Political Quotes

“I rise today to discuss an amendment that I filed with Mr. Wu of Oregon but will not be offering. Instead, in a minute, I will be engaging Chairman Wolf in a brief colloquy. Our goal is simple: to preserve funding at fiscal year 2010 levels for two critical National Weather Service programs. We drafted this amendment because these are two programs that save lives. Many Americans might not realize it, but the weather forecasts we all get from the Internet, the Weather Channel, or from local TV or radio are all built on the raw data provided by the National Weather Service. These are the same weather reports that are relied upon every day by emergency responders, pilots, and sailors. My goal is to protect local warnings and forecast centers around the country, along with the Severe Storms Center, the National Hurricane Center, and the Aviation Weather Center. Without these centers, we wouldn't have daily forecasts or flood warnings, and air travel would be significantly more dangerous. The National Weather Service has been essentially flat funded since 1995. Much of their equipment is in need of repair or replacement. As a country, we simply cannot afford to cut back any further on the service that saves lives, allows us to plan for and respond to weather emergencies, and enables air travel. I am concerned about the adverse impact that this cut could have on essential services.…”