mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
John Barrasso (Republican, WY) \u2014 2017-10-5

today I wish to celebrate the St. Anthony Tri-Parish Catholic School Foundation's 2017 honorees, Donald Galles and Rita (Murphy) Galles. The foundation supports the wonderful work of the St. Anthony Tri- Parish Catholic School. The school is dedicated to achieving academic excellence in a faith-filled community and living a life committed to Christian service. Since 1927, the school and staff have provided a high standard of academic achievement and Christian values. The school provides strong religious and educational leadership to the Casper community. On October 12, 2017, the foundation will be hosting the sixth annual Joy Breakfast and celebrating the school's 90th anniversary, nearly a century of educating students. Every year at this event, the foundation honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the school and exemplify the values of the Catholic community. Don Galles and Rita (Murphy) Galles are perfect for this honor. Both the Galles family and the Murphy family have a long history of supporting Catholic education and serving as role models to our community. John and Mari Ann Martin, Susie and the late Mick McMurry, and Joe Scott will also be recognized at the breakfast for their invaluable contribution and dedication to the St. Anthony's Tri-Parish Catholic School Foundation. Rita is a caring nurse and dedicated mother. As a native to Casper, WY, she attended St. Anthony's Parochial School and graduated from Natrona County High School in 1947. Rita then attended the St. Joseph's School of Nursing in Denver, CO, and started her nursing career. As a nurse, she touched so many lives by caring for the sick and injured. While in Denver, she married Dr. Joseph Murphy at the Blessed Sacrament Church on November 24, 1953. They were married for 51 years and had 12 children: Patrick, Mary Ann, Donald, Kevin, Mark, Sheila, Michelle, Rita, Kathleen, Maureen, Robert, and Anne. Rita enrolled all 12 of her children in St. Anthony's in order to ensure they received an excellent academic and religious foundation. With this strong background, her children have collectively spent more than 75 years in post-high school education. Donald is a decorated veteran, accomplished businessman, and loving family man. Like Rita, he is a native of Casper, WY, and attended both St. Anthony's Parochial School and Natrona County High School. After high school, Don joined the U.S. Army's 100th Infantry Division in France. He proudly fought for our country on the front lines during World War II. Don was seriously wounded while fighting in France. For his brave service to our Nation, Don was awarded the Silver Star, the Nation's third-highest award for valor. He also received a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Combat Infantry Badge. After the war, Don attended and graduated from Creighton University in Nebraska. It is there that he met Ann Christensen, who later became his wife for 55
RECOGNIZING BRETT RUBIN OF BUCKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
Brian K. Fitzpatrick (Republican, PA) \u2014 2017-10-5

I rise today in recognition of a brave young man in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Brett Rubin. prgtoken A resident of Northampton, Brett's positive attitude and boundless energy make him a promising young leader in our community. This is even more notable due to the challenges Brett faces from type 1 diabetes. Despite these obstacles, Brett has never allowed this illness to define him or hold him back. prgtoken More amazing, , is that Brett has channeled his desire to cure this illness and to help others. Partnering with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Brett and his mother, Sandy, have raised thousands of dollars to combat type 1 diabetes. Participating in foundation walks, the Rubins join a close-knit group of family and friends, and they call themselves Brett's Band, which is a fitting name honoring a teenager who marches to his own beat and steals the show wherever he goes. prgtoken It is my honor to recognize this exemplary young man. I know Brett's future will be bright and that type 1 diabetes will never interfere with his ambitions or his aspirations.
Tax Reform (Executive Calendar)
John Cornyn (Republican, TX) \u2014 2017-10-5

not too long ago--I believe this was 2011--a President came to a joint session of Congress and before the American people, he said what needed to be said about our Tax Code. He was pretty blunt. He said that our Tax Code is ``rigged.'' He said: ``It makes no sense, and it has to change.'' Of course, you can imagine, that was met with bipartisan applause in the House Chamber and across the country. prgtoken The same President called on and s to ``simplify the system, get rid of the loopholes, and . . . lower the corporate tax rate''--one that, I might add, ranks among the highest in the industrialized world. prgtoken That President, like the rest of us, knows that our business tax rate is a self-inflicted economic wound because businesses figure out, How can I move money offshore and my headquarters offshore, and if I earn money overseas, how can I avoid bringing that back to the United States for better wages and more jobs and to build the business? That is all because of our self-destructive Tax Code. prgtoken But the President's name--and I gave it away by saying the year the speech was given. The President's name might surprise you, given the nature of the current debate in Washington. It was who said that, and the straight talk came from his 2011 State of the Union address. prgtoken Let's fast forward a few years. We have a new President from a different party beating the same drum. President has called our Tax Code a relic and a colossal barrier standing in the way of America's economic comeback. He is right, of course, but so was President . prgtoken Tax reform doesn't have to be partisan. In fact, it shouldn't be because the ramifications are much more important than just the politics and the scorekeeping of the day. The job creators in my State of Texas are the ones who really understand what is at stake because they are living it. They are the ones who are getting slammed by our current system. prgtoken Take Lisa Fullerton, for example, who owns a small retail business in San Antonio, my hometown. Ms. Fullerton is an accountant with 33 years of experience, who used to handle her own business's tax compliance in- house. Eventually, though, the code became too complex, and enforcement became too punitive, and she couldn't take that risk anymore. She said that her outsourcing of tax and employment functions now costs her small business roughly $280,000 more per year than it did in 2000. prgtoken Lisa is far from the only one who is frustrated. Kurt Summers is the President of Austin Generator Service, a small residential power company in the Texas capital. For him, a lower tax rate would mean the difference between his company turning a profit or prgtoken a loss. It would literally make the difference between being able to keep the doors open or have to lock them up permanently. He explained that any extra profits realized through tax savings might
GUN CONTROL DOESN'T WORK
Lamar Smith (Republican, TX) \u2014 2017-10-5

within minutes of the tragic shooting in Las Vegas, and the liberal media called for more gun control measures. prgtoken A recent Washington Post op-ed describes how one gun control advocate researched restrictive gun laws in Great Britain and in Australia, only to discover that gun buybacks and gun bans do not reduce mass shootings or gun-related crimes. prgtoken She said: ``The case for the''--gun control--``policies I had lobbied for crumbled when I examined the evidence. . . . But I can't endorse policies whose only selling point is that gun owners hate them. Policies that often seem as if they were drafted by people who have encountered guns only as a figure in a briefing book or an image on the news.'' prgtoken This researcher concluded that more lives would be saved by focusing on individuals instead of guns. prgtoken We should ensure that background checks work as intended and prevent those with mental health issues from acquiring guns. This actually will do some good, as opposed to meaningless gun regulations.
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018
Mark Sanford (Republican, SC) \u2014 2017-10-5

I rise, as well, in opposition to the substitute amendment, and I do so because I am struck by the ways in which you can, at times, agree on the diagnosis but disagree on the cure. prgtoken I think we would all agree, s and alike, that we have a real problem in the way that wages have indeed stagnated over the last 30 years. A lot of my ic colleagues are nailing it in terms of that diagnosis. prgtoken The question though, is the cure. And the question there is: Can we fix that problem by raising taxes by $2.7 trillion? Can we fix that problem by increasing spending by $6.2 trillion? Can we fix that problem by increasing the debt by $3.9 trillion and, in essence, having a budget that never balances? prgtoken I would argue, no, and I would say, instead, what we have to look at is the basics, which we have been dancing around, which is the mathematic formula that says: Savings drives investment, which drives productivity gain which, ultimately, impacts standard of living or wages. And what we don't focus on enough is this notion of the investment part of investment; if you want to increase productivity, you have got to increase investment. prgtoken In fairness to my ic colleagues, part of that is public investment, but another part is private. prgtoken What my colleague from Virginia was just getting at a moment ago was, for 50 years, regardless of tax rate, 90 or 28 percent, the take to government has been about 18 percent of GDP very consistently. prgtoken So what I would argue is we, indeed, need more public investment, but we also need private investment to go with it. And if we don't watch out, what is being contemplated with this ic substitute is a process that will ultimately crowd out that much more in the way of private investment so key to increasing productivity.
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018
Bill Johnson (Republican, OH) \u2014 2017-10-5

I saw recently, and I remember Ronald Reagan said something when he finally got his tax reform package done back in 1986--why it took so long and why it was so difficult. And at the end the day, he said: You know, the lawmakers and the policymakers forgot one important factor in their calculations that brought us to this point; they forgot to include what the American people have to say about this. prgtoken That is what is happening here today, . The American people have told us they want economic growth. They want opportunities for their kids and their families, a better quality of life. They want Washington to live within its means and stop taking more and more and more from them out of their paychecks. prgtoken So let's do a little bit of comparison. Let's look at, my colleagues, the budget. It raises taxes by $2.7 trillion, compared to the CBO January baseline. That is almost $3.8 trillion more than revenue levels in our House budget. It increases spending by $6.2 trillion, compared to the budget over that 10-year period. It increases the debt held by the public by $3.9 trillion, almost $4 trillion relative to the House budget. prgtoken And what is important, Mr. Chair, it never balances. There is not even an attempt to balance; not to mention that there are no reconciliation instructions that would give us an opportunity to deal with healthcare and other economic growth reforms. prgtoken , this is not a responsible budget that is being offered by prgtoken our colleagues on the other side. I urge my colleagues to oppose it and to support the House budget later today.
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018
Steve Womack (Republican, AR) \u2014 2017-10-5

. Mr. Chair, I thank the distinguished chairwoman of the Budget Committee for her outstanding work. prgtoken My friend from Tennessee talks about driving forward. I think we need to pump the brakes. You are driving right off a cliff with this budget. prgtoken , I rise in opposition. It is my strong belief that our Nation has a debt crisis on its hand, and I am astonished by how many people on the other side of the aisle, , just refuse to acknowledge the problem. It is as if the problem doesn't exist. prgtoken Under their plan, taxes are going to be raised nearly $3 trillion. We are going to continue to raise spending to the tune of over $6 trillion. We will have a meager $2.6 billion in deficit reduction, by the way, compared to our budget that does well over $6 trillion in deficit reduction. prgtoken Our Nation is $20 trillion in debt, and it is a complete absurdity to think that we could begin to relinquish this process if we enacted such a burdensome budgetary proposal that is being offered by our friends on the other side of the aisle. prgtoken This budget would also diminish our national security apparatus. It would end the global war on terrorism fund by 2019. Let's go ahead and telegraph that we are going to end the global war on terrorism fund by 2019. The only people who I know who would support that would be our adversaries. prgtoken It seeks to promote the collapsing Affordable Care Act by keeping those burdensome mandates in place. This resolution before us right now refuses to do anything about the runaway entitlement programs that are the primary drivers of the deficit and debt in the country. prgtoken , their budget just will never balance. Never.
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018
Paul D. Ryan (Republican, WI) \u2014 2017-10-5

I rise to urge the whole House to support this budget, H. Con. Res. 71. prgtoken Let me just say a few things. prgtoken First, this is a budget that reflects our first principles: freedom, freedom enterprise, a government accountable to the people it serves. prgtoken It is a budget that will help grow our economy, and it is a budget that will help rein in our debt. It strengthens our national defense. It supports our men and women in uniform. It eliminate mindless, endless spending, and it maximizes American's tax dollars. It reforms Medicaid. It strengthens Medicare. prgtoken This is a budget that keeps our responsibilities to our children and our grandchildren. Remember, we have a responsibility here, each and every generation, each and every Member: leave the country better off so your kids and your grandkids can prosper. prgtoken That American legacy is seriously at risk because of our growing deteriorating budget situation, because of the coming debt crisis. This budget tackles that. prgtoken There is one more thing that this budget does that is so important. It paves the way for historic tax reform. It unlocks the reconciliation process. We need to pass this budget so that we can deliver real relief for middle-income families across this country. We need to pass this budget for the people who are living paycheck to paycheck in America, who are trying to juggle it all. They are looking to get under a hopelessly broken Tax Code. prgtoken We haven't reformed this tax system since 1986. We need to pass this budget so that we can help bring more jobs, fairer taxes, and bigger paychecks for people across this country. The time for this is now, and the opportunity is right in front of us. prgtoken I want to especially commend Chairman Black for her commitment to this vision. I want to especially commend the members of the Budget Committee for their steadfast commitment to this vision. We would not be in a position today to pass this budget without her tireless leadership and the leadership of her members of the committee. prgtoken It is so encouraging that the Senate has passed their budget out of committee. They are on the track, too. That means we look forward to working with the Senate to take the next step. prgtoken We have an opportunity to make right by our fellow countrymen. We have an opportunity to make right by the people we represent. We have an opportunity to actually restore prosperity in this country. prgtoken We haven't seen that kind of economic potential in this country in at least a decade. We can fix that this year. prgtoken We know a debt crisis is coming. We know if we do nothing, the next generation will be worse off. We can stop that, fix this, and make them better off. prgtoken That is what this budget paves the way for, and that is why I urge all of my colleagues to support this budget. prgtoken I thank the chair for her steadfast support. I thank the Members for getting
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018
Tom McClintock (Republican, CA) \u2014 2017-10-5

I include in the Record letters of support of the Study Committee budget from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste, FreedomWorks, and Heritage Action for America. Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, September 8, 2017. Hon. Mark Walker, Washington, DC. Dear Representative Walker: I am writing you to express our appreciation for the fiscally responsible budget released by the Study Committee. Your budget would make important progress by putting debt on a downward path as a share of GDP, reducing it from 77 percent today to 56 percent by 2027--instead of letting it rise to 89 percent as under current law. By calling for spending cuts and entitlement reforms, your budget helps to keep the national debt on a sustainable path. We applaud the Study Committee for your serious contribution to the ongoing budget debate. Sincerely, Maya MacGuineas, President, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
ARMS SALES NOTIFICATION
Bob Corker (Republican, TN) \u2014 2017-10-5

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.
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR (Executive Session)
Orrin G. Hatch (Republican, UT) \u2014 2017-10-5

I rise today to applaud the nomination of Randal Quarles to help oversee the Federal Reserve System. Mr. Quarles is certainly eminently qualified to serve in this capacity in this important position. Through his long experience in public service and the private sector, Mr. Quarles has gained experience in financial regulation, economics, and the firsthand operations of financial institutions. He also has a proven track record of leadership and policy management. prgtoken The Fed's responsibilities are extensive, and they are varied, and the roles Mr. Quarles has been nominated for come during a unique period in the Fed's history. The years ahead will be decisive for the development of the Federal Reserve, the American economy, as well as domestic and international financial reform. It is paramount that the Fed be equipped with a well-rounded leadership team so it can meet the many challenges and opportunities of maintaining monetary and financial stability. I firmly believe that Mr. Quarles is an ideal fit to take on such responsibilities--for the success of the Federal Reserve and the good of our Nation. prgtoken In closing, I applaud and strongly support the President's nominee to help oversee the Federal Reserve System. I know him personally. I know what a fine man he is. I know what an excellent leader he is. He will do a good job. prgtoken Importantly, I would note that it is the intention to confirm Mr. Quarles to the position of Vice Chair for Supervision--another essential role. prgtoken It is critical that Mr. Quarles begin his work at the Fed as soon as possible. There really is no time to waste. He will do a great job. (At the request of Mr. Schumer, the following statement was ordered to be printed in the Record.)
ORDERS FOR FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2017, THROUGH MONDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2017
Mitch McConnell (Republican, KY) \u2014 2017-10-5

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn to then convene for pro forma sessions only, with no business being conducted, on the following dates and times, and that following each pro forma session, the Senate adjourn until the next pro forma session: Friday, October 6, at 10:30 a.m.; Tuesday, October 10, at 9:15 a.m.; and Friday, October 13, at 8:30 a.m. prgtoken I further ask that when the Senate adjourns on Friday, October 13, it next convene at 4 p.m. on Monday, October 16; that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; finally, that following leader remarks, the Senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the Gingrich nomination, with the time until 5:30 p.m. equally divided between the two leaders or their designees.
BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
Matt Gaetz (Republican, FL) \u2014 2017-10-5

it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Every day, nearly 1,000 women in this country receive a life-changing diagnosis that they will be affected by breast cancer. Nearly 200,000 of these diagnoses occur each year. One in eight women in our country will face breast cancer. prgtoken Breast cancer has a devastating effect on our families, taking away wives, mothers, aunts, uncles, sisters, and daughters. prgtoken I wish I was a brilliant scientist and could develop a cure. I wish I was a magician and could wave a magic wand and cure breast cancer, but I am just a Member of Congress. Actually, there are things this Congress could do to make breast cancer less likely, less deadly, and less painful. prgtoken Cannabis has shown promise in cancer research for over 2 decades. This research finally came to fruition in 2007, when Dr. Sean McAllister showed that cannabis-related compounds helped fight malignant forms of breast cancer. In the decade since, other research has confirmed and built on Dr. McAllister's findings, and there is now conclusive research that shows that cannabis-related compounds have antitumor properties. prgtoken Yet, despite these findings, scientists are going too slow. It is time for cannabis research to begin, and we should declassify it as a schedule I drug.