Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, first, I would like to thank Representatives Reichert, Schrader, Newhouse, and Coffman for their work in offering the amendment that will simply direct GAO to conduct a study on the impact of the recent West Coast ports slowdown so that we can avoid these costly slowdowns in the future. As we all know, the Nation's economic stability and prosperity are directly linked to our ability to import and export goods. In fact, 30 percent of the Nation's GDP stems from imports and exports, 30 percent. That is a large portion of the country's production. During the slowdown, many of our businesses struggled to maintain the flow of capital due to their inability to ship goods. Additionally, many of our retailers found it difficult to keep their shelves stocked due to the lack of incoming goods, causing revenue loss and even the shutting of some businesses. Now, just imagine if, instead of 30 percent, that number was 90 percent. Could you possibly imagine the devastation to the economy of even a brief slowdown? It would have been the biggest story of the year. Our constituents would have been camped out on our front steps demanding action from Congress. Well, let me tell you that, in American Samoa, that number is 90 percent. We rely almost solely on imported goods for our food and energy needs. The main revenue generator on our beautiful islands is the tuna canning industry, which comprises more than 85 percent of the island's GDP.…”