Peter DeFazio

For every dollar invested in mitigation to make our communities stronger before disaster strikes, the taxpayer saves $4 in future disaster response and recovery costs.

Disasters don't care if you're a liberal or conservative; whether you live on a coast or on the plains; or whether you believe in climate change or not.

That was absolutely nonsensical.

It is time to get smarter about how we respond and how we rebuild after disasters.

Disasters certainly don't care about your political perspective, whether you live on a coast, on the plains, or whether you believe in climate change or not.

In closing, this budget is a disappointment and should serve as a catalyst for increasing support to our maritime industry.

Considering the Commission's vital role in ensuring that shipping practices in the U.S. foreign trade abide by antitrust requirements, an increase was not only overdue, but also warranted in order to provide the Commission the resources it…

We need to be doing much, much more to support our maritime industry, and I hope that Admiral Buzby can provide more ideas than those put forth by the administration's budget request for MARAD.

I also am disappointed that the administration is proposing to cut funding for the Maritime Administration by almost thirty nine percent.

These additional proposed cuts are disrespectful, at best.

Tomorrow is National Maritime Day, a day to celebrate the United States of America as a great maritime nation.

The Governor of Puerto Rico has recently said they could do better if they just went into the international market.

I think there are at least two fleets that supply Puerto Rico.

I am also concerned about the polar icebreaker contract.

I question whether or not this has something to do with their original bid, which some thought was low.

This budget is a disappointment and should serve as a catalyst for increasing support to our maritime industry.

I fail to see the logic behind not requesting any funding for Port Infrastructure Development Grants, or Small Shipyard Grants.

If we want to remain a global maritime power, we cannot offer timid support for our own maritime industry.

The cuts proposed in this budget are not only wrongheaded, they are downright cruel to the hardworking men and women of the Coast Guard.

One has to wonder: how much more strain can we put the Coast Guard under before this exemplary military maritime law enforcement agency simply breaks and cannot be mended back together?

I am also disappointed in the cuts for MARAD, 39 percent.

What a great idea. So I will have some questions about that.

I would say these additional proposed cuts are disrespectful, at best.

I find very little to celebrate.

This budget is a disappointment, but let's use this hearing to constructively critique and encourage our colleagues to allocate more adequate resources to each of these agencies in the coming budget year.