mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
21ST CENTURY IRS ACT
Suzan K. DelBene (Democrat, WA) \u2014 2018-4-18

first, I would like to thank our Oversight Subcommittee leaders, Mr. Lewis and Ms. Jenkins, for all of their efforts on the important bills that we have been considering this week. prgtoken A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit with constituents of mine who are serving low-income taxpayers in our community through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. I am so pleased to see that this important partnership will be made permanent by legislation that we passed yesterday. prgtoken I am grateful to my colleague, Mr. Bishop, for his hard work and for working with me on this bill, the 21st Century IRS Act. It is an important bill that enhances needed reforms to enhance cybersecurity and online access for taxpayers, including small-business owners. It is long past time for the IRS to enter the digital age and to give taxpayers a safe, secure, user-friendly online portal to serve their needs. prgtoken As a former State Department of Revenue director and a tech industry veteran, I know firsthand that coordination between private sector technology experts and tax administrators at the State and Federal level can produce real results for taxpayers and a better user experience for all stakeholders. We should strive to harness technology to create a more seamless and dependable experience for American families who are becoming increasingly accustomed to conducting their financial business safely online. prgtoken Something we saw yesterday is an ongoing challenge for the IRS. By codifying things like the Security Summit and the role of the IRS CIO, this bill should create some continuity in terms of prioritizing technology improvements and improving the taxpayer experience. prgtoken I am also glad that we are addressing improvements for small-business owners, like the development of an online portal for 1099 filings. I know small-business owners in my district and across the country are tired of waiting for more user-friendly, web-based systems, and this is a good first step for them. We should be streamlining the filing process so that they can spend less time and money on tax compliance and more on growing their businesses. prgtoken While this bill is clearly an incredibly important step forward, I would like to share the comments of a CPA who weighed in on the discussion draft of the legislation as a reminder that this is not the end of our work. He noted that cutting the IRS budget has been steadily cutting the effectiveness of the IRS for many years, and he said: ``We are at a perilous point where honest taxpayers are extremely frustrated. Fix it quick, or it will become too broken to fix.'' prgtoken After hearing from IRS administrators, taxpayers, and technology experts over the past couple of years, I think we may be in or approaching the red zone of becoming too broken to fix. Just like a pothole that would cost $1,000 to fix today or $10,000 to fix tomorrow, we need to make some smart investmen
Nomination of James Bridenstine (Executive Calendar)
Edward J. Markey (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2018-4-18

I am here to join Ranking Member Nelson and my colleagues to voice my opposition to James Bridenstine, who has been nominated to be the next Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. prgtoken NASA is an agency that has been at the center of our Nation's modern history and impacts the daily lives of millions of Americans. The world watched in awe as Neil Armstrong took that first step onto the surface of the Moon in July of 1969, wearing a NASA patch on his spacesuit. Today, we marvel at photos of Pluto's surface, captured by NASA's New Horizons mission in July of 2015. From the closest to the farthest reaches of our own solar system, NASA is always there. prgtoken NASA is at a critical point in its history, and that is because the United States is poised to unleash the next great feat of human innovation as we look to unlock the true possibilities of space. To accomplish these goals, we need a solid foundation, and that starts and ends with the science conducted at NASA every single day. NASA's mission involves not just revealing faraway worlds but investigating the realities of our own. In order to truly do that, we need continued scientific research of the highest caliber. prgtoken The scientists working at NASA today are among the very best in the world. NASA, in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, produces and analyzes the most robust data we have on our planet's changing climate. The OCO-3 program monitors Earth's atmospheric carbon levels. The CLARREO Pathfinder mission measures Earth's atmospheric heat. The Deep Space Climate Observatory satellite provides our scientists comprehensive data sets that are crucial to understanding the vast changes that are underway on our own planet this very second. prgtoken On NASA's website right now, there is a web page entitled ``Scientific Consensus: Earth's Climate is Warming.'' On this web page, based on NASA's vast collection of data, it continues, ``The impacts of climate change are already occurring. Sea levels are rising, and snow and ice cover is decreasing. . . . The warming climate likely will cause more floods, droughts and heat waves. The heat waves may get hotter, and hurricanes may get stronger.'' Those are NASA's words, and we know them to be true because science has proved it. prgtoken NASA's science is the gold standard. Its scientific work is crucial to our understanding the threat that climate change poses to our Nation, our economy, and the health of all Americans and people around the world. But Houston, we have a problem. NASA's science, NASA's missions, and American leadership will all be in serious jeopardy if James Bridenstine is confirmed to be the next Administrator of NASA. Under his leadership, NASA would come to stand for ``not accepting scientific advice.'' prgtoken Congressman Bridenstine's record is one of questioning climate change and undermining sci
ALYSSA MARTINEZ
Ed Perlmutter (Democrat, CO) \u2014 2018-4-18

I rise today to recognize and honor Alyssa Martinez for receiving the 2017 Rising Star Award from the Arvada Chamber of Commerce. Each year the Arvada Chamber recognizes Arvada's finest men and women for their involvement and dedication to the community. prgtoken Specifically, the Rising Star Award recognizes a high school student who exemplifies extraordinary skills in entrepreneurship, innovation, community impact and leadership. A student at Arvada High School, Alyssa has proven to be a leader for the student body and exemplifies high moral conduct and provides a positive example for all students daily. Alyssa is the poster child for doing the right thing while also excelling in everything she puts her mind to. Congratulations to Alyssa Martinez for this well-deserved award, and I thank her for her contribution to our community.
GOP'S WAR ON THE POOR
Gwen Moore (Democrat, WI) \u2014 2018-4-18

I rise today to proudly represent all of the welfare queens in the United States of America, all those women who get up every day and struggle as mothers, often caretakers for elderly parents, who are juggling two and three minimum wage jobs, $7.25-an- hour jobs a day, and then being told that they are welfare cheats because they need food stamps, SNAP, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, in order to meet the basic food needs of their children. prgtoken I rise, , to decry your, , agenda and the agenda of the majority party to beat up on these poor, hard-working people because they are poor, people who find themselves in the predicament of having more month than money and need just a little bit of assistance to meet those basic nutritional needs. prgtoken We are sick and tired of people exaggerating and claiming that people are prgtoken gaming the system to the tune of $65,000, $70,000 a year, and that they don't want to work. People want to work, but they are constantly in competition with foreign workers who earn $3 a day. We are in a postindustrial economy, and often people cannot find work and cannot find enough work to meet their needs. prgtoken Often people find work, but those jobs do not provide them, Mr with healthcare. But they are being told that they need to provide a urine specimen and have a drug test to get healthcare simply because they don't have an employer that is able to provide them or willing to provide them with healthcare. prgtoken Although the claims, , have been refuted time and again with facts and research that poor people have dignity, poor people love their children, but poor people are just not getting a fair shot despite all of this. prgtoken s continue to perpetuate this propaganda and these talking points that impose even more obstacles on people who are poor. They continue to promote policies that are humiliating, like the ration or harvest boxes or peeing in a cup and eliminating basic rights of Americans because they are financially poor in the richest country on the planet. We are sick and tired, , of being sick and tired. prgtoken And why do we think this is happening, ? We think this is happening, , because you yourself, , declared that we are going to pay for the $1.5 trillion tax cut that we just gave to the wealthiest Americans, corporations, shareholders, all over this planet, we are going to pay for them by cutting Medicaid. We are going to pay for them, , by cutting Medicare. We are going to pay for them by cutting Social Security. We are going to pay for them by cutting food stamps, thus the need to vilify people who are poor. prgtoken , how about if we really want to help people escape poverty and reduce dependency on the safety net, how about trying to raise the minimum wage so that people who are having trouble putting food on the table will actually earn enough money to be able to afford to pay for basic food needs? prgtoken If
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
Jeff Merkley (Democrat, OR) \u2014 2018-4-18

the most important words of our Constitution are the first three words: ``We the people.'' That is the mission statement of our Constitution. prgtoken Our Founders did not seek to design a government that would enable the powerful and the privileged to make rules to benefit themselves. They didn't say: We want to have a Constitution that enables the wealthy and the well-connected to take away the riches of this country at the expense of the people. No, they laid out the vision ``We the people.'' They put that mission statement in supersized font, so even if you were reading the Constitution from across the room, you would understand its core mission--a core mission that unfortunately has been sabotaged in the Citizens United decision, which, instead of pursuing government of, by, and for the people, instead of providing what Jefferson called the equal voice, mother principle of America--that each citizen should have an equal voice--proceeds to give the powerful the reins of power through unlimited third-party campaign spending. prgtoken The corruption of our democracy is in full gear, and we see it through the bills that are coming to this floor--bills to wipe out healthcare for 22 to 30 million Americans, a bill that passed that borrows $1.5 trillion from our children and proceeds to give that money virtually entirely--more than 80 percent--to the very richest Americans. I encourage my colleagues to think about how we have a responsibility under our oath of office to fight for this vision of America, not a corrupted ``we the powerful'' vision of America. prgtoken As we address the issues that people care about at the kitchen table, it comes down to four basic things. It comes down to education, housing, living-wage jobs, and healthcare. Eisenhower said: ``Because the strength of our nation is in its people, their good health is a proper national concern.'' prgtoken We have worked to design improved healthcare systems, lower costs, higher quality, and improved accessibility. We have come a long way through the ACA, the expansion of Medicaid, and the establishment of competitive marketplaces for insurance. Indeed, in Oregon, we reduced the uninsured rate from 15 percent to 5 percent. That is a huge stride forward. We increased our resources in our rural healthcare clinics, our rural hospitals, and our urban healthcare clinics and our urban hospitals. We strengthened the healthcare system, but it is not enough. We still have 41 million adults in this country who are underinsured. We have 30 million who remain completely uninsured. prgtoken That is why, today, I am delighted to join with my colleague Senator Chris Murphy to introduce the Choose Medicare Act. Every American deserves the promise of access to a popular, affordable, high-quality healthcare option. Fortunately, we have such an option. It is called Medicare. It is time-tested. It is well-vetted. It is admired and desired by our senior
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 5444, TAXPAYER FIRST ACT, AND PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 5445, 21ST CENTURY IRS ACT
Bill Pascrell, Jr. (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2018-4-18

. February 28, , who owns 12 golf courses, rolled back a rule limiting water pollution by golf courses. prgtoken April 4, the State Department ran an online ad for Mar-a-Lago. Isn't that nice? prgtoken September 19, reports reveal that the Pentagon spent more than $130,000 a month to rent at the Tower, more than twice as much as the other tenants. prgtoken I have got a whole list of these, . I won't bore you, but I will tell you this: We are going to enter them into the Record. This is not the America I know, and this is not the America you know. We have a right to put sunlight on the disinfection. That is our job. This is a checks-and-balance system, , and we need--not to take advantage of it, but we need to follow the rules. There are no personalities here.
RECOGNITION OF THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL
Albio Sires (Democrat, NJ) \u2014 2018-4-18

I would like to recognize the upcoming 70th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel and the strong bond of friendship between the United States and Israel. prgtoken The United States and the State of Israel share democratic freedoms and values, and embrace those values as the cornerstones of a vibrant democratic society. Israel has continued to stand as a stalwart of democracy and a beacon of hope for Jewish immigrants from all over the world. As an immigrant myself, I value the democratic principles which are the linchpin of our nation. prgtoken I have visited Israel and been fortunate enough to witness the special relationship the U.S. and Israel share. We share the common goals of peace, freedom, and the pursuit of security and prosperity for our citizens and for the region. It is my pleasure to help honor the State of Israel on its 70th birthday, and recognize the importance of the friendship between our two countries. I hope all my colleagues and fellow Americans will join me in taking pride in the unique contributions that our Israeli community has made to our nation. prgtoken Again, congratulations to Israel and its people all across the world on their 70th independence day.
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 5444, TAXPAYER FIRST ACT, AND PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 5445, 21ST CENTURY IRS ACT
Brad Sherman (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2018-4-18

I will point out, like every committee, you can always send a letter to any committee I serve on or the Ways and Means Committee. But to take away from Members their right to come to the floor and offer an amendment and get a vote is to relegate us to the same position as all 320 million Americans, all of whom can send a letter to the Ways and Means Committee. prgtoken I will also point out that the act I talked about, the Tax Filing Simplification Act, was referred to the Ways and Means Committee, has a number of cosponsors, and has never received a hearing or half a hearing or any discussion. prgtoken So to say that the Ways and Means Committee will accept our letters and, therefore, we should have closed rules on tax bills, apply that to every other issue we have--every committee in this House will accept a letter from any other Member, let alone any constituent--means we really want closed rules on everything.
Unanimous Consent Request--Executive Calendar (Executive Calendar)
Sherrod Brown (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2018-4-18

I am disappointed that we can't confirm the Ex-Im nominees today. I know many other Senators want to resolve this situation. prgtoken I will continue to push to reopen the Ex-Im Bank. prgtoken We were willing--the majority of the Banking Committee was willing to flip and put Mr. Garrett as one of the members, one of the four members, and make Mr. Bachus, another former House Member, who is qualified and is a supporter of the Ex-Im Bank Chairman. We were willing to have Scott Garrett on this Board but not as Chairman because the Chairman sets the agenda. Mr. Garrett would not, when questioned by Senator Heitkamp, who asked him tough questions, would not commit to the committee that he wasn't out to destroy and undermine the Bank. We were willing to put Mr. Garrett there, just not in the Chairman's position. It is clear Mr. Garrett, on behalf of the Vice President and a small number of Members of this body, want to undermine and destroy the Ex-Im Bank. There is no question about that.
HONORING NICHOLAS THOMAS EVANS
Daniel T. Kildee (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2018-4-18

I rise today to honor Nicholas Thomas Evans, a leader in my district and a champion for Genesee County families, who passed away rather suddenly just recently. prgtoken Nick was born in London, England, but raised in Holly, Michigan. Nicholas started his career as a leader in the Genesee County branch of the American Cancer Society. In 1998, he accepted a position at Kettering University, and in 2003, he came to the Genesys Health System. prgtoken During his career, Nicholas did so much and offered so much to our community, leading important initiatives like the Genesys Health Park Campus prgtoken Plan, the PACE program in Flint, the revitalization of so many parts of our community, and empowering women through the Michigan Food & Farming Systems and the Women in Agriculture program. prgtoken There were so many things that Nick did. I can't even go through the long list. But for all of us back home, we will just miss him. prgtoken His wife, Kim, and his daughters, Madison and Camryn, I am sure will miss him forever. He loved them, he loved his community, and he gave so much to his community. We loved him. He was a friend, and we will miss him.
Nomination of Mike Pompeo (Executive Session)
Bob Corker (Republican, TN) \u2014 2018-4-19

thank you for acknowledging me and letting me speak on behalf of our nominee to be Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo. prgtoken I did not know Mike Pompeo well. As a matter of fact, I am not sure I ever met him until he was nominated. I just want to say to the people in this body, I don't think anybody would view me as an apologist in any way for the administration, and I view Mike Pompeo as a highly qualified nominee. I spent a lot of time with him privately and on the phone. He did, I thought, an excellent job in his hearing. prgtoken We have had a tradition of confirming people to important positions. Just to give a little history, John Kerry was confirmed as Secretary of State by s and by a vote of 94 to 3. Obviously, John Kerry, my friend, no doubt, had been involved in partisan activities. He ran for President. He is someone, no doubt, who I am sure has said things people did not agree with. prgtoken Secretary Clinton was confirmed as Secretary of State by a vote of 94 to 2--no doubt, the same case. I am sure she said things many s disagreed with when she was a political person as a U.S. Senator running for President. prgtoken Condoleezza Rice was confirmed to be Secretary of State in a vote of 85 to 13, and Colin Powell was unanimously confirmed as Secretary of State. So we have had a history of the last Secretaries of State to be overwhelmingly confirmed. prgtoken I realize we are in an atmosphere now where that is just not going to be the case. I realize that my ic friends in many cases feel that in supporting Pompeo, it is a proxy for support of the administration policies, which many of them abhor. I understand that. There will be a few who I believe will support him. prgtoken I want to say to people in this room, our President has very entrepreneurial tendencies. He talks to people on the phone late at night. He comes in in the morning sometimes with differing points of view than he had the day before. We had evidence of that recently on Syria, where one day, we are going to leave Syria, and the next day, General Mattis and others intervened, and thankfully we are going to stay there and complete the work we are doing against ISIS. prgtoken I would argue to people here that we need to have someone like Mike Pompeo, who serves the Nation so well. prgtoken This is a person, by the way, who graduated first in his class at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, in 1986. He served as a cavalry officer patrolling the Iron Curtain before the fall of the Berlin Wall. He also served with the 2nd Squadron, 7th Cavalry, in the U.S. Army's 4th Infantry Division. After leaving Active Duty, Mr. Pompeo graduated from Harvard Law School, having been editor of the Harvard Law Review. prgtoken Sometimes we meet people in life who are just sharper than we are, who have had an incredible academic background. I can't even imagine having accomplished some of t
SENATE RESOLUTION 478--DESIGNATING THE WEEK OF APRIL 21, 2018, THROUGH APRIL 29, 2018, AS ``NATIONAL PARK WEEK''
Steve Daines (Republican, MT) \u2014 2018-4-19

as a fifth generation Montanan who grew up just a short drive from our Nation's first National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and as Chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, I am excited to introduce this resolution to reassure the public that Congress recognizes the remarkable value that our National Parks bring to our national heritage. I am happy to be joined by Ranking Member Angus King and Senator Hirono and nearly 30 of our bipartisan colleagues in introducing this resolution. The support of this resolution is a reflection that our National Parks bridge political divides and make our Nation uniquely American. I am hopeful that Congress, the Administration and future Administrations will continue to invest in our National Parks to ensure their legacy endures for our children and generations to come.