Chellie Pingree: “I thank my colleague, Mr. Moran, for allowing me to speak and join him with this amendment today. I rise in support of…”

“I thank my colleague, Mr. Moran, for allowing me to speak and join him with this amendment today. I rise in support of this amendment, which would prohibit us from using taxpayer money to stock the House cafeterias with polystyrene, or, as most Americans call it, Styrofoam. Maybe to some this seems like a small thing, but stocking our cafeterias with Styrofoam sends a terrible message. When I was first elected to Congress in 2008, it was such a pleasure to see biodegradable materials in the cafeteria: cardboard containers, paper cups, even bamboo forks--which maybe didn't always work right, but they still were recyclable and biodegradable. We ate out of containers that looked a lot like what we now see in most fast food restaurants. When the Republicans took control, that instantly changed and we are back to eating from Styrofoam. When my constituents read about it they were, frankly, quite shocked. They couldn't imagine why Congress was moving backwards. Styrofoam takes hundreds of years to biodegrade and is a suspected carcinogen because of the chemical it leaches into food and liquid. I urge my colleagues to support our amendment to get rid of Styrofoam in the House cafeterias.”