Elijah Lewis: “Let me thank our colleague from Utah for participating in this Special Order. As we said earlier, Madam Speaker, this is…”

“Let me thank our colleague from Utah for participating in this Special Order. As we said earlier, Madam Speaker, this is a bad deal, this is not a good deal, and that is why we are speaking out tonight and we will continue to speak out in opposition against this proposed takeover bid until this proposal is off the table. As it has been said, we want to secure Delta's future as a strong stand-alone company. That is in the best interests of the American people, not just to people in the Southeast, but to people in the West and all over this country. Madam Speaker, I rise tonight to tell you about a bad deal. You may have read about the recent unwanted, unsolicited, and unnecessary bid from US Airways to take over a strong, proud, Georgia company, named Delta Airlines. But, Americans have learned the hard way that bigger is not always better. And in this case, a Delta takeover by US Airways will have a devastating impact on the people of Atlanta, on the east coast of this country, and it will rob American travelers of the economic advantages that competition creates. Mr. Speaker, today I represent thousands of Delta employees all over Georgia, hundreds of Delta pilots, and the executive leadership of that organization. Delta employees and its executives are working through some difficult problems right now as they reshape the company, but when it comes to this merger, they speak with one voice. Management and employees agree on this. None of them are for this deal.”