Political Quotes

“I thank the ranking member for yielding. I rise today in support of S. 2981, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Amendments Act of 2020. This bicameral and bipartisan legislation aims to improve the smallest uniform service in our country, the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps. The men and women of the NOAA Corps operate a highly specialized fleet of scientific ships and aircraft, several of which are based in my district on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and along coastlines around the Nation. The research conducted on these scientific platforms helps to improve hurricane forecasts, manage healthy and sustainable fisheries such as red snapper, and ensure safe and efficient maritime commerce on America's waters. Members of the NOAA Corps are the ones who operate the 9 aircrafts and 15 vessels in NOAA's growing fleet. During a hurricane, they deploy on missions into the storm; and immediately after hurricanes, they deploy to assess damage and map out debris in the channels to open our ports back up as soon as possible. All these activities are essential to my district and many others, especially this year where we had back-to-back hurricanes in the Gulf impacting our maritime economy and ecosystems. NOAA Corps officers provide essential scientific and operational expertise needed for NOAA to meet its missions every day.…”