tom Graves (Republican, GA) \u2014 2018-7-18

I'll close with this. I appreciate the gentleman's sentiments towards how the IRS should use their resources. prgtoken Being a member of the Appropriations Committee and a member of this subcommittee my entire time on the full committee, I can assure you that the IRS is operating at a level that was not last seen since about 2011. Their resources are tremendously limited at this time, and we would prefer that they focus on customer service and implementing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that we recently passed. prgtoken Mr. Chair, I'll continue to oppose the gentleman's amendment, ask the House to do the same, and .
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
John Barrasso (Republican, WY) \u2014 2018-7-18

last week, President was in Europe meeting with other NATO leaders. One of the major issues he raised was the need to bolster energy security throughout NATO. He specifically talked about a natural gas pipeline that the Russians are building between Russia and Germany. It is called the Nord Stream II Pipeline. I have been talking about this pipeline for years. prgtoken President was absolutely right to bring up this important subject. Here is how the Boston Herald put it in an editorial over the weekend: ``'s testy, tough talk to NATO on point.'' They say the President's tough talk was absolutely on point. prgtoken The President pointed out that Germany relies on natural gas for a substantial amount of its energy needs. prgtoken More than half of Germany's natural gas imports come from Russia. With this new pipeline, Germany will actually increase its dependence on Russian gas. Russia will have more of an influence on Germany. prgtoken Germany and other countries are members of NATO, and the reason they are members of NATO is to protect themselves against Russian aggression. So if you are Germany, why would you want to become more dependent on Russia when you joined NATO and have been a member of NATO for years to protect against Russia aggression? It seems that Germany has turned around now and given Russia influence over its energy security. prgtoken President pointed out how strange it seems. I think it seems strange to other members of NATO, and it seems strange to people all across the country. No one who understands the facts can say that President is wrong. President is right. His tough talk to NATO was on point. Even the administration knew it. The rest of NATO knows it. Even Germany knows it. When one country allows another aggressive, opportunistic country like Russia to have that kind of influence over its energy security, I believe it is asking for trouble. Germany seems to be betting that increasing its economic ties to the Kremlin will have no effect on the political manipulations that Russia wants to play on Europe. I think it is a sucker's bet. prgtoken Energy security is national security. Energy security is called the master resource for a reason. It powers our country. It powers our economy. It is an instrument of power. It is a force multiplier. It is important for the United States and our allies around the world to have that correct understanding of energy and the impact that it has globally as a geopolitical weapon. We have seen Russia in the past use its natural gas as a geopolitical weapon. Russia threatens other countries. It extorts money from them. It bullies them. Russians then can tell their customers: Do what we say, or we turn off the tap and we shut off your gas. They have done it in the past. prgtoken It also means a lot of money going from our NATO allies straight into the Kremlin's pocket. That is money they could be usin
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR
Steve Daines (Republican, MT) \u2014 2018-7-18

I live in a State--the State of Montana-- that has a northern border. ICE agents keep our border secure, and I want to thank them for the very important work they are doing. prgtoken Far too many people are coming into our country illegally and putting the safety and security of American citizens at risk. In fact, in Montana, the effects of unsecured borders are very personal. All across our State, communities at this moment are torn apart by the meth and opioids that are trafficked through the southern border. In fact, just last year, ICE seized nearly 50 tons of narcotics, nearly a million pounds of heroin, fentanyl, and other deadly drugs that criminals and cartels are smuggling into our country. prgtoken At a time when America is suffering from a drug epidemic, how many more lives would be lost if ICE agents were not protecting our borders? How many more innocent Americans would be harmed or murdered if we did not have ICE agents to arrest illegal immigrants with criminal convictions? These are the questions that those who call for the abolishment of ICE should be asking. prgtoken It is outrageous. It is irresponsible to call for abolishing one of our country's most critical security measures. Abolishing ICE would give terrorists, gang members, drug dealers, and other criminals a field day. prgtoken I stand for protecting American security. I stand for upholding the rule of law. That is why I stand with ICE.
H.R. 3030, H.R. 5480, H.R. 5105, H.R. 4819
Christopher H. Smith (Republican, NJ) \u2014 2018-7-18

yesterday we voted on a number of critical pieces of legislation. One of these, which I supported, was H.R. 3030, the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act of 2017, sponsored by my friend Ann Wagner. prgtoken This bill will strengthen our efforts to anticipate, prevent, and mitigate genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. prgtoken Our Foreign Service officers are often on the front lines where there is a risk or reality of atrocity crimes. H.R. 3030 will ensure they have the right training to recognize and respond to early warning signs of such crimes. This legislation will also strengthen Congressional oversight by requiring the President to annually report on what is happening on the ground, how the United States has responded, and recommendations for strengthening U.S. response. I was proud to cosponsor this bill and I commend my colleagues for supporting it. prgtoken I commend my colleague for naming this bill after the late, iconic Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel. He spoke so powerfully about the unique, persistent evil of anti-Semitism that generated the Holocaust, warning that ``the antisemite is by definition ideologically fanatic and pathologically racist . . . an antisemite is someone who has never met me, never heard of me, yet he hates me.'' prgtoken Mr. Wiesel and I worked together at the historic 2004 Berlin conference of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. There 55 participating governments committed to specific, significant actions to combat anti-Semitism. They were following the parliamentary movement to get the OSCE to fully and forcefully fight anti-Semitism. That movement originated in a Helsinki Commission hearing I chaired in May 2002 and I was proud to lead this movement together with parliamentarians from Germany, the UK, and France. prgtoken In his Berlin keynote address, Mr. Wiesel said, ``We know . . . that anti-Semitism is dangerous not only to Jews but to countries too, where it is allowed to flourish . . . When a Jew is slapped in the face, humankind itself falls to ground . . . Antisemitism is rooted in hatred; its language is a language of hatred, it doctrine is filled with hatred--and hatred by its nature, always runs overboard, crossing geographical boundaries and ethnic affiliations. It is a contagious disease.'' prgtoken , Mr. Wiesel also dedicated his life to the prevention of other genocides, calling for action to prevent genocides in Bosnia, prgtoken Rwanda, and Sudan. Yet another genocide was committed after Sudan, this one against Christians, Yazidis, and other religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq and Syria by ISIS. The survival of these ancient communities depends on humanitarian, stabilization, and recovery assistance from the United States and other countries. prgtoken Last June this house unanimously passed H.R. 390, the Iraq and Syria Genocide Emergency Relief and Accountability Act, so that our aid reaches the genoci
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2019
Louie Gohmert (Republican, TX) \u2014 2018-7-18

I thank my friend for bringing this amendment. It is an important amendment to people that matter very much. prgtoken John Dingell is a man of integrity. I feel I know his heart. He has a huge heart, and we disagreed on many issues, but I know him as a man of integrity. prgtoken He was told he had to push through the cap and trade that would have gotten into costing people for this so-called cost of carbon, and he said it is not only a tax, it is a great big tax, and he lost his chairmanship. prgtoken But what John Dingell knows, what I know is when you start creating taxes on fuel, the people that get hammered the worst are the Nation's poorest among us. That is who it gets passed to. That is who gets crushed. Let's don't do this to the hardworking, poorest among us. Let's vote for the Mullin amendment.
ORDERS FOR THURSDAY, JULY 19, 2018
Mike Rounds (Republican, SD) \u2014 2018-7-18

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m Thursday, July 19; 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. I ask that following leader remarks, the Senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the Bounds nomination; further, that all time in recess, adjournment, morning business, and leader remarks count against postcloture time.