mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
RECOGNIZING VFW POST 7814
Ben Cline (Republican, VA) \u2014 2021-7-21

I rise to offer my support for the Cuban people who have taken to the streets to protest the oppressive Communist regime there, a regime that has stripped them of their basic human rights. prgtoken Since its inception 62 years ago, the Communist Party has caused immeasurable harm and created unbearable conditions in Cuba. prgtoken Cuba's people want freedom. They want to provide for their families and know that their kids will be safe and healthy--and Cuba is not that place, and it hasn't been that place for far too long. prgtoken Right now, its people are facing widespread power outages, the most severe food shortage since the 1990s and inflation rates nearing 500 percent. prgtoken In an effort to contain the truth about what is really going on, the government cut off its citizens' access to the internet to silence the dissent. prgtoken Instead of trying to address the issues plaguing the island nation, they have, instead, decided to suppress those voicing concern. Since the protest began, more than 100 people have been detained or have gone missing, including artists, peace activists, and priests. It should be no surprise that Cubans are marching in the streets demanding their rights. prgtoken We have all seen the images of people waving American flags and fleeing in makeshift boats overflowing with folks willing to risk their lives to experience freedom. They want what we are so blessed to have, and, yet, there is a segment of our society bent on pushing the United States toward the failed notion of communism and socialism. It is mind- boggling. prgtoken We must stand strongly for freedom, stand firmly with the people, and stand boldly with a free Cuba.
CLOTURE MOTION
Cindy Hyde-Smith (Republican, MS) \u2014 2021-7-21

I appreciate the opportunity to join a number of my colleagues representing farm States to sound the alarm to the millions of rural Americans who will be harmed by proposed tax changes outlined in the American Families Plan. Described as a plan to help American families, it would do the exact opposite for farm families across the United States. prgtoken The most concerning changes to the Tax Code include decreasing the estate tax exemption, increasing capital gains tax rates on transfers of property to heirs, and increasing taxes on appreciated assets, such as farmland, which has increased in value very significantly in recent years. prgtoken These misguided proposals fail to take into consideration the fact that farmers in general are highly vulnerable to these types of tax changes, as land and equipment comprise most of the farmer's net worth. prgtoken If enacted, these tax provisions would strongly discourage and make it more difficult for our next generation to get into farming. The provisions would create significant hurdles from a financial perspective, to say the least. prgtoken With the average age of U.S. farmers being nearly 60 years old, do we really want to force surviving spouses or heirs to sell half of the farm they inherited simply to continue farming the land that has been passed down for generations? prgtoken Family farms are the backbone of American agriculture. Roughly 98 percent of all U.S. farms are family owned and operated. Whether you like large family farming operations or not, they account for 44 percent of total U.S. farm production annually. That is a staggering figure, given that American farmers contributed $136 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product in 2019. These people who put food on our table and clothes on our back do not need to go out of business because they are being taxed at every turn, punished for their achievements and sacrifices. prgtoken Initial reports from the administration suggested that the proposed tax changes I am discussing would have very little impact on America's farmers and ranchers. However, recent research and analysis conducted by Texas A&M University paints a very different picture. prgtoken For instance, should the proposed capital gains tax changes and generational transfers become enacted into law, nearly all U.S. family farms would face higher taxes. Nationwide, the average additional tax liability per farm under the capital gains tax change would be $726,104. Mississippi would be the State most heavily affected, with an average additional tax liability per farm of $2.1 million. It is totally unbelievable. prgtoken Should the estate tax changes become law, recent analysis also determined that nearly half of all U.S. family farms would face higher taxes. The average additional tax liability per farm nationwide would be $2.2 million, and the fifth most heavily impacted State would again be Mississippi, with an average addit
SUPPORTING CUBAN PEOPLE
Glenn Grothman (Republican, WI) \u2014 2021-7-21

. Madam , I thank the gentleman for yielding. prgtoken Madam , I would like to address the Chamber on what I believe is the biggest crisis facing America today. I spent last week down at the McAllen section of the U.S.-Mexico border, and what I saw horrified me. prgtoken Late at night, from 10 to 11 o'clock, I watched people from all around the world walking on a pathway from the Rio Grande River to the Border Patrol station. We are right now at a point where I believe over 70,000 people a month are being allowed in the country. Many of these people have no ID at all, so there is no way to confirm who they are, to even see if they have a criminal record. prgtoken Upon being processed through the border station, even without an ID, we buy them plane tickets for all around the country. prgtoken Scandalously, at a time when we are talking about COVID again, even if they test positive, people are held in apartments or hotels and not guarded, so they turn around and are being released. At a time in which we are supposed to be more careful than ever, we have a situation in which people who are coming here illegally are allowed in the country. prgtoken Furthermore, we watch as we have hit new records for the number of people who are killed in this country by illegal drug overdoses, including fentanyl. We are up to 90,000 people in the last year. I believe the reason we are hitting all-time records is because, as bad as heroin is, fentanyl is far worse. And all or virtually all of that fentanyl is coming across the southern border. prgtoken Meanwhile, we cede control of our immigration policy to Mexican drug gangs. These gangs charge, depending upon where you are coming from, $3,000, $10,000, $20,000 to come across the border. They are so heartless that it is not uncommon that if Border Patrol approaches them on a boat from the Mexican side to the American side, whether it is with people or with drugs, they will throw a 3- or 4-year-old child into the Rio Grande River, knowing that our Border Patrol will fight to save that child rather than go after the people sneaking in the country or going after the drugs. This is the brutal type of people we are assisting by continuing the current policy or lack of a policy. prgtoken I strongly urge the administration to step up to the plate to make sure that COVID-positive people are no longer let into the country; bring back the old policy, the migrant protection protocol, when we had only 6,000 people a month rather than 70,000 people a month crossing the border; require some sort of photo ID, like every other American would have before they get on an airline. prgtoken Good grief, who knows what type of criminal records these people have. Of course, we can only check criminal records in the United States. Nobody has any idea if these people have horrific criminal records in Honduras, El Salvador, Brazil, or all the other countries that people are coming here from. prgtoken M
PFAS ACTION ACT OF 2021
Gary J. Palmer (Republican, AL) \u2014 2021-7-21

I rise in opposition to H.R. 2467. prgtoken This misguided bill treats all PFAS chemicals the same way, creating a de facto ban on many lifesaving products that Americans rely on. prgtoken By voting for this bill, my ic colleagues are ignoring the science, including peer-reviewed research that clearly shows that certain fluoropolymers, including some that have been used for more than 50 years, do not present a concern for human health or the environment. prgtoken Despite this evidence, my colleagues have refused to make reasonable changes to this bill so that fluoropolymer chemicals used in FDA-approved medical devices are not labeled hazardous substances under CERCLA and the Clean Air Act. prgtoken Let me put it bluntly. By not exempting the fluoropolymers used in medical devices already approved by prgtoken the FDA, you are denying people access to lifesaving products such as heart valves for infants and grafts for aortic aneurysm repairs. prgtoken I ask my colleagues: Are you so opposed to all categories of PFAS chemicals that you commit to refusing all medical devices and drugs containing the fluoropolymers you are banning? prgtoken If you must have open-heart surgery, will you instruct your doctor to avoid using any device or surgical instrument that has fluoropolymers regardless of the implications for the outcome? prgtoken If your child or grandchild needs an FDA-approved heart valve, do you commit to denying them that care since it contains fluoropolymers? prgtoken That is what you are trying to force on the general population with this legislation. prgtoken Furthermore, this bill will put millions of Americans who have already received medical devices containing fluoropolymers at risk. As noted in committee by my colleague, Dr. Larry Bucshon, with the passage of this bill, the FDA might have to designate all devices with any fluoropolymers as hazardous and recall them. prgtoken There is bipartisan agreement on the need to protect the public from harmful PFAS chemicals, but there is no rational reason why lifesaving fluoropolymers could not be exempted. prgtoken , I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this bill.
TRIBUTE TO KAYLA JONES
John Barrasso (Republican, WY) \u2014 2021-7-21

I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Kayla for her hard work as an intern in my Casper office. I recognize her efforts and contributions to my office as well as to the State of Wyoming. prgtoken Kayla is a native of Casper. She is a student at Casper College, where she is studying general studies and political science. She has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made her an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of her work is reflected in her great efforts over the last several months. prgtoken I want to thank Kayla for the dedication she has shown while working for me and my staff. It was a pleasure to have her as part of our team. I know she will have continued success with all of her future endeavors. I wish her all my best on her next journey.
HONORING THE SERVICE OF BILLY BARKER
David Rouzer (Republican, NC) \u2014 2021-7-21

. Madam , I rise today in strong support of the longstanding Hyde amendment. For nearly 45 years, the Hyde amendment has received support from s and alike. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle understood that no taxpayer money should be used to fund abortion. Every President since Jimmy Carter has signed the Hyde amendment into law, including President . prgtoken As a Senator, President was a strong supporter of the amendment. Yet, in his latest budget proposal, he removed Hyde protections that would enable taxpayer funding support for abortions, meaning that tax dollars taken from those who oppose it will now be used for just that. Regardless of where one stands on the issue, it is fundamentally wrong to take taxpayer dollars of someone who is opposed to abortion and use their hard-earned tax dollars to fund the same. prgtoken On the question of life itself, the Hyde amendment is credited with saving more than 2.4 million innocent lives from abortions since 1976. It is our moral obligation to fight for and protect the lives of those who cannot speak for themselves, the lives of those who are no different than our own. prgtoken I call on my colleagues to pass H.R. 18, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, to stand up for pro-life Americans, preserve the Hyde amendment, and ensure taxpayer dollars are not used to fund abortion.
CLOTURE MOTION
John Hoeven (Republican, ND) \u2014 2021-7-21

I rise today to join my good friend from Arkansas, John Boozman, who is the ranking member on our Ag Committee. He has organized this colloquy that we have to talk about how important it is that we support our farmers and ranchers. I mean, in my home State of North Dakota right now, we have terrible drought, and our farmers and ranchers are up against it. I think the Presiding Officer-- I think in your State, you are having real drought as well. prgtoken So it is a tough time for our farmers and ranchers, and we need to be out there doing everything we can to help them and support them, but instead, the administration is looking at tax increases. That is going to be a big, big problem for them. So we are here today to talk about that. prgtoken Our farmers and ranchers produce the highest quality, lowest cost food supply in the world, and they continue to navigate bottomed-out commodity prices, complex global trade uncertainties, unpredictable weather, as I said, including drought this year in North Dakota and across much of the West, and also the COVID pandemic. So they have been dealing with all of these things. prgtoken Throughout these numerous challenges, our producers have continued to put food on the shelves at supermarkets and on the tables of families around the world, not just in this country but around the world. In this country, every single American benefits every single day from what our farmers and ranchers do, and that is, produce the highest quality, lowest cost food supply in the world. prgtoken Yet, rather than help improve the economic outlook for our producers and strengthen our ag supply chain, the administration has put forth tax-and-spend policy proposals that would further increase the cost of food production, harm family farmers and ranchers, and reduce our economic growth, all as we are working to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. prgtoken The trillions that in Congress have already spent this year have led to a $2.2 trillion deficit through the first 9 months of the fiscal year, and we are on track to end the year with a deficit of more than $3 trillion, the second largest deficit since World War II. With our national debt already at $28 trillion, we simply cannot afford to spend more. prgtoken The American people are beginning to feel the impact of those spending policies. The prices of consumer goods are increasing at the fastest rate since 2008. Just last week, the Department of Labor released data showing that inflation has increased to 5.4 percent, the largest year-over-year gain since 2008. This includes farm country, where producers are facing increased costs for everything from fertilizer to fencing supplies, to combines and tractors. prgtoken As we watch inflation grow faster than American workers' paychecks, wiping out wage gains and leaving American families behind, the administration is planning an even larger, $3.5 trillion tax-
REQUEST TO CONSIDER H.R. 18, NO TAXPAYER FUNDING FOR ABORTION ACT
Ted Budd (Republican, NC) \u2014 2021-7-21

. Madam , I rise today to defend the conscience of American taxpayers. Since 1973, both sides of the aisle have agreed that taxpayers should not be forced to fund the taking of an unborn child's life through abortion. This consensus was enshrined in the Hyde amendment. The Hyde amendment has saved the lives of almost 2.5 million children, including over 65,000 in my home State of North Carolina. prgtoken Madam , unfortunately, President and Congressional have decided to abandon the Hyde amendment in this year's budget. This is a grave mistake that will cost the lives of more innocent children, and therefore, it must be reversed. prgtoken Madam , let's show that this House stands with life, believes in science, and opposes the evil of abortion. prgtoken Madam , I ask unanimous consent that the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 18, and I ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
Border Security (Executive Calendar)
Bill Cassidy (Republican, LA) \u2014 2021-7-21

we are seeing record numbers of people coming to the U.S. Mexican border. I am told 63 different countries have folks that have arrived at our border. prgtoken In the latest numbers released by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, CBP, they encountered almost 190,000 people coming to the United States illegally through the southern border last month. That is the highest monthly number of encounters by CBP in two decades. prgtoken This is where we are now. That number is up 471 percent from June 2020. Across the board, every category of CBP encounter at the southwest land border--single adults, unaccompanied children, individuals in a family unit--they are surging in 2021, including in the hot summer months, when it has traditionally been that is when it falls. It is important because these people coming across in the hot summer months are at increased risk for death from dehydration and heat exhaustion. prgtoken With June's tally, CBP's migrant encounters surpassed 1 million for the fiscal year. prgtoken Now, in context, the last fiscal year had 460,000 encounters; fiscal year 2019, 980,000. That year was labeled a humanitarian catastrophe. That was for the entire year. Now, we are speaking of 1 million, and we have 3 months left to go in this fiscal year. prgtoken On Monday, Texas and the national media broadcast videos of migrants trying to force their way past Texas border guards. Eight Federal agents and police officers pushed back on the gate to prevent a rush of about 300 people just breaking through, coming across the border from Mexico. prgtoken By any definition, this is a crisis--for the individual, who is at risk of dying of dehydration in the desert; for our country, which cannot control the border crisis; for the infection of the COVID and coronavirus situation in our country, because, obviously, coronavirus could be rampant among these folks. prgtoken The - administration could not be doing worse if they intentionally set out to mismanage the situation. This past weekend, it became clear that it is not just a situation on the border, but it is also a situation in Louisiana. prgtoken On Friday, KTBS, a Shreveport news outlet, reported that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement--ICE--dropped off approximately 80 Haitian immigrants with little or no warning to local government and law enforcement officials. prgtoken And, again, this is multiple levels. I presume that these folks are dropped off because we are out of capacity, but let's think about the individual being dropped off. A source told KTBS that the men had money, but some of the women had little or no money--no contacts, no money, they don't speak the language, dropped off in a strange city. prgtoken Multiple Louisiana outlets are reporting approximately 400 immigrants from 42 countries have been dropped off by ICE in Shreveport since the end of March, but this is the first we heard. In Baton Rouge, WBRZ, the A
HONORING MR. COLEMAN WALKER'S INDUCTION TO THE TENNESSEE RADIO HALL OF FAME
John W. Rose (Republican, TN) \u2014 2021-7-21

. Madam , I rise today to recognize Coleman Walker for his induction into the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame. prgtoken Mr. Walker, a well-known figure of long-standing in the Tennessee Broadcast community, began his radio career in 1961 at the age of 21 as a broadcaster for WCOR-AM in Lebanon, TN. Since that time sixty years ago, robust audiences of Middle Tennesseans have tuned-in to listen whenever this talented man sits behind the microphone. prgtoken During the course of those ensuing sixty years, Mr. Walker also became a licensed insurance agent, and he currently plies his trade for Walker and Phillips Insurance in Lebanon. But he never lost his love and enthusiasm for radio broadcasting, which manifests itself today when he hosts the daily morning radio show ``Coleman and Company'' on WANT-FM and WCOR-AM, focusing on community affairs in Lebanon. prgtoken Through his interviews of various elected officials, business leaders, community activists, and community volunteers on his show, this Middle Tennessee broadcast legend continues to keep his countless listeners informed on the important issues of the day. As a frequent guest on Mr. Walker's show, I can attest to his fervent passion for his Lebanon, TN hometown, where he and his wife Helen raised their three sons Clark, Brian, and Mike, and now enjoy their several grandchildren. prgtoken His involvement with Lebanon and insight into the issues of the day throughout his career are unmatched and serves as a shining prgtoken example of the positive difference a sincere, community-minded individual can make. I am very pleased that he is receiving this much deserved recognition of his achievements. prgtoken Madam , I hope you will join me in commending Mr. Coleman Walker, the dean of local radio in Middle Tennessee, for his many years of broadcasting excellence and his induction into the Tennessee Hall of Fame.
CLOTURE MOTION
Chuck Grassley (Republican, IA) \u2014 2021-7-21

to finance their big spending agenda, President and Members of his party in Congress have called for over $3 trillion in new taxes. prgtoken This group claims that these tax hikes are targeted solely to the very wealthy. However, deep down, embedded in their tax-hike proposal, is a direct attack on family farms and resulting ruination of rural communities. prgtoken If get their way, family farms would be decimated through the enactment of a second death tax that operates on top of the existing estate tax. This second death tax would subject the paper gains of business and investment assets to tax upon transfer to the next generation. At the same time, the current long-term capital gains rate would be nearly doubled. prgtoken Now, as a result, decades of paper gains in farmland and other property could be subject to capital gains taxes at a rate as high as 43.4 percent. prgtoken Given inflation as well as the escalating value of farmland over the past several decades, some Iowa farms could easily generate a half-a- million-dollar tax bill or even more based upon land values alone. And those land values have gone up as a result of inflation and nothing else. prgtoken Moreover, according to an analysis by KPMG, family farms captured both by this new death tax and the existing estate tax could see tax rates exceeding 66 percent. prgtoken Now, it is pretty simple. That is not taxation; that is confiscation. prgtoken Proponents claim this new tax--or you might say this new confiscation--is needed to close a loophole that allows the appreciation in value of property over one's lifetime to go untaxed, but death isn't a loophole, and it shouldn't be a taxable event. prgtoken In fact, rather than solving a problem, this proposal would resurrect failed policy from a decade past. prgtoken As part of the Tax Reform Act of 1976, Congress experimented with a similar attempt to subject paper gains in inherited assets to tax. This change was immediately met with outcries from farmers, ranchers, and small business owners, resulting in its repeal in a few years. prgtoken In fact, it is such a complicated process, it is probably impossible to administer such a tax; at least that was the main point made in the late 1970s against that 1976 legislation. prgtoken Now, as problematic as this change was for farmers in 1976, what have in store would actually be far worse. Where in 1976 no tax was due until an asset was eventually sold by an heir, current proposals could result in a tax bill due in the year of that person's death. prgtoken As is often said, and with a lot of truth to it, farmers are land rich and cash poor. This means it is unlikely for a decedent's estate to have cash on hand to satisfy a six-figure tax bill. Now, as a result, all or portions of a family farm might have to be sold to satisfy an oversized tax bill. prgtoken This would endanger the continuation of family farms from one gener