Political Quotes

“I want to thank the gentleman from Mississippi. Thank you for your leadership and thank you for your kind words. I'm truly amazed by what the Coast Guard is able to accomplish, particularly given the limits of its budget. But I remain the Coast Guard's biggest supporter. During my tenure as chairman, I also had the opportunity to be the service's most constructive critic. Among the many areas where I pushed the Coast Guard to set and achieve higher goals was the area of diversity. Data presented to the subcommittee showed that minorities comprised approximately 12 percent of the class of 2012 and just 16 percent of the class of 2013. By comparison, approximately 35 percent of the Naval Academy's class of 2013 is comprised of minorities. And the tremendous gains in diversity achieved by the United States Naval Academy suggested that the Coast Guard Academy's outreach had been too limited. And as a result, many students across the country from a wide variety of communities and backgrounds simply were not made aware either of the education that they could receive for free at the Coast Guard Academy or the unique service opportunities available in the Coast Guard. I'm very proud to say that the Coast Guard has begun making that effort, and they are now beginning to realize the promise that our Nation's diversity represents.…”