mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
DEMOGRAPHIC BUBBLE
David Schweikert (Republican, AZ) \u2014 2019-2-6

what we are doing today is sort of a continuation of the theme that since the beginning of this Congress we have been walking through. So let's put this sort of in context. prgtoken This is probably our fourth or fifth time to come to the floor and do part of this theme. The first time we did this we took almost an hour and we actually sort of walked through what is happening in our society, when you actually do the math of the massive unfunded liabilities in Medicare; the issues with the fact that in 9 years, 50 percent of the noninterest spending of this government in 9 years will be to those 65 and over. prgtoken So it is important to understand what is happening to us demographically. Much of that difficulty that is coming toward us is about healthcare costs. prgtoken One of my passions has been trying to get an understanding of this. There are a number of things we can do to actually deal with the fact that we are getting older as a society. We are seeing what is happening on our birth rates. The fact of the matter is, those of us who are baby boomers--there are 74 million of us--and in 9 years, all of the baby boomers will be functionally 65 and older. prgtoken It is a demographic bubble moving through our society, and there are benefits that we as a society have been promised. So what do you do? How do you make sure you have a vibrant enough economy to keep our promises? How do you make sure we have a vibrant enough economy not to crush the young in their opportunities? prgtoken We have been laying out five little legs. We will call them our proposals, everything from an immigration system that is talent based so you maximize economic vitality; policies, such as tax, regulatory, trade, that maximize economic growth; policies that are all up and down, whether it be our programs within the social safety net, or just incentives within Social Security, and Medicare; other programs to stay in the workforce or enter the workforce because labor force participation is crucial. prgtoken We had a good number last month where we broke over 63 percent labor force participation. I know this sounds a little geeky, but it is crucial. prgtoken The fifth one--and we will come back to the fourth--the fifth one is looking at our retirement entitlements and how we design them to incentivize everything from being a good consumer to staying in the labor market longer. But the fourth one that we keep talking about over and over and over again is technology. prgtoken Once again, I put up this slide right here just to understand the scale. In a decade, you and your partner, if you have jobs, there will be two people working for every one person in retirement in 10 years: two workers, one retiree. And understand Medicare and Social Security are functioning right now as pay-as-you-go programs because we are using today's income to pay today's retirees. prgtoken The next slide is just to emphasize the scale of the unfunded liabili
NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT ACT--MOTION TO PROCEED--Resumed
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2019-2-6

like several of my colleagues today, under the leadership of my colleague from Iowa, Senator Ernst, we come to the floor to discuss the benefits of the tax cut of 14 months ago. Congress then passed historic tax legislation that fundamentally reformed our Tax Code and provided tax relief to middle-income Americans and to job creators. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, as it is called, made good on our commitment to provide significant tax relief to middle-income taxpayers while making the Tax Code simpler, fairer, and, of course, pro-growth oriented. prgtoken Thanks to a near doubling of the standard deduction, millions of taxpayers are discovering right now, as they file their taxes, they can pay less without spending hours and hours sifting through receipts and extra forms, all because the standard deduction is doubled. prgtoken Middle-income taxpayers can also expect to see a significant reduction in their tax bill from last year. For example, an Iowa family of four, with a State's median income of around $73,000, stands to see their tax bill cut by more than half, or approximately $2,000. This is real relief that began appearing in many taxpayers' paychecks at the start of 2018. prgtoken Given this, the best way for taxpayers to see how tax reform affects their bottom line is to compare this year's tax return with last year's tax return, rather than on the size of their refund. At the end of the day, the vast majority of taxpayers will see that less of their hard- earned money is coming to Washington for 535 Members of Congress to decide how it will be spent. Of course, those of us making that decision, 535 of us, would have less economic impact than 150 million taxpayers with more money to decide how to spend or save--how to spend it or how to save it. That would enhance our income, creating jobs, much more than Washington disposing of that same amount of money. prgtoken It responds to the animal spirits of the free market system--willing buyer and willing seller. This tax release stems from many pro-family and pro-middle-income tax provisions in the law. The law also enacted much needed tax relief for important job creators. It provides a very significant deduction on business income for small businesses, effectively lowering their top tax rate to under 30 percent, in many cases. prgtoken This bill corrects an injustice that has existed for decades; that there has never been recognition of the small business person who files an individual tax form compared to a corporate tax form. Small businesses never had equity like they should. prgtoken Small businesses, down to the smallest family-owned corner store and family farmer, are benefiting from that provision. Additionally, the law lowered the statutory corporate rate down from the highest in the developed world to 21 percent. The previous corporate tax rate was putting American companies at a very competitive disadvantage globally and consequently
NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT ACT--MOTION TO PROCEED--Resumed
Roy Blunt (Republican, MO) \u2014 2019-2-6

I want to talk about the bill that we are considering this week. This is a bill that for sportsmen and for those who are interested in public lands is going to have a big impact. It will have big benefits for our country and big benefits for my State of Missouri. prgtoken This package includes a number of important provisions to expand hunting and fishing access--something that, I think, every Congress, over a handful of Congresses now, has tried to do and failed to do. It has provisions to protect natural resources and provisions to improve public lands. In my State of Missouri, we have more than 1.2 million hunters and fishermen. They spend about $1.67 billion annually and support almost 30,000 jobs in our State. prgtoken For the first time, this bill makes it clear in statute that all Bureau of Land Management and National Forest System lands will be open to hunting, to recreational shooting, and to fishing unless they are explicitly closed. They can be closed, but they have to be explicitly closed for safety reasons or other justified reasons that are established not just by the Bureau of Land Management or by the National Forest System but through a public process. In other words, they are going to be open unless they are closed instead of the current situation of their being closed unless they are open. This will create an opportunity for people who want to use public lands for those purposes to be able to do so unless those who are responsible for managing those lands can make a real case that they shouldn't be able to do so. prgtoken This bill includes important provisions that will improve the visitor experience in two of Missouri's U.S. National Park Service units. One is the provision that would really enhance one's opportunity to learn more about the personal life of the Nation's 33rd President, Harry Truman. I am standing here behind the desk I use every day, which was also the desk that President Truman used when he was in the Senate. prgtoken Particularly, there are lessons that can be learned from his life at the Harry S. Truman National Historic Site, which was first dedicated in May of 1983. It preserves the history of the person who has sometimes been called the people's President. He was the President who, when he was retiring and the press asked him ``What is the first thing you are going to do when you get home?'' thought for only a minute and said, ``I guess the first thing I will do is take the suitcases to the attic.'' In his 7\1/2\ years of being President, he was a guy who had not lost the sense of the kinds of commonsense things that real people deal with. prgtoken His story is really well told at his family home in Independence. It is a site that includes not only the home that he and Bess, his wife, shared through their entire marriage, from 1919 until his death in 1972, but some adjacent family properties and some nearby properties of Truman's farm home, which w
RECOGNIZING ARMAND KUYKENDALL
Ted S. Yoho (Republican, FL) \u2014 2019-2-6

. Madam , I would like to take this time to recognize one of my constituents, Armand Kuykendall, who was named Putnam County's 50th Annual Spelling Bee winner on January 18, 2019. prgtoken Armand is currently in the fifth grade at the Middleton-Burney Elementary School, where he is a straight-A student. During his young life, he has faced many obstacles. Armand has excelled at school with the support of his teachers and family. prgtoken In order to compete in Putnam County's spelling bee, Armand spent his free time studying and memorizing over 450 words. His winning word was ``apricot.'' prgtoken His family, friends--as I am--are extremely proud of Armand for competing and winning the spelling bee. I would like to congratulate him for his outstanding accomplishment. prgtoken Armand now moves on to participate in the First Coast Spelling Bee at Jacksonville University on February 19, 2019. Best of L-U-C-K, Armand.
IN HONOR OF 40 YEARS OF YES TO YOUTH: MONTGOMERY COUNTY YOUTH SERVICES
Kevin Brady (Republican, TX) \u2014 2019-2-6

. Madam , today I rise to recognize the Fortieth Anniversary of one of my community's finest service organizations, Yes to Youth--Montgomery County Youth Services. prgtoken Established on February 2, 1979, Yes to Youth (Y2Y) has faithfully served the Montgomery County community for four decades. Their noble mission is to empower teens and their families by building up their existing strengths, expanding their access to opportunities, and overall, enhancing their lives. Their selfless service, hard work, and dedicated commitment to this mission has inspired and positively affected countless lives in our community. prgtoken Y2Y first began providing services to teens facing crises through the launch of their crisis hotline. As the organization expanded over the years, so too did the scope of the services offered to those in need. Today, the organization offers a wide variety of resources and initiatives to serve teens and their families. To name just a few, Y2Y offers group and family mental health counseling, school presentations on crisis situations, suicide prevention, emergency youth shelter, outreach program from homeless teens, and a support program for young adults. prgtoken These services have not only saved countless lives, but they have made Montgomery County a better place to call home. The qualities that Y2Y and its volunteers embody represent the best in our society, and today is about making sure they know the tireless work they do to improve our community does not go unnoticed. prgtoken It is my absolute honor to congratulate the Y2Y team today as they celebrate four decades of extraordinary service. I know I speak for the entire Eighth Congressional District of Texas when I say, thank you. Madam , please join me in honoring Y2Y's Fortieth Anniversary and their positive impact on the Montgomery County community.
REMEMBERING HAYNES SECURITY SERVICES, INC.
Marco Rubio (Republican, FL) \u2014 2019-2-6

it is my privilege to highlight a Florida small business that displays the unique entrepreneurial spirit found across my home State of Florida. As chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, each week I recognize a small business that exemplifies ingenuity, hard work, and dedication to improving their community. Today, it is my distinct privilege to honor Haynes Security Services, Inc of Miami, FL, as the Small Business of the Week. prgtoken Founded in 2011, Haynes Security Services has grown from a small firm focused on security consulting, to a full-service security company with 35 employees and more than $600,000 in annual revenues. It has done so in the heart of Liberty City, which has a long, proud, yet complicated, history. In recent years, Liberty City has been characterized as a community that suffers with poverty, schools that have struggled, majority single-parent households, and a declining workforce. However, history tells us that this a community that not that long ago was thriving with entrepreneurs, economic opportunity, and strong families. I think those virtues, those values, and those ambitions still remain in the heart in the soul of the people who live in Liberty City. prgtoken On February 1, 2019, I held a committee field hearing in Liberty City to have an in-depth discussion with community advocates about ways that small business policies and collaboration between Federal and city agencies can encourage economic growth and upward mobility in our more vulnerable communities. We discussed how, together, we can support an upward mobility that honors the men, women, and children who live in that community and to provide jobs in the community that support safe and affordable housing options. Small businesses are rooted in their communities, and when an owner of that business also grew up in that community, they are going to hire local citizens, and they are going to support local partnerships and organizations. prgtoken It is at the hearing that I learned of Edward ``Ed'' Haynes. Haynes Security Services is a shining example of what is possible in Liberty City and communities just like it. After spending 6 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, Ed joined the Miami Shores Police Department, becoming the organization's first African-American police officer. In the early 1990s, Ed's background and expertise led him into the private security industry where he consulted before founding Haynes Security Services in 2011. Combined, Ed has more than 30 years of security experience under his belt. prgtoken As Ed's company has grown from just 1 employee to 30 officers, he ensured that it remains family-owned and operated and rooted in the Liberty City community. He relies on his wife Adriene, who is the chief financial officer, and his daughters, Chakara, who provides human resources support, and Candyce, who is in charge of the company's marketing. Ed noted the
ARMS SALES NOTIFICATION
James E. Risch (Republican, ID) \u2014 2019-2-6

section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. prgtoken In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications which have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.
NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT ACT--MOTION TO PROCEED--Resumed
Dan Sullivan (Republican, AK) \u2014 2019-2-6

a number of us have been coming to the floor for quite some time now, talking about challenges posed by China--the big geostrategic challenges for the United States posed by China. prgtoken What has happened over the last couple of years--and I think it is very important--is that this issue went from an issue where not many Senators 2, 3, or 4 years ago were talking about it to now, when , s--all of us--have recognized that literally for the next 50 to 100 years, the biggest challenges we have in terms of national security and economic security for our Nation are the challenges posed by the rise of China. I think that is an important course correction that we have seen in the Congress and, importantly, from the executive branch. prgtoken The administration put out a national security strategy, and that national security strategy said: Yes, we still have very significant challenges with regard to violent, extremist organizations like al-Qaida, like ISIS, but long-term we are shifting to a period in which the most significant economic and national security challenge we face as a nation involves the rise of great powers, particularly China as the pacing threat. prgtoken I think the administration deserves a lot of credit for this course correction. It is in the national security strategy of the administration. It is in the national defense strategy of the administration. I believe it is strongly supported by and s in this body. prgtoken You may have seen, for example, that Vice President gave a speech at the Hudson Institute a couple of prgtoken months ago. For anyone in America interested in U.S.-China relations, I commend that speech to you. It was an outstanding speech. In my view, it was probably the most important speech on U.S.-China relations since a former Deputy Secretary of State, Bob Zoellick, gave the speech called the Responsible Stakeholder Speech. That was over a decade ago, and Deputy Secretary Zoellick essentially said to China: You have risen in large measure because of the international system that the United States established after World War II, and you benefited from that. What you need to do now is to become a responsible stakeholder in that system. Here is your opportunity. The system that benefited you more than anybody, the system that the United States led--China, you now have the opportunity to become a responsible stakeholder in that system. We are inviting you into it. prgtoken Well, I think pretty much everybody--whether administration officials, administration officials, former administration officials--recognizes that China rejected that offer. They are saying: We don't want to be part of the responsible--we do not want to be a member of the system that the United States has led. We are going to do something different. prgtoken They rejected it. Again, I think that is not a controversial statement.
NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT ACT--MOTION TO PROCEED--Resumed
John Thune (Republican, SD) \u2014 2019-2-6

in last night's State of the Union Address, the President highlighted the strength of the economy. After years of stagnation under the administration, our economy has come roaring back, thanks in substantial part to economic policies. prgtoken After the Presidential election 2 years ago, s made it our mission to get our economy going again. We cut excessive regulations, and we passed a historic comprehensive reform of our outdated Tax Code. prgtoken The Tax Code plays a huge role in the health of our economy. It helps determine how much money individuals and families have to spend and save. It helps to determine whether a small business can expand and hire. It helps determine whether larger businesses hire, invest, and stay in the United States. prgtoken A small business owner facing a huge tax bill is highly unlikely to be able to expand their business or to hire a new employee. A larger business is going to find it hard to create jobs or improve benefits for employees if it is struggling to stay competitive against foreign businesses paying much less in taxes. A larger business is unlikely to keep jobs and investment in the United States if the Tax Code makes it vastly more expensive to hire American workers. prgtoken Before we passed tax reform a year ago in December, our Tax Code was not helping our economy. It was taking too much money from American families, and it was making it harder for businesses, large and small, to create jobs, increase wages, and grow. That is why, after months of work, we passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. prgtoken This legislation cut tax rates for American families, doubled the child tax credit, and nearly doubled the standard deduction. It lowered tax rates across the board for owners of small- and medium-sized businesses, farms, and ranches. It lowered our Nation's massive corporate tax rate, which up until January 1 of last year was the highest corporate tax rate in the developed world. It expanded business owners' ability to recover the cost of investments they make in their businesses, which frees up cash they can reinvest in their operations and in their workers. It brought the U.S. international tax system into the 21st century so American businesses are not operating at a competitive disadvantage next to their foreign counterparts. prgtoken Our goal with this bill was simple. We wanted to make life better for the American people; we wanted to let Americans keep more of their hard-earned money; and we wanted to spur economic growth to give workers access to good jobs, better wages, and more opportunities. prgtoken I am proud to report that our policies are working. The economy grew at a robust 3.4 percent in the third quarter of 2018. January marked the 11th straight month that unemployment has been at or below 4 percent. That is the longest streak in nearly five decades. prgtoken In 2018, for the first time ever, the number of job o