Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. I want to thank especially Chairman Skelton and the House Armed Services Committee for their leadership on this issue and for their continued commitment to what it takes for our servicemembers and their families. I want to thank most especially my colleagues, Representatives Lipinski from Illinois and Chris Murphy from Connecticut, for working with us, for working together to advance provisions that bolster domestic job creation. There are no better advocates for domestic job growth than these two gentlemen. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to urge a ``yes'' vote on this en bloc amendment as well as on the underlying legislation. Most specifically, the amendment that I led directs the Department of Defense to start accounting for the domestic employment impact of major defense acquisition programs. With the DOD's spending billions of dollars a year, it is necessary that we are able to analyze the impact of this spending on our economy. The amendments led by my two colleagues are as equally important. They seek to ensure that our domestic companies are included on procurement opportunities for use by the DOD overseas. The amendments also strengthen transparency of the Buy American waiver process. Taken together, these provisions close major loopholes and fix major deficiencies. I urge a ``yes'' vote on this en bloc amendment.”