Political Quotes

“This is a very simple amendment. This is about local jobs for local companies. Many of us have in our districts military facilities of large and small size. All too often those facilities and the work done on those facilities, performed by contractors, often national contractors, totally ignores and provides little or no opportunity for local subcontractors. This amendment would simply require that for prime contractors on military installations across this Nation they would be required to allow 40 percent of their contracts, by dollar value, to be available for local subcontractors. Not a bad idea, it seems to me. I know that, in my area of Travis Air Force Base in Solano County, there are constant--constant--complaints from local contractors that the big boys come in, hog all the work, and leave nothing behind except a few more burgers bought at McDonald's. Not good enough. This amendment deals with that issue by providing local contractors, often Republican contractors, the opportunity to have work in their communities, and ``local'' is defined as within 60 miles of the base. So I ask for an aye vote. I reserve the balance of my time.”