mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
IN HONOR OF ANN ELIZABETH LEE
Kevin Brady (Republican, TX) \u2014 2018-1-10

today I rise to honor the life of Ann Elizabeth Lee, a longtime resident of Conroe, TX, and a devoted educator, community leader, and friend. prgtoken Born in Austin, TX, Ann Lee discovered her natural talent and love for music at an early age. After relocating with her family to Taylor, TX, Ann worked to improve her musical abilities and became heavily involved in music programs, such as the Honors Band, Stage Band, and the choir at Taylor High School. prgtoken Upon her graduation, Ann attended Sam Houston State University, where she majored in Music Education and continued to refine her talent. Ultimately, Ann graduated magna cum laude, ranking in the top ten percent of her class. prgtoken In 1977, Ann moved to Conroe, TX, where she began a new chapter of her life as the choral director for Conroe High School--a position she held for eight years. Throughout her time in Conroe, Ann worked with countless young men and women, instilling in them a love for music and a discipline that would guide them throughout the remainder of their lives. prgtoken In addition to her position at the high school, Ann took on the role of Director of Music at the First United Methodist Church in Conroe. There, Ann uncovered her passion for music ministry, began performing for her church's congregation, and worked tirelessly to serve her community. Her love for the people of Conroe led her to join the Conroe Lions Club, where she worked in her community for over thirty years. prgtoken In 1984, Ann became the director of the Conroe Chorale. Ann took the Chorale, now known as the Montgomery County Choral Society, to new heights. She organized community concerts and traveled with the group on multiple international trips, taking their performances and concerts across Europe. prgtoken Ann's passion for her students, her church, her community, and her music led her to positively influence the lives of everyone who crossed her path. She made a lasting impact on the people of Conroe, and I was honored to call her my friend. prgtoken I join Ann's family, friends, and the thousands of people she impacted over her lifetime in recognizing and honoring her many years of service to the Conroe Community. Ann passed away on November 13, 2017, and she will be sorely missed.
IN MEMORY OF ROCKY FAWCETT
Elise M. Stefanik (Republican, NY) \u2014 2018-1-10

I rise today in memory of Lewis County Legislator Rocky Fawcett. Rocky was a dedicated public servant who never stopped believing in the potential of Lewis County. Rocky was involved in many local causes and organizations, such as the Cornell Cooperative Extension, the Lewis County Chamber of Commerce, and the Lewis County Development Corporation. prgtoken To all who knew him, Rocky was intelligent, driven, and deeply devoted to public service. Simply put: Rocky Fawcett set the gold standard for what it means to be a legislator. prgtoken Rocky was a dear friend and he always greeted me with a huge smile and a hug during my many constituent outreach events throughout Lewis County. prgtoken I invite Members to join me in keeping his wife, Mary, and his family in your thoughts and prayers. May we continue to honor his memory by being passionate advocates for our communities in Lewis County and beyond.
RECOGNIZING TOM BARTON
Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (Republican, GA) \u2014 2018-1-10

I rise today to recognize the longtime editorial page editor of the Savannah Morning News, Mr. Tom Barton, who officially retired on January 5, after 39 years of service. prgtoken He began his time in Savannah writing for the former Savannah Evening Press covering crime and police stories. His first stories included a murder trial of an elderly woman and a man who violated city code by killing a chicken and leaving its remnants on city sidewalks. prgtoken These stories quickly taught Mr. Barton lessons in journalism while his gripping, clear, and insightful writing helped him become an influential and trusted writer and editor in Savannah. prgtoken Since those first stories, he has covered the most important topics in Savannah over the past decades, including interviews with the infamous Jim Williams, photos of running back Herschel Walker, and stories about political elections. prgtoken Mr. Barton not only knows the unique character of Savannah better than anyone in our area, but he has also contributed greatly to its development over the last 39 years. prgtoken His regular contributions to the Savannah Morning News will be missed. I thank him for his dedication to making Savannah a better place to live.
IN HONOR OF EUGENE AND RUTH ANN YINGER'S 50TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
Liz Cheney (Republican, WY) \u2014 2018-1-10

I rise today to extend my congratulations to Eugene and Ruth Ann Yinger on their 50th Wedding Anniversary. prgtoken This significant benchmark is a symbol of their commitment to each other and to their family. I am happy to join their friends and family in extending my best to them on this special occasion. prgtoken Again, , I would like to extend my congratulations to Eugene and Ruth Ann on the celebration of their 50th Wedding Anniversary. I wish them the best today and for many more blessed years to come.
PUERTO RICO'S SHADOW DELEGATION TO CONGRESS
Jenniffer González-Colón (Republican, PR) \u2014 2018-1-10

today, after almost 120 years under the American flag, Puerto Rico remains as a colony of the United States, or under the Territorial Clause, to use the constitutional term. prgtoken Our residents are subject to a second class citizenship. For all these years, the Federal Government has denied equal rights to all Puerto Ricans who have, in war and peace, made countless contributions to our Nation; who have bravely fought in every conflict since the Great War, defending our democratic values, yet they are being denied the right to vote for their Commander-in-Chief and have full representation in this Congress. prgtoken A large number of them have made the ultimate sacrifice, and when they do, their casket is flown back, covered in an American flag with 50 stars, and without the one representing them. prgtoken Puerto Rico has experienced long-standing inequities under Federal laws, which now the whole world has been able to witness firsthand following the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria. prgtoken Before that, hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans have already rejected this discrimination, choosing, instead, to buy their equality with a one-way airline ticket to Florida or simply changing their State ZIP Code. prgtoken Without the equal rights and responsibilities that are only available through statehood, Puerto Rico will never truly recover and prosper from the hurricane effects. That is the reason we demand and deserve statehood for Puerto Rico now. The islands overwhelmingly voted for statehood in 2012 by a margin of 61 percent, and in June of last year, 97 percent of the islands voted again for statehood. prgtoken That is the request that brought me here. That is what brings, today, the Governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rossello, Puerto Rico Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz, House Johnny Mendez, and all other elected officials from the island who have come here to witness today's historic introduction of the Puerto Rico shadow delegation to this Congress. That delegation will demand that the United States recognize the will of the people of Puerto Rico to become a State. prgtoken This long-awaited action is in accord with the precedents set forth by the Tennessee Plan, adopted by the territories of Tennessee, Michigan, Oregon, California, Iowa, Kansas, and Alaska, which followed a similar path to eventual admission as States. prgtoken It is my honor to introduce this delegation of seven members--three s, three , one Independent, divided into two Senators, five Members to the House--as we become a State. prgtoken Pedro Rossello, former Governor of Puerto Rico, serves as the chair of the delegation; Carlos Romero Barcelo to the senate, former Governor and a former Member of the house; Luis Fortuno, former Governor and a former Member of this House; Zoraida Fonalledas, Puerto Rico national committeewoman and businesswoman; Charlie Rodriguez, State chairman for the DNC and former
Funding Our Military (Executive Session)
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2018-1-10

I admit I wasn't here during the entirety of the comments from our friend, and I saw his to-do list. The only thing missing from that to-do list was to fund our military--or at least I didn't see it on there. In all fairness, maybe he mentioned that in his comments. prgtoken We now have 9 days to reach an agreement to keep the government funded, to keep the lights on, to keep paying the salaries of our government employees, and, of course, to fund our military, which ought to be our No. 1 priority. If we think about things that government must do, funding our national defense is the only thing that we can do and that government can do. There are a lot of other things that government does that are optional or maybe things we would like to do, but funding our military is the No. 1 priority--or should be. prgtoken As the Senate majority leader mentioned earlier this week, our ic colleagues persist in the notion that we should only increase defense spending if we increase nondefense spending by the same amount. The parity that the minority leader and the other call for doesn't make any sense, though. It is apples and oranges. They act as though all government spending is exactly alike and enjoys or should enjoy the same priority, and that is just not true. We know that from our own family budgets or from a small business. There are things we must do, things we want to do, and things we will do if there is money left over. But our friends across the aisle, who are obstructing our ability to get to negotiated budget caps and fund our military, act as though all of that is the same, that must do, want to do, and what you will do if you have money left over--that those are all exactly the same, and that is just not the case. It is not the case in our family budgets, in our small business budgets, nor is it the case for the Federal budget. Not everything is a priority. But we do know that the No. 1 priority must be the safety and security of the American people by making sure our military is adequately funded. prgtoken The Budget Control Act signed into law in 2011 was what I would call a necessary evil. The Budget Control Act provided that we would have a bipartisan, bicameral negotiation and try to come up with a grand bargain. prgtoken That was what President liked to talk about a lot--the grand bargain. But some people suggested that was kind of like a unicorn, something that people describe but no one has ever seen--a grand bargain. I wish it weren't true. prgtoken The Budget Control Act said that in the absence of a grand bargain, we would have budget caps or sequestration imposed on discretionary spending above certain levels. It proposed separate budget caps for defense and nondefense, and if the budget caps are exceeded, there is an automatic enforcement mechanism called sequestration which imposes across-the-board cuts, which I mentioned a moment ago. prgtoken The purp
AUTHORITY FOR COMMITTEES TO MEET
John Barrasso (Republican, WY) \u2014 2018-1-10

I have 2 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority leaders. prgtoken Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate: Committee on Environment and Public Works prgtoken The Committee on Environment and Public Works is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, January 10, 2018, at 10 a.m. to conduct a hearing entitled ``America's Water Infrastructure Needs and Challenges.'' Committee on the Judiciary prgtoken The Committee on the Judiciary is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, January 10, 2018, at 10 a.m to conduct a hearing on the following nominations: Kurt D. Engelhardt, of Louisiana, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit, Barry W. Ashe, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Howard C. Nielson, Jr to be United States District Judge for the District of Utah, and James R. Sweeney II, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of Indiana.
RECOGNIZING MS. MARIE COLEMAN'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE U.S. RAIL INDUSTRY
Lou Barletta (Republican, PA) \u2014 2018-1-10

it is my great honor to recognize Ms. Marie Coleman for her many years of service to the U.S. Rail Industry. On January 10, 2018, Marie will have dedicated 50 years of service to several prominent American railroads. With decades of success serving the people of Pennsylvania and Americans across the country, I know I will neither be the first, nor the last, to applaud her distinguished professional accomplishments. prgtoken Ms. Coleman began her career in 1968 with the Pennsylvania Railroad. Shortly thereafter, she moved to work for Penn Central, where she remained from the time of its founding until April 1976, when, through an Act of Congress, it was included in a merger to form the Consolidated Rail Corporation. There, she served in numerous roles for more than a decade from 1976 to 1998. In the 20 years since, she has served the Norfolk Southern railroad system. prgtoken A lifelong Pennsylvanian, Ms. Coleman is a proud railroader who has served under 11 different CEOs. Her unwavering dedication throughout her career helped bring an industry back from the brink of extinction to become a powerful catalyst for American economic growth. There is no doubt that Ms. Coleman's service to the U.S. Rail Industry contributed to its success. prgtoken We can all look to Ms. Marie Coleman as an example of how one person's professional hard work and dedication can not only be a rewarding journey, but also help shape the future of one of America's most important industries. prgtoken , please join me in congratulating Ms. Coleman on reaching this incredible milestone in her career and wishing her luck in her continued role at Norfolk Southern
Tax Reform (Executive Session)
Joni Ernst (Republican, IA) \u2014 2018-1-10

I rise to discuss the positive impact the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will have on Iowa farmers. prgtoken Of course, our Iowa agricultural economy is really important, and those men and women who are serving as farmers, ranchers, and growers in the State of Iowa mean the world to me, coming from a farm my family had in Southwest Iowa. prgtoken We all understand this has been a very challenging time for farmers in our rural communities. The community I come from in Southwest Iowa has just 10,000 people in our county. Many of them have faced the challenges of the economic downturn. Since their peaks in 2012, corn prices have declined by 60 percent and soybean prices have declined by 47 percent. My neighbors are hurting, folks. Farm income has nearly been cut in half since 2013. prgtoken A lot of our producers are hurting, especially our young and beginning farmers who have gotten their start just in maybe the last 10 years or so, but, fortunately for our farmers, our ranchers, and our growers, tax relief is on its way. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will provide sweeping tax cuts for farmers and rural communities, allowing our producers to keep more of those hard-earned dollars. prgtoken About 95 percent of farms are organized as passthrough businesses, such as sole proprietorships, partnerships, and S corps. These businesses are taxed under individual tax rules and will benefit from lower tax rates for every income bracket. On top of that, they will see significant relief through a new 20-percent deduction on passthrough business income. The law also provides relief from the costly individual mandate which forced many farmers to choose between buying an expensive Care plan through their State exchange or being fined. prgtoken Now, just a couple of years ago, I remember a very intense conversation I had with a beginning farmer in Northeast Iowa. When he was purchasing his insurance through the State exchange, the cost had more than doubled. He was shaking he was so upset about it, and he explained to me the additional cost of that individual policy was his truck payment. There was no room in his budget for the additional cost of that insurance policy so he had to make that choice: Do I purchase through the individual exchange or do I make my truck payment? Fortunately, within this bill, we have that relief. He can make that choice, and the choice is his on whether he makes that truck payment and forgoes the insurance or whether now he can do without that type of insurance and not be fined because he was too poor to afford it. prgtoken In addition, the bill dramatically expands section 179 expensing and allows 5 years of 100 bonus depreciation. Both of these changes will foster much needed investment in farms throughout Iowa. prgtoken The law also preserves a number of important tax provisions for farmers, including the interest deduction, cash accounting, and the use of like-kind exchanges for property.
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
Lisa Murkowski (Republican, AK) \u2014 2018-1-10

I would like to take a moment to remember and pay tribute to a pioneer of Alaska aviation, Cliff Everts, who passed away in December at the age of 95. One of the greatest compliments you can pay to a longtime Alaskan is to refer to that individual as a pioneer. Yes, Cliff was a pioneer, but that understates the reverence with which he is held in Alaska's aviation community. He is indeed an icon of Alaska aviation. prgtoken Place yourself in a remote Alaskan village in the dead of winter. The outdoor temperature is minus 25 degrees, and the village is running short of fuel. Imagine the sound of a fuel plane landing on your village's gravel runway, delivering thousands of gallons of fuel needed to sustain daily life in the bush and power remote work sites. Deliveries such as this make life in rural Alaska possible. This is the legacy of Cliff Everts. prgtoken Originally born in New York, Cliff's passion for flying began at a young age. He took his first flight at 12 years old. As a teenager, he delivered newspapers to pay for his flying lessons. Cliff trained on a Taylorcraft, a high-winged, two-seater aircraft, and was soloing within just 6 months. prgtoken Later Cliff joined the Civilian Pilot Training Program, supporting wartime efforts during World War II. It was not long thereafter that he made the decision to leave New York, to accept a position flying as a copilot for Alaska Star Airlines in Anchorage. Alaska Star Airlines was a predecessor of today's Alaska Airlines. prgtoken Having grown to love Alaska, Everts embraced the pioneer spirit and accepted another position flying for Wien Airlines in Fairbanks. He continued to fly for Wien Airlines for 35 years, logging over 30,000 hours of flight time. His flights carried mail, cargo, and passengers throughout the entire State. prgtoken While Cliff Everts was a pilot by trade, he was also a very savvy entrepreneur and was well known for his many business ventures, but he is best known for Everts Air Fuel. Cliff started this business in the 1980s flying a C-46. The C-46 is a World War II era high-altitude, multiengine aircraft. He quickly built the fleet, running his business on the philosophy that providing for the unique needs of Alaskans can be done both efficiently and affordably by Alaskans. prgtoken Cliff's son, Robert, began his own aviation business called Everts Air Cargo. Between Everts Air Cargo and Everts Air Fuel, the pair owned 21 airplanes. I understand that there are six C-46 aircraft remaining in revenue service. The Everts enterprises fly four of the six, and that is a testament to how well they treat their equipment. They are also known for treating their people exceptionally well. prgtoken Alaska was good to Cliff Everts. Cliff was great to Alaska. In recognition of his achievements, Cliff amassed numerous awards and recognitions. In 2007, Cliff received the Federal Aviation Administration's Master Pilot Award. In 2011, the ge
Opioid Epidemic (Executive Session)
Shelley Moore Capito (Republican, WV) \u2014 2018-1-11

I wish to thank Senator Blunt from the great State of Missouri for his leadership on this issue. He chairs the subcommittee that is very pivotal--the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services--and has moved forward so aggressively to up the funding in this area. We have the pedal to the metal now. prgtoken As he said, when we are moving and coming to a final spending bill, this has to be a top priority for us. It is absolutely critical. I am really pleased to be on the subcommittee, but I want to thank him for-- I know he works diligently with NIH, which holds big promise. We are always looking for solutions. Can we treat ourselves out of this? Can we law enforce ourselves out of this? Can we prevent ourselves out of this? I think we can do all of those. We have to have a component of research that looks at the alternatives to pain medications and pain management. prgtoken The current bill we have looked at is $816 million for programs to combat opioid abuse issues, and that is a 440-percent increase from the previous year. prgtoken I am going to go through this. It might sound a little mundane and detail-oriented, but people say: That is great to ``up'' the amount of money that you are spending, but where are you really spending this money? prgtoken The Senator from Missouri, Mr. Blunt, mentioned that it has to be done locally, and there is a lot of emphasis on where these dollars are going. prgtoken Some of them are going, of course, to the CDC, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for prevention issues, which is critical, while $50 million is going to our community health centers. In States such as Alaska, West Virginia, and Missouri, community health centers are seeing hundreds of prgtoken thousands--millions--of people every day and many more who are dealing with mental health and substance abuse. SAMHSA oversees the mental health grants that go to our States, and there is $15 million for a new SAMHSA program for opioid prevention. We have our drug-free communities program, which works well in my State. It is a total grassroots-up, bottom-up, when you get everybody from your local county or public health and others in the room to try to solve this issue. Then again, there are some block grant programs to our community health centers along with the funding to NIH. This is a broad-based look at where the funding is going. prgtoken We have an opportunity here in the next several weeks to ``up'' that funding, to make sure that the national priority that we feel, as Senators from States that are highly affected, is reflected in our funding. I believe that with Senator Blunt's leadership on the subcommittee and with other members on the subcommittee, that is something we are going to be doing. prgtoken I happen to chair the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee, which appropriates the money for the high- intensity drug task forces. Our