Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment to increase funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, the MEP program. This amendment would restore $5 million to MEP, which has helped U.S. manufacturers create and retain good jobs in Connecticut and in every State in the country over nearly 30 years. Connecticut's MEP, the Connecticut State Technical Extension Program, or CONNSTEP, works with facilities in Connecticut advising them on ways to grow their businesses. And thanks to partnerships with CONNSTEP, in my district alone, Metallon in Thomaston has increased new sales by nearly a half a million dollars, Metallurgical Processing in New Britain increased production by 20 percent, and RTR Technologies in Canaan increased sales by $6 million. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to restore funding to MEP by $5 million, because passing a budget that grows the economy and retains and brings good jobs to our communities is exactly what we were sent to Washington, D.C., to do. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support Representative Torres' amendment.”