mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
IN HONOR OF REVEREND ELIJAH SMITH, SR.
Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (Democrat, GA) \u2014 2017-10-5

I rise today to honor a dedicated man of God, community servant, Civil Rights Leader, family man and friend of longstanding, Rev. Elijah Smith, Sr. Sadly, Rev. Smith passed away on October 2, 2017. His funeral service will be held on Saturday, October 7, 2017 at 1 p.m. at the St. Peter A.M.E. Church in Fort Valley, Georgia. prgtoken Reverend Elijah Smith, Sr. was born on December 28, 1939, in Fort Valley, Georgia, to the union of the late Mr. Samuel L. Smith and the late Mrs. Ola M. Johnson Smith. He was educated in the Peach County School System. prgtoken On October 11, 1964, Reverend Smith received a calling that would change his life forever--he was called to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He acknowledged this calling at the Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church in Peach County. His first pastoral appointment occurred in 1967 in the Eastman Circuit in Eastman, Georgia. He served in Eastman for four years. He was then assigned to the Allen Chapel and Mountain Creek A.M.E. Churches in Sumter County where he served for a total of 13 years. In 1984, he was assigned to the St. John A.M.E. Church in Columbus, Georgia. During this time, the church was destroyed by a tornado and he was instrumental in the rebuilding of the church at its current location on Steam Mill Road in Columbus. He served at St. John for ten years. Because of his legacy of service and his commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he was appointed by Bishop Donald George Kenneth Ming as the Presiding Elder of the Eastern District. He was at the time one of three presiding Elders in the Southwest Georgia Conference of thee African-Methodist Episcopal Church. At the time of his retirement as a Presiding Elder, he was senior Presiding Elder in charge of thirty-six churches. He also retired as a Civil Service Employee at Robins Air Force Base, as an electronic technician. He also was an entrepreneur, as he was the owner of D and S Florist in Fort Valley, Georgia. prgtoken Shirley Chisholm once said that, ``Service is the rent that we pay for the space that we occupy here on this earth.'' Reverend Smith not only paid his rent, as a minister of the gospel, but he paid his rent with his many social and civic affiliations. During his lifetime, he received many awards to include: Joseph Roscoe Campbell Freedom Award for service to the Concerned Citizens Movement for the Americus-Sumter County NAACP; Special Recognition Award for outstanding and dedicated service to the Americus Police Department and the Sumter County Community for prgtoken his spiritual guidance as chaplain; The Martin Luther King, Jr. Minister's Community Service Award in recognition of outstanding and meritorious service to the church and community from the Columbus; Georgia Chapter of Push; the Sixth Episcopal District (state of Georgia) sons of Allen Award of Support; one of the 50 Most influential African Americans in the Columbus-Ft. Benning and Phenix City Area. He was also a
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018
Janice D. Schakowsky (Democrat, IL) \u2014 2017-10-5

who wins in the budget? prgtoken Same old same old; millionaires, billionaires, large corporations. The budget paves the way for their plan, which gives 80 percent of its tax cuts to the top 1 percent of Americans, while 30 percent of middle class households making between $50,000 and $150,000 a year would actually see a tax increase. This is according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center. prgtoken It slashes $1.5 trillion from Medicare and Medicaid, even worse than Care, and it ends the guarantee of Medicare benefits for American seniors. prgtoken It attacks women's health by defunding, of course, Planned Parenthood, once again. It slashes SNAP--SNAP, the Food Stamp program-- by $154 billion, taking nutrition assistance away from up to 7 million households. prgtoken Did you really come to Congress to take food out of the mouths of hungry children? prgtoken Now we are considering the Study Committee budget, which includes even deeper cuts for children and families and seniors while giving tax cuts to the wealthy. prgtoken My ic colleagues and I offer A Better Deal for America. The United States is the richest country in the world at the richest time in history. We can have quality healthcare, affordable childcare, debt- free college, secure retirement, and world-class infrastructure, but not if we give massive tax cuts to the wealthiest individuals and corporations. prgtoken So I urge my colleagues to reject the RSC budget, reject the budget, and to support the ic alternative. Americans deserve a budget that grows our middle class and invests in our future. prgtoken I want to read just one paragraph of a letter from Planned Parenthood that says: ``The House Budget Resolution proposes cuts that would be disastrous for women, men, and young people Planned Parenthood sees every day. It sacrifices access to healthcare, repealing the Affordable Care Act, gutting Medicaid, and proposing even deeper cuts to low- income nondefense discretionary spending. It undermines access to critical reproductive healthcare, including no copay birth control, for millions of women.'' prgtoken The women of America are watching. This budget is a particular disaster for them, for us.
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018
Richard M. Nolan (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2017-10-5

members of the Committee, I rise in support of the ic budget alternative and in opposition to the budget that has been proposed. prgtoken It has been often said that gracious living and good politics is all about gratitude. Paying something forward is how you show your gratitude. prgtoken Quite frankly, the simple truth about this budget is that it rolls back a century of progress. It sets the stage for the dismantling of Social Security, which lifted more people out of poverty than anything, and for Ryan's plan to turn it over to Wall Street. prgtoken It sets the stage for turning Medicare over to the insurance industry--Medicare that provided our elderly with insurance and life opportunities that heretofore had not existed. prgtoken This century of progress that this budget rolls back includes clean air and water. It includes healthy, safe working places and conditions. It includes an opportunity society that invests in our people. prgtoken And guess what? In a little over a century, we doubled life expectancies. Wow, what a marvelous accomplishment. prgtoken We created the best and biggest middle class in the history of the world. We became a model for the world; jobs with living wages and healthcare benefits and pension benefits. prgtoken This budget proposes to roll back that entire century of progress. It is nothing about paying it forward. It is nothing about paying things back. It is about rolling back a century of progress, and we can not let that happen. prgtoken That is what the ic budget is really all about, investing in people, investing in infrastructure, investing in America, and investing in people's jobs and living wages, and in their benefits. That is how you show your gratitude, and we have got a lot to be grateful for. prgtoken Let's vote and enact this ic budget proposal which invests in America, which invests in people, which invests in opportunities. That is what this debate is really all about.
Tax Reform (Executive Session)
Elizabeth Warren (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2017-10-5

every time President has the choice between standing up for American families or standing up for wealthy banks and giant corporations, he chooses the rich guys. prgtoken Time and again, he has promised that he would ``never be beholden to the lobbyists or the special interests,'' but he has appointed dozens of Big Business executives and lobbyists to senior positions in his administration. During his campaign, he promised that he would not let the Wall Street guys get away with murder, but after he was sworn in, he loaded up his economic team with Goldman Sachs executives. Over and over again, he has promised to drain the swamp, but then he appointed an army of lobbyists and industry insiders to positions that oversee the industries that paid them for years. prgtoken Randal Quarles is just the latest in this long line of corporate appointments. He is President 's nominee to the Federal Reserve's Vice Chair for Supervision. He has gone through the revolving door so many times that it is hard to keep up--from a big Wall Street law firm, to the Treasury Department, back to the Wall Street law firm, back, eventually, to the Treasury Department, then to a private equity fund, followed most recently by a trip to another private equity fund. Now Mr. Quarles is ready for another spin through the revolving door. prgtoken The Vice Chair for Supervision of the Fed is one of the most important jobs in the government. After the 2008 crisis, Congress put the Fed in charge of supervising the biggest banks. That included banks and other financial institutions that would bring down the whole financial system with them if they went under--the so-called ``too big to fail'' institutions. The Fed is what stands between millions of American families and another economic catastrophe that could rob them of their jobs, their savings, or their homes. After the 2008 crisis, Congress created the Vice Chair for Supervision position to lead efforts to supervise these giant institutions. There is no other position in government that has a more important role in stopping the next financial crisis. prgtoken So what kind of supervision and oversight does Mr. Quarles believe in? His motto seems to be, ``Whatever the big banks want, give it to 'em.'' prgtoken Mr. Quarles has spent more than a decade in private equity and investment management, where he has argued repeatedly for weaker rules for giant banks, including relaxing the rules for stress tests that evaluate banks' soundness, lowering capital and leverage standards, and repealing the Volcker rule. prgtoken At his hearing before the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, I showed Mr. Quarles a 124-page list of financial rule rollbacks from a lobbying group for the biggest banks in the country. I asked him to tell me which of those dozens of changes he disagreed with. He couldn't name one--not one. prgtoken The No. 1 thing that we need from a Vice Chair for
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018
Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (Democrat, VA) \u2014 2017-10-5

. Mr. Chair, I would like to include in the Record letters from Social Security Works, AFSCME, SEIU, and the Coalition on Human Needs. Social Security Works, October 4, 2017. Hon. Cedric Richmond, Chair, Congressional Black Caucus, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Representative Richmond: We are writing to express our support for the FY18 Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Alternative Budget. Your budget outlines responsible priorities, including strengthening Social Security benefits, and demonstrates the CBC's commitment to the best interests of the American people. The CBC budget alternative is the complete opposite of the cruel legislative proposals contained in the FY18 House Budget Resolution. While the budget proposes cutting Social Security benefits and undermining Medicare and Medicaid, the CBC Alternative Budget works to improve Social Security and, more generally, our economic security, for all of us, including seniors, people with disabilities, children, and other vulnerable Americans. The Congressional Black Caucus clearly understands that Social Security is a solution to a number of challenges facing the nation, including our looming retirement income crisis. Most workers--especially African-Americans--have seen their wages stagnate. They need insurance against the loss of wages in the event of death disability or old age, which Social Security provides, as opposed to more retirement income savings, which are a far less effective solution. Social Security is the primary retirement income for 72 percent of African-American seniors; we must work to protect Social Security benefits from any cuts, and work to expand its modest benefits. The recommendation of the CBC Alternative Budget to adjust the cost of living calculations by using the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E) would be a great start to strengthening our Social Security system. The current formula for the Social Security cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) is slowly eroding the value of Social Security's already modest benefits. Seniors and people with disabilities deserve a yearly raise that keeps pace with their actual costs of living, which are ever increasing due to the cost of pharmaceutical drugs and medical expenses. Thank you for introducing the CBC budget alternative. The American people deserve a budget that fully funds vital programs, and not one that makes cuts to pay for tax handouts for wealthy Americans. We look forward to working with you during the formation of next year's CBC budget alternative to strengthen the proposal even further.
TRIBUTE TO JOHN GABRIEL ``GABE'' SMITH
Chris Van Hollen (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2017-10-5

I wish to pay tribute to a Marylander, John Gabriel ``Gabe'' Smith, whose courage not only broke barriers for himself but whose courage advanced the cause of the betterment of humanity. prgtoken On October 14, he will be recognized at the Gonzaga High School homecoming by the Gonzaga Onyx, a group of African-American alumni of Gonzaga, due to his achievement of being the very first African- American to graduate from Washington, DC's Gonzaga College Preparatory High School with the class of 1954. prgtoken He was born in the turbulent times of the early 40s in St. Mary's County, MD, where he and his two sisters grew up. His parents relied on hard work and diligence to pursue excellence and committed their children to a Catholic education and religious fellowship at St. Peter Claver, a church with a predominantly African-American parish in rural Ridge, MD. As an eighth grader, Gabe decided to serve as an altar boy; little did he know, it would change his life and place him in the annals of American history. prgtoken He listened to Father McKenna describe the ways that people had traveled to find God and become a priest. Interested in pursuing this vocation, he asked Father McKenna how he, too, could achieve it and was surprised when Father McKenna told him that he would, at a minimum, need to know Latin. prgtoken Unfortunately, there were no schools in St. Mary's or the surrounding areas that taught Latin, let alone the tools necessary to launch his vocation, so Father McKenna told him about a school in Washington, DC, where he could learn Latin and all the other requisites. That school was Gonzaga College High. prgtoken Several years before the Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954 to end segregation, Archbishop O'Boyle ordered the integration of all Catholic schools and churches in the Archdiocese of Washington. Thus, in 1951, he entered the halls of Gonzaga. prgtoken Fortunately, during his time at Gonzaga, his classmates stood with him in the face of adversity and strife when they walked outside the school walls. As a member of the Gonzaga Purple Eagle football team, he encountered additional support from Coach Joe Kozik who stood by him, along with his teammates. Whenever the Eagles would play an opponent that vehemently rejected the idea of teams with African-American players, Coach Kozik and his teammates always stuck together like a family to overcome hate and ignorance. prgtoken In 1954, he completed his education at Gonzaga College High School as the first African-American graduate. Poised with his education and command of Latin, he entered Howard University and graduated with a degree in pharmacy, where he commanded his field for over 40 years, just retiring this past spring of 2017. He is now spending time with his wife and children. prgtoken Gabe says that ``he had angels who helped him through and they continue to be with him today.'' He will forever leave an outstanding legacy fo
Healthcare (Executive Calendar)
Gary C. Peters (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2017-10-5

in many ways, the Children's Health Insurance Program has been an outstanding example of what a bipartisan, democratic process can accomplish. Twenty years ago, President Bill Clinton worked with a majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives to successfully pass the Children's Health Insurance Program into law. That legislation passed with 85 votes in the Senate--an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote--to recognize the simple fact that all children born in this great country of ours should have healthcare coverage. prgtoken The Children's Health Insurance Program, along with our Nation's community health centers, has more often than not seen great bipartisan support. As Members of Congress, we have always come together and understood the importance of these programs, and we have done everything we can to ensure that quality, cost-effective care is available to millions of Americans. Unfortunately, as I stand here today, funding for both the Children's Health Insurance Program and community health centers has expired. prgtoken The Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, provides healthcare coverage to over 100,000 children in my home State of Michigan and more than 9 million children nationally. In addition, community health centers serve as the primary medical home to over 600,000 Michiganders and more than 20 million individuals across our country. For people living in rural and underserved areas, their community health center is their doctor's office and often their only choice when it comes to care close to home. prgtoken We have already passed the deadline to extend the Children's Health Insurance Program and the Community Health Center Fund. We have passed the time to act. We should not wait any longer to provide certainty to the millions of children and their families who depend on CHIP and to the Americans who will lose access to care if their community health center is closed. prgtoken We are already seeing the impact of our inaction in the CHIP program. Several States have begun to warn that they may be forced to end enrollment of new children, cut back services, or end their programs altogether if we do not act soon. Independent experts estimate that at least 10 States could completely run out of funding for their Children's Health Insurance Program before the end of the year, while funding for the remaining States' programs would not be very far behind. prgtoken This is not a responsible way to govern. I have heard from physicians in my State, especially in rural communities, who fear that this lack of action will mean great harm to the patients they serve. I have heard from pediatricians who know firsthand what the end of CHIP would mean for Michigan's children. As our country grapples with what we can do to expand mental health treatment and address the expanding opioid epidemic, letting these programs lapse would be a huge step in the wrong direct
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018
Nancy Pelosi (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-10-5

. Madam Chair, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I thank him for his great leadership as the ranking member on the Budget Committee in the House, and I thank all of the members of the Budget Committee for their great work to make the budget that was proposed earlier, the Yarmuth budget, a statement of our values. That is exactly what a budget should be. prgtoken A Federal budget should be a statement of our national values, and what is important to us as a country should be reflected in the priorities that we place into that budget. The budget before us, proposed by the s, is just the opposite of that. It is accompanied by a tax proposal that they put in, one of the biggest transfers of wealth to the wealthiest people in our country in our country's history. Every time they do it, they make it worse. prgtoken I let you be the judge: Is a statement of our national values to cut a trillion dollars from Medicaid, cap and take Medicaid down a bad path, in order to give tax cuts to the richest people in our country? prgtoken Is it a statement of our values to take a half trillion dollars out of Medicare to give a tax cut to the wealthiest people in our country? prgtoken Our distinguished ranking member has listed some of the things that would be cut if we went down this unfortunate path posed by our colleagues on the other side. prgtoken This is a budget that steals from the middle class. It steals hundreds of billions of dollars from critical job-creating, wage- increasing investments, infrastructure, job training, and clean energy. It harms veterans, it cuts education, it abandons rural America, and it guts education. prgtoken This is really a mystery to me. When you cut education, with the stiff competition we have, this is one of the worst budget decisions that you have made. Nothing brings more money to the Treasury than investing in education: early childhood, K-12, higher education, postgraduate, and lifetime learning for our workers. prgtoken That is how you grow the economy. That is how you bring money to the Treasury, and not by cutting it in order to give tax cuts to the wealthiest people in our country. prgtoken Is it a statement of values to cut education so that you have a tax cut that benefits 80 percent? prgtoken I know you don't want the public to hear this, and I can understand why. How could it be a statement of the values of the American people to cut the education of our children in order to have a tax cut where 80 percent of it benefits the top 1 percent of people in our country? It is just not right. prgtoken As they do that, the deficit hawks, who seem to be an endangered species on the side of the aisle these days, are adding close to $2.4 trillion to the deficit, not counting debt service or interest on that national debt. Then they say: Oh, that is okay; we need to increase the national debt by trillions of dollars so that we can give tax cuts. prgtoken Where do the tax cuts