Political Quotes

“I appreciate the work of Chairman LoBiondo and Chairman Mica and, of course, our ranking member, Mr. Larsen, and the ranking member, Mr. Rahall. I appreciate the effort that they put into this Coast Guard reauthorization. I also appreciate the close working relationship I have with the chairman, Mr. LoBiondo. During my tenure as chairman of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, he served as my ranking member, and now that he is chair, I appreciate the commitment to diligent oversight that characterizes his leadership of the subcommittee. I wish we had been able to reach an agreement on the issue at hand, but as that has not been possible, I'm offering this amendment to strike section 301(a) of the bill. Section 301(a) would eliminate provisions included in the Coast Guard authorization of 2010 that I authored to establish an ombudsman in each Coast Guard district. The district ombudsmen are intended to serve as liaisons between the Coast Guard and ports, terminal operators, ship owners, and labor representatives. The ombudsmen will enable these stakeholders to seek further review of disputes regarding the application of the Coast Guard regulations.…”