Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, the Department of Defense is facing a near-term shortage of key ``rare earth'' materials necessary to support our defense weapon systems, and rare Earth magnets are especially critical. Over 97 percent of rare earth production is controlled by China. Currently the United States does not have a manufacturer of neodymium-iron-boron rare Earth magnets, yet they are found in our precision guided munitions, ships, aircraft, and other critical weapons systems. One key finding of the recent Government Accountability Office report on rare earth materials in the defense supply chain was that the Chinese- sourced ``neo'' magnets are being included in weapons platforms delivered to the Department of Defense. America is not currently producing these magnets. The time to address this problem is now. This amendment will help restore America's ability to produce domestic neo magnets. It requires the Department of Defense to develop a plan for establishing this domestic capability and submit it to the congressional defense committees. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the Coffman-Ellsworth amendment.”