Political Quotes

“I thank the gentlewoman from Florida. I rise today in support of the amendment from my colleague from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise). I'd like to just remind the Chair that it was a little less than 2 years ago that the Deepwater Horizon occurred and we lost 11 Americans. We lost the lives of 11 Americans, and over 200 million gallons of oil were spilled into the Gulf of Mexico. Also, when you look at the damage that occurred, you have to remember that the year of the spill our shrimp supply was down 37 percent, crab was down 39 percent. Every day, when a waitress or a waiter or a bartender went to work, they made less money, business owners were making less money to make ends meet, all because of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. So what we want to make sure with this amendment is that those who suffered actually recoup the benefit of it so that they can protect their coast and make sure that they protect their citizens from future hurricanes--not only their citizens, but protect a big investment of this country. When we talk about our ports, when we talk about the oil and gas industry, I would just remind my colleagues that when Katrina happened, gas prices went up 48 cents around the country. That's because Louisiana was suffering, and we could not produce the oil and gas we normally produce. So this bill allows us to protect the coast, protect America's energy investment, and also make sure that we can save the lives of Louisiana citizens.…”