Political Quotes

“I actually think, if I might say so, it is a small group in the Republican Party that is really taking the lead in this issue. Somehow they believe that government ought not be involved in commercial enterprise, when in fact since the very beginning of our Nation government has been involved, and together with the private sector is responsible for the growth of this incredible economy. This is but one example. There are numerous other ones. I was just thinking about some of the words that the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) spoke regarding energy policy. We are now generating and extracting a large amount of natural gas, and so much so that now there is a desire to export that natural gas in liquid form called liquefied natural gas, LNG. We have to be careful because that natural gas has given us the opportunity to pull down our energy costs, manufacturing costs, so we are now seeing companies returning to the United States. Dow Chemical is but one example. I used to represent their major plant out in Pittsburg, California. They are coming home because of energy policy, so we have to be careful about the export of LNG because it can drive up the price and harm the growth of our manufacturing sector. However--and here is an opportunity--the LNG is a strategic national asset. It is bringing down our cost of energy. Shipbuilding is also a strategic national industry.…”