Political Quotes

“I am here with my colleague from the State of Alaska, Senator Sullivan. We have heard his comments, his very strong support of the nomination of Joe Balash to be the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Land and Minerals Management. As he has indicated, he speaks as one who has great insight and knowledge, having worked with Mr. Balash for a period of years. As we think about those who are willing to step up and serve in this new administration, I think it is particularly telling that when we have personal knowledge, when we have had these relationships, when we know intimately of a person's work ethic, of their dedication to issues and their willingness to serve, we pay particular attention to that. I, too, stand in strong support of Joe Balash for this position, and I thank the Secretary of the Interior for placing his trust, placing his confidence in Mr. Balash to serve on his team at the Department of the Interior. We have an individual who knows intimately the subject area to which he has been appointed. Joe is from a community by the name of North Pole. We are all thinking about the North Pole as we get closer to Christmas. I suggest that just being from Alaska is enough to convince me that he is qualified for this position, but, honestly, the breadth and depth of his experiences and his commitment, his care, his passion, his dedication to serving not only the people but the lands that we hold so dear is a great tribute to Joe Balash.…”