Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, I rise in support of my amendment, which would protect millions of good-paying manufacturing jobs across the country, including in my home State of Connecticut. My amendment would restore $15 million to the Advanced Manufacturing Office in fiscal year 2019. The Department of Energy's Advanced Manufacturing Office is the only technology development office in the Federal Government that is dedicated to enhancing American manufacturing competitiveness. Unfortunately, the appropriations bill before us here today cuts funding to the Advanced Manufacturing Office by $45 million from the FY18 enacted levels. That is a mistake. One of the vital programs funded through the Advanced Manufacturing Office is the Industrial Assessment Centers program. Industrial Assessment Centers are located across the United States and provide companies with the tools they need to promote energy efficiency. A couple of years ago, I visited Forum Plastics, a plastic molding company in Waterbury, Connecticut. Forum Plastics had recently partnered with our regional Industrial Assessment Center at the University of Massachusetts to carry out an audit of Forum Plastics' energy costs and energy efficiency. That audit showed the small company ways they could save energy, reduce waste, and see cost savings. In fact, the audit helped Forum Plastics develop more energy-efficient processes, which resulted in a cost savings of nearly $25,000 the very next year.…”