Alcee Hastings: “I want them to know that I fully support the spirit of their amendment and in the past have supported similar…”

“I want them to know that I fully support the spirit of their amendment and in the past have supported similar freestanding bills. It is the substance of this particular amendment that I object to, and my objection can be distilled to one word: jobs. At a time when a different company each day announces massive layoffs, this amendment in my opinion would ultimately mean more unemployed people in this country. And, by the way, these are not people, by and large, who can just switch from company to company. No, some of these people are some of our Nation's farmers, the people who actually put the food on our table. In mine and the district of the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Foley), 50 percent of all the winter vegetables in this country are grown in the Glades area that we represent. These people help to put clothes on our back. I will not stand on this floor and support an amendment which will put some of the hardest working people in this country and in my State and district out of work.”