Political Quotes

“Today we have a unique opportunity to lend a hand to American manufacturers. I'm proud to join my good friend and colleague from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski) in being an original cosponsor of this legislation. And, in fact, when I chaired the Small Business Committee, we had field hearings in both his district and Mr. Davis' centered on the issue of manufacturing in America. As the cofounder and cochair of the House Manufacturing Caucus, I can't overstate the importance of manufacturing to America. One in six jobs in America is directly related to manufacturing, and one in four in the congressional district that I represent. Manufacturing drives innovation by conducting nearly half of all research and development and creating the bulk of technology in our Nation. Nearly 60 percent of exported goods are manufactured goods. Every $1 in final sales of manufactured goods supports $1.40 in output, which is higher than any other economic sector. If we don't make things in America, then even those service jobs, however, will disappear. I spent probably two-thirds of my time in Congress studying and working on manufacturing issues, from raw materials and minerals all the way through to export controls. In fact, within the past Congress, working with Congressmen Blumenauer, Crowley, and Sherman, all Democrats, we were able to amend section 17(c) of the Export Administration Act, which has resulted in the additional billions of dollars more of aircraft parts being exported.”