mesut/congress_speeches huggingface dataset:
PAYING TRIBUTE TO GUS SCHUMACHER
Marcy Kaptur (Democrat, OH) \u2014 2017-11-29

I rise today to honor a great American, a man named Gus Schumacher, a man whose enduring legacy and indefatigable work ethic in the field of agriculture improved the lives of untold millions of people in our country and those America touches around the world--yes, farmers from all walks of life, including the smallest producers, not just the biggest, including people who are hungry. prgtoken I remember one time Gus spoke with me about going through nursing homes in western Iowa and how America had to do a better job of reaching places that were forgotten, places that you would not expect to find hungry people. prgtoken Gus' work touched people across a broad variety of pursuits. He wasn't limited by the false urban-rural divide that our country lives with, and he touched citizens across the income spectrum. prgtoken It was with deep sadness that we learned of the news that Gus, a former Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture for both ic and Presidents, Bill prgtoken Clinton and , and a founding board chair of an organization called Wholesome Wave, passed away unexpectedly last month. prgtoken A few days before his death, he had come to our office offering his help to the Congress on the new farm bill. He cared so much about people. He cared so much about nutrition. He understood the foundational power of agriculture in our Nation, so blessed with the resources to feed ourselves and the world if we put our shoulder to the wheel. prgtoken Simply, Gus loved and lived agriculture. He had experience from the time he was a child that directed him toward farming and all of its array. The farmers market was in his DNA. prgtoken He was born in Massachusetts on a farm in Lexington and bridged the divide between city and rural dwellers. This approach was the American way, the American family way. His grandfather and great-grandfather farmed, get this, in New York City, where they grew vegetables in enclosed greenhouses and sold what they grew at city markets. He knew agriculture from the inside, even inside a place like New York City, where now, with modern technology, we are growing lettuce on walls as high as the ceiling of this Chamber in which I speak. prgtoken When Gus was young, he was loading up his brother's truck, and a box of pears fell off the truck and scattered all over the ground. Two young boys and their mother ran up, and they began picking up the pears. The mother explained that she was on food stamps and unable to afford fresh produce for her kids. Gus' heart broke, and his life's work began and he never stopped. prgtoken Gus worked tirelessly to support local farming and local agriculture, and I cannot underline local, local, local enough. He became an American force in the farm-to-table movement, encouraging restaurants and stores to buy produce locally. He saw communities shattered across our country when that local production food chain was broken, and he
TAX CUTS AND JOBS ACT--Continued
Chris Van Hollen (Democrat, MD) \u2014 2017-11-29

let me start by thanking the Senator from Massachusetts for always telling it like it is because what we have before us in the Senate is going to do grave harm to our country, not just next year and the year after but for many years to come. We still have an opportunity to stop that from happening through our votes tomorrow. prgtoken Let me also say at the outset that we need to enact tax reform in the United States of America. We need to simplify. We need to streamline. We need to reform our Tax Code. We need to get rid of all of those tax loopholes that had been put in our Tax Code by powerful special interests that have been able to hire high-priced lobbyists and get something in our Tax Code, not because it is good public policy, not because it is good for the majority of Americans but because it is good for some group of special interests. prgtoken We need real tax reform. That is not what the bill in front of us does. What this bill does is take a Tax Code that is already stacked in favor of the most powerful and the most wealthy and rig it even more in favor of the most powerful and the most wealthy, and that is hard to do. You have to work at doing that. prgtoken Our colleagues have succeeded in taking something that was already stacked in favor of those groups and making it even worse. That is why we see this effort to jam this bill through the Senate in just a few weeks because our colleagues know the more the American public sees this bill, the more they will hate this bill, and the more they will realize it is going to mean their taxes are going up, in many cases, and harm to the American economy. prgtoken We debated the effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act in the Senate, not for a long time but at least over a couple of months' period. What happened is, as that debate went on, more and more people around the country engaged. All the nurses, all the doctors, and all the hospitals--I mean, rural hospitals, suburban hospitals, urban hospitals--said that is bad for our healthcare. This Senate, at the end of the day, did the right thing. prgtoken Unfortunately, the lesson learned was not to get the input from the American public but try to rush something through before people can figure out exactly what is in it, and that is what is happening in the Senate today and tomorrow. prgtoken One example of the harm this bill will do hasn't gotten a lot of attention. I want to talk about what this bill does in its changes to how we tax U.S. corporations that have operations overseas. These are big multinational corporations that have operations in the United States but also have the ability to move their plant and equipment overseas and hire people overseas instead of hiring Americans here at home. There is a provision in this Senate bill that is going to dramatically increase the incentives for U.S. multinational corporations to move operations and jobs ove
MINNESOTA'S ECONOMIC RIGHTS IN THE SUPERIOR NATIONAL FOREST ACT
Betty McCollum (Democrat, MN) \u2014 2017-11-29

I rise today in opposition to this destructive bill. prgtoken This bill undermines bedrock environmental and public land management laws in order to create a perpetual lease for a foreign-owned toxic mine. This mine will be on the doorstep of one of our country's last truly wild places, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. prgtoken The Boundary Waters contains 1.1 million acres of unspoiled woodlands and more than 1,000 pristine lakes. The water wilderness is beloved by adventurers, canoers, sportsmen, and sportswomen from all across the United States and around the world. prgtoken To safeguard this natural treasure, Congress has prohibited logging, mining, and even the use of most motorized vehicles on this Federal land. It has made the Boundary Waters a haven for birds and other wildlife and the most visited wilderness area in the United States of America. prgtoken These visitors, over 250,000 annually, have helped the economy and created jobs in northern Minnesota, but the bill we are debating today puts this all at risk. It paves the way for a massive sulfide-ore copper mine just a few miles from the Boundary Waters Wilderness. prgtoken Sulfide-ore mining is the most toxic industry in the United States. Sulfide mines pollute waterways with acid drainage, which contain arsenic, lead, and mercury. This type of mining is particularly risky in the vast, interconnected watershed that flows throughout the Boundary Waters into Voyageurs National Park and across the border into the Canadian provincial park. prgtoken The supporters of H.R. 3905 claim that the bill still protects the Boundary Waters because the mines will be located outside the wilderness area this is simply not the case. Let me show you where the mining would take place here. prgtoken This is the site of the proposed mine on the edge of the wilderness area. The river that you see flows through the Boundary Waters. The area contains popular Forest Service campgrounds and entry points to the wilderness. It is a base for scouting and veterans' outdoor recreation trips. Some of the Superior National Forest's most popular fishing lakes and hunting grounds are in this area. They are home to hundreds of people and businesses. prgtoken If this bill passes, it will create an industrial wasteland. This bill poses an unacceptable risk of irreparable damage to a pristine wilderness. prgtoken A 2012 study of American sulfide-ore mines found that all mines have leaked, and 92 percent of them had experienced failures that negatively affected the local water quality. Even state-of-the-art sulfide-ore copper mines consistently pollute their surrounding environments. prgtoken For example, in August 2014, a copper mine in British Columbia released a toxic slurry--10 billion liters of wastewater and 5 billion liters of tailings--that created a polluted dystopia of dead trees and contaminated salmon spawning areas. prgtoken Because of the risks involved with thes
DR. CHERRI PARKS
Ed Perlmutter (Democrat, CO) \u2014 2017-11-29

I rise today to recognize Dr. Cherri Parks for being honored by the West Chamber of Commerce. prgtoken Over the last 25 years, Dr. Cherri Parks has maintained a successful career at Colorado Christian University. She has served as the Vice President for Academic Affairs for the College of Undergraduate Studies for the past 12 years. Prior to that, she was a Professor of psychology for 13 years. prgtoken Dr. Parks said that her students have brought her much joy over the years. She has enjoyed cooking for them, getting to know them and sharing in their lives. prgtoken In her early career, Dr. Parks spent time working with women on many issues such as finding one's identity, specifically college-aged women. She has a strong desire to help people work through challenges in their lives. prgtoken I extend my deepest congratulations to Dr. Cherri Parks for this well-deserved honor from the West Chamber of Commerce.
WE NEED BIPARTISAN TAX REFORM
Daniel T. Kildee (Democrat, MI) \u2014 2017-11-29

look, I, like every Member in this House, recognize that we need to do something about taxes. We need bipartisan tax reform that actually works for everybody, but what the Senate passed through committee and what the House passed here a couple of weeks ago is not tax reform. It is a great big tax cut financed by middle class Americans and huge debt that will be passed on to our kids. prgtoken It is just not right. We shouldn't do this just to put points on the board. I mean, if we are going to get this right, we should do it in a bipartisan way, and many of us stand ready to do that. prgtoken What this shows--and the facts matter--is that every independent analysis, including our own analysis here in Congress that we have depended upon for years, shows that millions, tens of millions, over 80 million middle class Americans, will get a tax increase, all to finance massive tax cuts for billionaires and corporations, people at the very top of the economy. prgtoken This is a massive shift of wealth from hardworking Americans to people at the very top. We ought to do this right. We ought to do it right. We ought to stop this nonsense, go back to the process that we were elected to follow, and get this done in a way that is good for all Americans. This bill is not that.
REQUIRING COMPLETION OF TRAINING PROGRAM IN WORKPLACE RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Jackie Speier (Democrat, CA) \u2014 2017-11-29

I thank our ranking member, Mr. Brady, for his steadfast support on this issue; the chairman, Mr. Harper, who has moved swiftly to address this issue; and also my colleague, Congresswoman Comstock, for bringing this resolution to the floor. prgtoken , I have been working on this issue since 2014. I am so delighted that we are here today taking up this measure. As we take this up, I hope that we remember that training must be more than an online module. It must be in person, interactive, specific to congressional workplace issues, and taken seriously. prgtoken Today's bill is an important step in the right direction, but let's not fool ourselves. It is a baby step. Let us not, to paraphrase Shakespeare, tread the primrose path while leaving survivors to struggle the steep and thorny way to justice. prgtoken We are in the midst of a cultural revolution. We are elected Representatives of the American people, and we must not hesitate to do what is needed to fix this broken system. prgtoken Seventy percent of those who are sexually harassed never report it. They never report it. One woman came up to me as I was walking the Halls of Congress to thank me. She said that she was on this very floor working late in the evening on a particular bill. A Member came up behind her, grinding up against her, and then stuck his tongue in her ear. That happened on this floor, with Members probably standing around. So we do have a problem, and we must address it. prgtoken Unfortunately, due to the system Congress has created to protect itself from being exposed, there has been no accountability. It is now clear that this misguided attempt to protect the institution is instead harming it and leaving victims in its wake. prgtoken We work in a very special place, a trusted place, but let me be very clear: we are not special. The outcry for accountability that we are hearing from all corners of the country must be heeded. We are seeing titans of entertainment, news, and every other business be swiftly terminated. Yet, here in Congress, we hide behind due process niceties when, in reality, we have constructed a system that shields us from true accountability. prgtoken Did Harvey Weinstein or Matt Lauer receive months of due process before being terminated? prgtoken When do we simply believe the victims and provide them a fair and safe process to report and get justice? Then we have got to decide: Is one occurrence worthy of expulsion? Two? Three? prgtoken These are thorny issues. We don't like to come down on our friends and colleagues. I get that. But don't we have a moral responsibility to victims, to society at large? prgtoken When the CEO of a major company is fired because of sexual harassment, the board of directors doesn't say: Let's wait until the shareholders can meet and decide. prgtoken Well, colleagues, our board of directors are the American people, and they are loud and clear. They do not want us to hide behind opaque decisi
MINNESOTA'S ECONOMIC RIGHTS IN THE SUPERIOR NATIONAL FOREST ACT
Raúl M. Grijalva (Democrat, AZ) \u2014 2017-11-29

such time as I may consume. prgtoken , let me just close by saying that this precedent being set here with H.R. 3905 is a precedent that I think every Member of Congress needs to consider. prgtoken The backdrop is a mining law of 1872 that has not been changed one iota since then that basically provides the public resources, the extraction of our public lands for free to any company and more prevalent now are foreign mining companies. No return to the taxpayer and no consequences considered on the environmental damage that these mines have caused, the abandoned mines that haven't been cleaned up. prgtoken This is a backdrop to a deeper and more serious problem that this Congress has to grapple with, which is the mining law of 1872, and on this piece of legislation a precedent that establishes a template that can be destructive for the future and cut the public and the processes out that involve the public and safeguard the environment at the same time. prgtoken , I urge a ``yes'' vote on the amendment, a ``no'' vote on the underlying legislation, and .
HONORING NANCY WARE, DIRECTOR OF THE COURT SERVICES AND OFFENDER SUPERVISION AGENCY FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Eleanor Holmes Norton (Democrat, DC) \u2014 2017-11-29

I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing the contributions of Nancy M. Ware, who served as the Director of the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia (CSOSA) for the past six years. prgtoken A native Washingtonian, Director Ware has been tireless in her fight to improve public safety and the quality of life in neighborhoods throughout the District. She began her educational pursuits in District of Columbia public schools, ultimately graduating from Coolidge High School and then going on to earn her Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Howard University. Early in her career, Director Ware served in various leadership positions for a number of organizations and government agencies, including the Rainbow Coalition, the Citizen Education Fund, the District of Columbia's Mayor's Youth Initiative Office and the Department of Justice's Weed and Seed Program as well as its Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs. prgtoken Of Director Ware's many accomplishments, her work as the first Executive Director of the District of Columbia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) stands out. The District's criminal justice system is a complex web of federal and local jurisdictional authorities. Director Ware led the development of the infrastructure to promote collaboration between the District and federal governments on critical public safety issues. As director of the CJCC, Director Ware was instrumental in advancing the city's technical capability and capacity to support criminal justice information sharing among CJCC member agencies. prgtoken On December 1, 2011, she was sworn in as Director of CSOSA, an independent federal executive branch agency that is tasked with enhancing public safety, preventing crime and reducing recidivism among those supervised. As the head of CSOSA, Director Ware was responsible for leading over 800 federal employees in providing community supervision for as many as 15,000 adults on probation, parole or supervised release in the District. During her tenure at CSOSA, Director Ware's accomplishments are numerous, ranging from establishing a young adult initiative that focuses on supervisees 25 years old and younger to enhancing the agency's internal and external communications and program integration. prgtoken Therefore, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Director Nancy M. Ware for her dedication to public service and for her continued commitment to ensure that the nation's capital remains safe for residents, workers and visitors, and that juveniles and adults who have become involved in the criminal justice system are provided opportunities to contribute and thrive in their community.
TAX CUTS AND JOBS ACT--Continued
Elizabeth Warren (Democrat, MA) \u2014 2017-11-29

Senate s are about 24 hours away from passing a bill that would make middle-class families in this country pay more taxes so big corporations and millionaires can pay less. prgtoken A bill like that would never really make sense, but it really, really doesn't make sense right now. Since 1980, corporate profits have shot through the roof, while wages for working people have remained pretty much the same. With corporate profits up and family incomes flat, who is paying the cost of running the government? Thanks to Congress, over the past 50 years, corporations have gone from picking up about 25 percent of what it costs to run the government to picking up about 9 percent or, to say it another way, hard-working families now pick up a much bigger share of the cost of running our government. prgtoken I don't care whether you are a or a , this just isn't fair. Corporations are wallowing in profits while hard-pressed families are picking up the bill for our military, for our government agencies, for homeland prgtoken security, for our infrastructure, and for everything else we have to pitch in to pay for. prgtoken Here comes the tax bill, which would make a bad situation worse. The tax bill would slash taxes on corporations even further and raise taxes on millions of working families. It is hard to comprehend how deeply unfair that is. A survey released last May by the Federal Reserve found that 44 percent of American families--just a bit under a half--don't have enough slack in their budget to cover a $400 emergency expense. If the transmission blows up or if a kid gets sick or the fridge stops working, these families are just plain out of luck. These are the same families whom the s have targeted to pay more in taxes under the plan. prgtoken In trying to sell a bill that is deeply unfair, s have landed on a tried-and-true strategy--just lie about it. prgtoken The first big lie is that the plan will supercharge economic growth. Spoiler alert: It will not. We have seen this movie before, and we know how it ends. There is not one single credible projection that says this plan will have any meaningful impact on the growth of the American economy. One group of economists after another has looked at this bill and said it will not do a darn thing to help the economy grow. prgtoken Even Wall Street banks--which stand to pocket billions of dollars in tax giveaways from this bill--have grudgingly had to admit the bill will not lead to any growth. Barclays Bank said: ``A permanent boost to growth remains unlikely.'' Goldman Sachs said: ``We find a boost to GDP growth of 0.1-0.2 [percentage points] in 2018-2019 and smaller amounts in subsequent years.'' prgtoken The second big lie is that if we just give corporations more money, they will surely do us the favor of raising wages or creating more jobs. We have seen that movie before too.