Tom Coburn: “I have sat and listened to a lot of what we have heard today. I will tell you that myself and Senator Lautenberg and…”

“I have sat and listened to a lot of what we have heard today. I will tell you that myself and Senator Lautenberg and Senator Schumer raised this issue some 3\1/2\ weeks ago at a press conference, in which we agreed there ought to be a timeout on this. From that day forward, there has been significant increased knowledge by the American people. There has been significant uproar. During all the time of that, the intention was--and I was led to believe by the Senator from New York--that the purpose was to find out what is best for the country, to find out what needs to be done, and to do it. That is not what we are doing today. That is not what this amendment does today. I used to serve in the House, starting in 1994. The House Members do tend to reflect the current situations in the country. But a higher standard is required of us as a body. And one is to know the facts before we act. I would contend that the Senator from New York and the Senator from New Jersey do not know the facts on this deal. Several statements have been made about this being a done deal; it is a closed financial deal. It is not a closed deal that Dubai Ports will, in fact, operate these ports. As a matter of fact, the company has been very straightforward with information with my office, the communications we have had. I do not believe we have the answer to the problem as of yet, and I do not think we have clearly identified it.…”