Barney Frank: “I thank the gentlewoman. She and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley) and others on our committee on both sides of…”

“I thank the gentlewoman. She and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley) and others on our committee on both sides of the aisle worked constructively on a good bill. I appreciate the kind words of the majority whip. There was a threatening climate towards foreign direct investment a few months ago as a result of the reaction to the Dubai Ports. I thought it was a mistake to allow Dubai to be able to buy those ports, but I did think that the reaction against that threatened to jeopardize a very important source of support for the American economy, and that is foreign direct investment. There was among some of our colleagues a kind of reaction to say, ``We don't want them bringing their money in here and investing in America.'' That was unwise, and I think cooler heads on both sides of the aisle have prevailed, and we have a bill that recognizes that foreign direct investment, the foreign investment in building plants and running enterprises in America, is a good thing. Many Americans complain when American corporations invest their money in physical facilities overseas. Well, it then does not make sense to complain about the reciprocal. Yes, we want to make sure that nothing is done that jeopardizes our security.…”