Political Quotes

“I thank my colleague and friend from Michigan for this amendment. This bipartisan amendment offered by the gentleman from Michigan and cosponsored by the Republican gentleman from northern Michigan makes it clear--or western Michigan, not from where Dan and I are, but it is Michigan--makes it clear that eligible funding for conservation activities under the Endangered Species Recovery and Habitat Conservation Legacy Fund include invasive species and disease management control and prevention efforts. Invasive species and diseases pose severe threats to our Nation's wildlife population, especially for species that are already threatened or endangered. Few places in the United States are more familiar with invasive species than the Great Lakes region which has been battling sea lampreys, zebra and quagga mussels, and now Asian carp. Native fish species are smaller and less plentiful than they once were thanks to these invasive species. On the disease front, chronic waste and disease, a fatal disease for North America's deer, elk, and moose have spread to 25 States posing significant risks to those populations. To properly recover native species, we must provide the resources and coordinate efforts to eradicate or control invasive species, prevent new introductions, and better understand emerging diseases. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.”