On the recordJuly 9, 2013
Let me say it may be the relative lateness of the hour, but I welcome the comity with which you put forward your amendment. May I just say for the record that having handled the Hurricane Sandy supplemental, I can make you aware that our power was off in our very modern part of northern New Jersey for the vast number of my constituents for over 2\1/2\ weeks. Even despite the best minds in the Nation, some of which still circle around the remains of Bell Laboratories, we still didn't get it right. But having said that, I appreciate your intent and your good humor. Our primary focus has been national defense and nuclear security. I don't think this is the time when we should be taking away from that modernization project, which is important and something which has to be certified in terms of being reliable to the President by the Secretary of Energy. So I oppose the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.
