Tom Emmer: “I thank the chairman for yielding. I thank Chairman Ed Royce, Ranking Member Engel as well, and the entire staff on the…”

“I thank the chairman for yielding. I thank Chairman Ed Royce, Ranking Member Engel as well, and the entire staff on the Committee on Foreign Affairs for working to get this important legislation to the floor today. Mr. Speaker, when many Americans look back in our Nation's history, they remember the iconic nature of the 1962 World's Fair in Seattle or the 1939 and 1964 World's Fairs in New York. Those events highlighted the best the United States had to offer in science, technology, and innovation, all while bringing visitors and revenue to this great country. While the United States remains a global leader in these fields, our country has been noticeably absent over the past three decades when it comes to hosting a World's Fair. In fact, New Orleans was the last city in the United States to host a World's Fair in 1984. But it is time for that to change and to bring this incredible event back to our great country. Thankfully, in recent years there has been an upsurge of local interest in hosting a World's Fair. Exploratory committees in Houston, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, and San Francisco are actively considering bidding to host a future World's Fair. Currently, my home State of Minnesota is competing against Argentina and Poland to do just that, with the goal of hosting the 2023 World Expo.…”