On the recordJuly 9, 2014
I thank the chairman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I join the chairman and Mr. Wilson in opposition to this, and I appreciate Mr. Fortenberry's withdrawing because of so much of what has already been said. This project actually is about 70 percent complete. It has been supported by three different administrations, authorized by Congress, and is written into an international nonproliferation agreement. In fact, $4.7 billion has been spent, and this is money that has already been invested, and whenever we stop or put it on a cold start or cold standby, as this administration already has done, it ends up costing more money for the project. The best thing to do is to complete this and send that signal internationally, but also to keep those jobs locally, which is so important for the Augusta, South Carolina, area. I believe that if we, as Members of Congress, want to be responsible stewards of tax dollars, the best thing to do is to defeat this amendment, should it be offered, but, more importantly, get this thing completed. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for his leadership on this and appreciate his letting me speak.
