Political Quotes

“First of all, I want to compliment Chairman Simpson on all the work he has done on this bill, but also the work he has done with me to plus up the harbor maintenance account and the funds available for dredging. It is critically important. I am very proud to stand with my colleague from Louisiana in support of this very important amendment. As my colleague expressed, the President's fiscal year '15 budget creates even more of a shortfall. We have got a significant backlog in harbor maintenance. This is going to hurt American competitiveness. In fact, roughly $3 billion worth of coastal navigation operations and maintenance work could be done if the funds that are collected for this were actually made available to be used for it. Louisiana is a leading State in trade, international trade, with three of our top ten ports that conduct trade in goods and energy. More U.S. merchandise travels by ocean-going vessels than by airplanes, trucks, freight trains, and pipelines combined. That is why these funds are critical for American competitiveness, and that is why they are really important in facilitating U.S. foreign trade. Our waterways are vital economic pathways for our Nation's commerce and the ability to move American goods to these foreign markets. Hundreds of thousands of jobs depend on this--jobs in Louisiana and across the United States. This infrastructure is vital. Our amendment would take a modest step.…”