Political Quotes

“If the gentleman doesn't take much time, we will accept the amendment. Mr. DeFAZIO. I agree. And Mr. Westmoreland will also be brief. This is extraordinarily important, and I thank the Chair for his indulgence and his support. We, in the Open Skies Agreement with the EU, anticipated that some countries might try and go forum shopping, that is--like the cruise line industry--look for a nation that has lesser laws regulating labor, safety, and then also allow outsourcing. This would be a model for Norwegian--for this airline, which does not fly to the United States, to incorporate in Ireland. They would then hire crews from Malaysia to fly planes based in Singapore and hope to serve the United States with these crews. This is the cruise line model. It is a recipe for disaster. You shop around the world to find the least regulated, least trained, and cheapest labor you can--as has happened with the cruise line industry-- and in this case, in aviation, it will both threaten consumers and national security given the Civil Reserve Air Fleet requirements of aviation. With that, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Westmoreland).”