mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
IN HONOR OF THE LIFE OF CHARLES ``CHUCK'' J. WEIR
Barbara Comstock (Republican, VA) \u2014 2018-5-8

I rise today with a heavy heart to honor the life of Mr. Chuck Weir, who recently passed away at the age of 86, just hours before his 87th birthday. As a resident of Leesburg, Virginia, Chuck devoted his life to his family and public service, living as a selfless community servant. He was dedicated to his beloved wife of 57 years, the late Darlene Weir and together they raised four children, Sue Ellen Jones, Maureen Kay Woods, Gregory Allen Weir, and Jeffery Charles Weir. prgtoken Chuck was a respected leader in the Commonwealth who brought honor and integrity to everything he did. His deep passion for service left an impression on every person he met. During the Korean War, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, receiving an honorable discharge as a Staff Sargeant. Chuck carried a passionate spirit throughout this world and always shared it unto his colleagues. prgtoken Upon completing his undergraduate degree, Chuck taught junior high school in Oregon. In 1957, he returned to service in the USMC with a commission as a Second Lieutenant. Chuck thoroughly enjoyed his 17 years as an officer in the Marine Corps. He retired as a Major in 1970 due to combat disability after he was seriously wounded during his service in Vietnam. Chuck was awarded a Purple Heart for his injuries. He also received his MPA in Computer Science from American University in 1970. His second career as a civil servant for the United States Government was cut short due to another injury that left him permanently disabled in 1976. prgtoken Chuck then devoted his life as a citizen who profoundly impacted our community. He was selfless and dedicated to bettering the world around him. He served on the school board for the Falls Church City Public Schools. He was a member and President of the Homeowner Association boards where he lived in Oakton and Lansdowne, Virginia. Chuck had a drive and a passion to support the people and causes he held dear. He also served the youth of his community as a member and President of the Arlington Optimist Club. Chuck served as a member of the C&O Canal National Park Commission for 21 years, making sure that this hometown National Park was preserved and protected for all to enjoy. He was honored to serve veterans as a member and President of the board for the Virginia Veterans Care Center in Salem, Virginia. prgtoken Chuck was an architect of the party and we will forever be grateful for his service. He was a member of the committee for President Ronald Reagan's inauguration. Chuck was the Party's 10th Congressional District Chairman in Northern Virginia. He was also a Virginia delegate to the National Convention, and he served on the State Central Committee of the Party of Virginia. prgtoken In all passions, Chuck was enthusiastic about serving people. His presence was noticed by more than just his friends and family as he always displayed wisdom and str
MAIN STREET EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP ACT OF 2018
Steve Chabot (Republican, OH) \u2014 2018-5-8

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , I will conclude by saying that employee-owned businesses really populate the streets and neighborhoods of many cities across this Nation. They are unique in form but face many of the same hurdles that other small businesses face. prgtoken H.R. 5236 streamlines how employee-owned businesses operate under the important rules of the SBA 7(a) Loan Program. While preserving important characteristics of the program, H.R. 5236 will help employee- owned businesses as they seek capital to grow, expand, and create much- needed jobs. prgtoken , I want to again thank and commend the ranking member, Ms. Velazquez, for her leadership on this legislation. prgtoken I would urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5236, and .
RECOGNIZING CALLIE'S BISCUITS
Tim Scott (Republican, SC) \u2014 2018-5-8

today it is my pleasure to honor Callie's Biscuits, a small business in Charleston, SC, that serves up homemade, nationally recognized biscuits. prgtoken Callie's was founded in 2005 by Carrie Morey to bring her mother Callie's biscuit recipe to folks across the country. I had a chance to meet Carrie in person, and there is no question that she exudes the exact traits required of someone determined to run a prosperous business. Today the company has since expanded to three locations, including Charleston's Upper King District and the Charleston City Market. Her goal was to build a business around her passion for southern food while creating a healthy environment for her to still spend time with her family. When Carrie first started the company, she only used part-time help. She now employs 65 people who help her carry out her business's day-to-day operations, while keeping the tradition of southern biscuit-making alive. prgtoken The story of Callie's Biscuits is exemplary of the American entrepreneurial spirit that we are honoring during National Small Business Week. Callie's and other small businesses play a critical and unique role in our national economy and our communities. Carrie's success has brought great joy to South Carolinians and has garnered national recognition for her biscuits. prgtoken Carrie also gives back to her community; she is a guest lecturer at the College of Charleston Business School's entrepreneurship classes and serves as an adviser to innovators at a baking incubator she operates. In this role, she advises these entrepreneurs on both baking and operating a small business. I would like to congratulate Carrie and all the employees of Callie's Biscuits for the positive impact they are making in the lowcountry and beyond, and I wish them continued success in their business.
NATIONAL CHARTER SCHOOLS WEEK
Virginia Foxx (Republican, NC) \u2014 2018-5-8

today I rise to recognize Sean Vestal of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. This year the North Carolina High School Athletic Association awarded Mr. Vestal the Homer Thompson Memorial Eight Who Make a Difference Award. This honor is awarded each year to one coach from each region of the State for excellence in sportsmanship, dedication, and being a student role model. prgtoken Known for his supportive relationships with athletes and using the game to teach life lessons that go beyond the court, Mr. Vestal finished his career as North Forsyth's head basketball coach after 12 seasons to spend more time with his family. However, he continues his dedication to students as the school's athletic director. prgtoken Congratulations to Mr. Vestal in receiving the Eight Who Make a Difference Award. We are fortunate to have him as an example of sportsmanship and an encouraging role model in North Carolina's Fifth District. I wish him success in his future endeavors.
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF A RULE SUBMITTED BY BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION
Andy Barr (Republican, KY) \u2014 2018-5-8

I thank the chairman for yielding. prgtoken I rise today in support of the Congressional Review Act resolution to disapprove the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's 2013 auto finance guidance. prgtoken The Dodd-Frank financial control law explicitly exempted auto dealers from the Bureau's supervision and regulation. However, this did not deter former Director of the Bureau Richard Cordray from trying to regulate this industry, circumventing the legislative intent of Congress through a backdoor guidance. prgtoken Not only did the Bureau lack the legal authority to issue such regulation, it also based its justification for the guidance on a flawed statistical methodology. prgtoken That methodology, which supposedly provided evidence of widespread discrimination of auto lenders against minorities, determined the probability of an individual's race and ethnicity merely based upon last names and ZIP Codes. According to a 2014 study, only 50 percent of Asians and 24 percent of African Americans were correctly identified by the Bureau's flawed methodology. prgtoken My friend and colleague from Illinois, a gentleman who self- identifies as a scientist, says that statistical uncertainties are always present. But the truth is that the Bureau's own records show that the Bureau designed a remuneration process that ensured that 235,000 consumers would receive remuneration checks, even though the Bureau knew that White consumers were not discriminated against on account of race. They would receive remuneration checks under that process. prgtoken Now, to me, , that is not statistical uncertainties that are always present; that is a totally flawed process. I think the American taxpayer would be totally offended to know that their tax dollars are going to people who were never harmed. That is not flawed statistical analysis that is always present; that is outright just a totally flawed process that rips off American taxpayers.
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF A RULE SUBMITTED BY BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION
Jeb Hensarling (Republican, TX) \u2014 2018-5-8

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which many of us know as perhaps the single, most powerful, unaccountable agency in the history of our Republic, a few years ago, issued guidance that essentially outlawed the practice of auto dealers in America being able to take wholesale finances from third parties and charge retail rates. They did this because the Bureau claimed that the practice potentially violated the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, known as ECOA. prgtoken , there were several different problems with this approach, not the least of which is at section 1029 of Dodd-Frank, which forbids the Bureau from regulating auto dealers. It is in the law, and so many of my friends on the other side of the aisle come to this very floor to jealously, religiously, and unrelentlessly, defend the Dodd-Frank Act. prgtoken I am anxious to hear their voices today, because to defend the Dodd- Frank Act, you must vote to overturn the Bureau's guidance because this was absolutely trampling upon the sacred ground of Dodd-Frank. prgtoken Now, I didn't support Dodd-Frank, but it is the law of the land, Mr. . And if there is anything, shouldn't lawgivers in this Chamber be committed to the rule of law, the laws that have been passed by the United States Congress and signed into law by the President of the United States? So no less of an authority than Dodd-Frank says: Bureau, thou shalt not regulate auto dealers. But they attempted to do it. So that was sin number one. prgtoken Sin number two: they didn't engage in rulemaking. This was guidance. Now, guidance is supposed to tell a market participant: Okay, we understand what you are trying to do, and what you are trying to do is permissible. But, instead, the Bureau flipped it on its head and said: No, you are not allowed to do X, Y, and Z, which is essentially rulemaking, . prgtoken And so what the Bureau did was they violated the Administrative Procedure Act, which is there to assure that market participants receive due process; that they are allowed notice; that they are allowed to comment; that they are allowed to participate in the democratic process by which rules are promulgated. prgtoken So, again, what the Bureau did was, as opposed to engaging in formal rulemaking as demanded by the Administrative Procedure Act--by the way, which was essentially defined by the Clinton administration--but they violated that. They just threw it out. prgtoken The third problem here, , is the Bureau claimed under its former Director, Mr. Cordray, now gubernatorial candidate Mr. Cordray, that they were a data-driven bureau. Well, guess what? They couldn't come up with any data of this purported violation of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. prgtoken They claimed that somehow there was unconscious discrimination on racial basis, known as disparate impact. But where was the data? Auto dealers, by law, cannot keep records on the r
SESQUICENTENNIAL OF ALTOONA, IOWA
Joni Ernst (Republican, IA) \u2014 2018-5-8

today I wish to recognize the city of Altoona, IA, which was founded 150 years ago. prgtoken Originally named because of its location as the highest point--or altitude--on the Des Moines Valley Railroad, Altoona has continued to reach for new heights since its plot was recorded in 1868. Altoona has come a long way from its turn of the century, coal-mining identity. prgtoken Today Altoona is home to Iowa's premier entertainment destinations, with seemingly unlimited potential ahead. While Altoona's numerous regional attractions may define the landscape of the city, there is no doubt it is the people of Altoona who define its fabric. Over the years, Altoona's leadership has never forgotten its roots, and despite world-class amenities and contiguous proximity to Iowa's capital and largest city, Altoona continues to maintain that small town feeling that Iowans know and love. prgtoken There is no better place in America to raise a family than Iowa, and Altoona is a shining example of why. I invite my colleagues in the U.S. Senate to join me in congratulating the city of Altoona on their sesquicentennial, and I wish them another 150 prosperous years.
TRIBUTE TO KELLIE MORFORD
Mike Rounds (Republican, SD) \u2014 2018-5-8

today I recognize Kellie Morford, an intern in my Washington, DC, office, for all the hard work she has done on behalf of myself, my staff, and the State of South Dakota. prgtoken Kellie is a graduate of Spearfish High School in Spearfish, SD. Recently, she graduated from Chadron State College in Chadron, NE, where she studied criminal justice and legal studies. Kellie is a dedicated and diligent worker who has been devoted to getting the most out of her internship experience and who has been a true asset to the office. prgtoken I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Kellie for all of the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF A RULE SUBMITTED BY BUREAU OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION
Ann Wagner (Republican, MO) \u2014 2018-5-8

I thank the chairman for yielding to me. prgtoken , I rise today in strong support of a bill that, frankly, is long overdue. While former CFPB Director Richard Cordray indicated in testimony before the House Committee on Financial Services that the Bureau's guidance was ``nonbinding,'' the damage was already done. prgtoken The Bureau's attempt to regulate an industry that the Dodd-Frank Act specifically told them they could not regulate is the very reason our committee has worked tirelessly to bring accountability to an agency that has none. Sadly, this guidance has become symbolic for everything that is wrong with the CFPB. prgtoken So why are we here today? Why does this Congress care about guidance put out in 2013? prgtoken Let me read section 1029 from the Dodd-Frank Act: ``the Bureau may not exercise any rulemaking, supervisory, enforcement or any other authority, including any authority to order assessments, over a motor vehicle dealer that is predominantly engaged in the sale and servicing of motor vehicles. . . . '' prgtoken Unfortunately, we have seen, time and time again, an agency that is willing to issue regulation by enforcement. Since the 2013 guidance came out, the Bureau has issued over $200 million in out-of-court settlements to auto lenders based on guidance that was flawed from the very start. prgtoken As chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, our staff has issued multiple reports detailing the Bureau's baseless enforcement agenda. Because of their work, the CFPB can no longer hide behind, as one report noted, junk science. prgtoken I thank the chairman, and I urge all my colleagues to support this bipartisan effort.
Nomination of Gina Haspel (Executive Session)
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2018-5-8

when I was a kid, I used to like to read the comics in the newspaper every day. Usually, it was some interesting caricature of real life that was particularly funny. Yet the sorts of caricatures we have been seeing in the past few days about the President's nominee to the CIA are not funny and are not comical at all. What we have seen is a gross caricature of this woman's distinguished 33-year career. I am talking about Gina Haspel at the CIA. prgtoken Our ic colleagues are stuck in the past. They are trying to, really, tag her with some of the more controversial episodes during the aftermath of 9/11. The fact is, that is a caricature of her three decades of hard work and service in spanning the globe while working in the intelligence community and trying to keep America safe. They, of course, need to get their facts straight regarding the episodes they complain about. The fact is that they have all been investigated, and Gina Haspel has been exonerated. They are wrong to ignore everything else she has done in her career, as well as the fact that she will be the first woman Director of the Central Intelligence Agency--someone enormously popular with the rank and file in her having come from within their ranks. prgtoken The particular episodes that we will hear talked about tomorrow at the open hearing before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence involve enhanced interrogation techniques that were used in isolated instances in the days immediately following 9/11. These programs were, of course, vetted by all appropriate legal advisors and were depended upon in good faith by intelligence officers and the Department of Defense. Congressional leaders were briefed on them and had no objection because the threat immediately after 9/11 was that al-Qaida had been meeting with some Pakistani nuclear scientists, perhaps with the objective of getting a nuclear device that they could use to kill more Americans and more innocent people. This was, truly, an emergency situation, and policymakers were demanding that our military and intelligence community do everything they could to prevent another 9/11 attack. prgtoken It is fundamentally unfair for some to want to change the rules after the fact now that we are feeling safe and secure, and it is obscene to hold intelligence officials responsible for policy decisions that they did not make but which they were charged with executing. We expected them to be executed--``we'' being the policymakers in the executive and legislative branches. prgtoken I mentioned the declassified 2011 Michael Morell memo yesterday, which exonerates Ms. Haspel from this allegation that she somehow played a part in destroying videotapes of enhanced interrogation. In the memo, Morell, who was then the Acting Director of the CIA, found no fault with Ms. Haspel's performance and indicated that she acted appropriately in her role as it related to carrying out her supe
TRIBUTE TO DR. JIMMY E. JACKSON
Mo Brooks (Republican, AL) \u2014 2018-5-8

I rise today to recognize the 53- year pastoral career of Dr. Jimmy E. Jackson, who is set to retire in early June. prgtoken I first met Dr. Jackson 38 years ago in 1980. Over those 38 years, I have grown to very much appreciate and admire all that Dr. Jackson has done to improve the physical and spiritual lives of Tennessee Valley residents. prgtoken Dr. Jackson has dedicated the last 40 years of his pastoral service to the congregation of Whitesburg Baptist Church in Huntsville, Alabama. My colleagues may recall when Dr. Jackson served as a guest chaplain for the House of Representatives in April of 2015. prgtoken Dr. Jackson's walk with Christ began on October 26, 1968. That day, Dr. Jackson made the solemn decision to accept Jesus Christ as his Savior and devote his whole life to serving God. prgtoken Dr. Jackson has said that he ``knew about Jesus before October 1968, but on that morning when I knew myself to be lost and turned to Jesus Christ in faith, I was converted by the grace of God.'' prgtoken Through 40 years at Whitesburg Baptist, Dr. Jackson has remained committed to leading people in the Rocket City and Alabama to Christ and has been integral in the spiritual life of the people of the Tennessee Valley. prgtoken Under Dr. Jackson's leadership, Whitesburg Baptist Church has grown to 7,100 members, making it one of the largest and most successful churches in the Tennessee Valley. prgtoken In Matthew 28, verses 19 and 20, Jesus instructed his disciples to ``therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. . . . '' Dr. Jackson has lived this Great Commission through his long pastoral career at Whitesburg Baptist and in our community and the broader Christian faith. prgtoken In addition to presiding over Whitesburg Baptist Church, Dr. Jackson served in a number of distinguished capacities, including but not limited to: the executive committee of the Alabama State Board of Missions, the executive committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, a trustee of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and on the board of regents of the University of Mobile. prgtoken I commend Dr. Jimmy Jackson on his exceptional career and service to God. I wish Dr. Jackson many years of happiness as he begins this new phase of life with his bride of nearly 58 years, Bobbi; his children; his grandchildren; and his great-grandchildren.
CELEBRATING THE BAPTISMS OF DR. FRANK GASKILL, OLIVIA GASKILL, AND MADDOX GASKILL
Ralph Norman (Republican, SC) \u2014 2018-5-8

I rise today to celebrate the baptism of Dr. Frank Gaskill and his two children, Olivia and Maddox, of Charlotte, North Carolina, this past weekend. On May 6, at the Myers Park United Methodist Church, I was able to celebrate a member joining the church of faith. prgtoken Dr. Gaskill is a psychologist and author, who has dedicated his life to helping children with Asperger's. After earning his bachelor of arts, master's, and Ph.D. in psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he went on to develop a practice that has been recognized as one of the most creative, innovative, and best run practices in the United States. prgtoken I look forward to the positive impact Dr. Gaskill will continue to have, and I am overjoyed by his commitment to his faith. prgtoken Dr. Gaskill, as you begin this new part of your life, look to Psalm 37:3, which reminds us: ``Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.''