Political Quotes

“I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. DelBene). Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Chairman, the FACT Act, which is part of the underlying legislation, has been touted as an effort to promote transparency and address a supposedly systemic problem of fraud with asbestos trusts set up to pay settlements owed to victims of asbestos exposure, but this bill is a solution in search of a problem and places invasive demands on victims that violate their privacy and open them up to identity theft and other abuses while failing to require transparency from the companies that created this nationwide problem in the first place. The nonpartisan GAO found that 98 percent of trusts perform audits, and none of those audits uncovered fraud. While the bill's proponents claim that this is a measure to protect asbestos trusts for victims, it speaks volumes that not a single victims group supports this bill. For decades, asbestos companies knowingly put Americans at risk-- servicemembers, children, teachers, first responders, construction workers, and even those who work here in the Capitol--with a toxic product that kills close to 15,000 people every year. Today old structures across the country still contain asbestos and can pose serious health risks. Experts have referred to workers who perform repair work as the current third wave of victims.…”