Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. As Ranking Member Larsen knows well, this important piece of bipartisan legislation would not be possible without the hard work of our staff. I want to thank the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation team led by Mrs. Gonzalez-Colon. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 7659, the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2024. In Puerto Rico, we are the proud home to Sector San Juan and Air Station Borinquen. We know firsthand the important role our men and women in the Coast Guard play each day to save lives, protect our maritime borders, and facilitate commerce. That is why I was proud to cosponsor this important piece of legislation, which will provide needed authorities and resources to support our Coasties and strengthen the Service's critical missions. I am especially pleased the bill includes two provisions I authored-- Sections 205 and 206--to help improve the Coast Guard's drug and migrant interdiction activities. Section 205 would direct the Coast Guard to submit a report to Congress providing an overview of the maritime domain awareness in Sector San Juan, which is responsible for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and oversees an area of responsibility spanning 1.3 million square nautical miles in the Eastern Caribbean. Over the last few years, we have seen an increase in smuggling events in the region.…”