Sue Myrick: “I come here today in support of the reauthorization of the Economic Development Administration at Commerce. We in the…”

“I come here today in support of the reauthorization of the Economic Development Administration at Commerce. We in the Ninth District of North Carolina have had great success with the programs from EDA. Most importantly, EDA helped my district come together and formulate a comprehensive economic development plan for the next decade. This was the first time all of the economic development officials, business leaders, and community developers came to one place and really discussed where they saw our counties going and what was needed to ensure economic success. Our area has been hit extremely hard by job losses, particularly in the manufacturing and textile sectors. The help that the EDA has provided and will continue to provide has given my district a vision for the future and a way for each citizen to become involved in its community. I thank the EDA for their help and assistance and commend them for the important work they do in districts like mine all around the country. If the EDA is given the resources provided in this bill, it will result in the creation of approximately 623,314 jobs and the leveraging of $46.4 billion in private-sector investments over 5 years. With job challenges facing all of our districts every day, how can we not support a bill that will result in this many jobs being created? I support this bill and I urge my colleagues to support it.”