On the recordFebruary 25, 2015
I, along with the rest of the country, am breathing a sigh of relief that full-time work has resumed at our west coast ports. I wanted to publicly thank the ILWU and the PMA for staying at the table and finally reaching an agreement. I want to thank President Obama and our Labor Secretary Perez for their help in bringing about a resolution. Many of my colleagues here in Congress were calling me daily for updates because the workers, the farmers, the businesses, and the consumers in their districts were also impacted by what happens on the west coast ports. I represent the men and women who work on those ports, so our economy in the harbor area was greatly affected, but we also realize that these ports are an economic engine for the entire country. Our west coast ports support millions of American jobs and provide a vital link to global commerce. So today I am going to testify before the Budget Committee to remind Congress that we should fully fund all the ports in this country because they are such an important link to our economy. ____________________
