Political Quotes

“I thank the chairman. I rise today in strong support of America COMPETES, and I want to recognize the tremendous leadership which Chairman Gordon has given in this effort. He is the father of this bill. He has created the ARPA-E energy initiative in this bill and has shown tremendous leadership by pushing this effort forward. I am particularly proud of the contribution that my subcommittee, the Technology and Innovation Subcommittee, has made to this legislation. Innovation is absolutely crucial to our Nation's long-term global competitiveness. It is our economic seed corn, and we have a responsibility to support the kind of economic environment that empowers our Nation's private sector to innovate and create jobs. The bipartisan legislation we are considering today will strengthen our Nation's economic competitiveness by creating an environment that encourages innovation and facilitates economic growth. It will create high wage, middle class jobs through innovation and technologic development. Among other things, the bill makes critical investments in the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, which will help this vital program better address the needs of our Nation's small- and medium- sized manufacturers. Of particular importance is the new focus of the MEP program on finding out what the local job market really needs and helping community colleges focus job training on these particular needs so that the retrained workers can find work nearby.…”