James Oberstar: “Given that earlier this week the Majority insisted that Congress increase the debt limit by $800 billion, and that this…”

“Given that earlier this week the Majority insisted that Congress increase the debt limit by $800 billion, and that this bill includes an across-the-board cut of everything from cancer research to highway funding, why does this bill, specifically section 108 of Division J, appropriate $2 million to purchase a Presidential yacht, the Sequoia? At a time when we are sending American men and women to war in Iraq without the necessary body armor and equipment, why in the world are we spending taxpayer money on a Presidential yacht? The background of this issue deserves some elaboration. Division J of H.R. 4818 appropriates $2 million for the Secretary of the Navy to purchase the Presidential yacht Sequoia. President Jimmy Carter ordered that this yacht be sold to eliminate signs of an 'imperial presidency'. It is unclear whether the purpose of purchasing the yacht, a national historic landmark, is to provide a yacht for the President, or to bail out the current owner of the vessel, or to donate the vessel to a maritime museum.”