Political Quotes

“Thank you, Mr. President. I want to start by commending the Senator from Alaska, Mr. Sullivan, for moving this legislation forward and for his work and the work of his staff over many, many months now. I want to thank our staff, as well, and the staff of Senator Wicker and so many other offices that I will not have an opportunity to name. We are especially grateful for their bipartisan efforts, which every once in a while work around here. I am grateful that Senator Sullivan and his team have put in the amount of time that they have. This legislation is part of broader Coast Guard legislation, the Commercial Vessel Incidental Discharge Act. The so-called C-VIDA Act is critically important to get done this year. As Senator Sullivan mentioned, there is bipartisan support, and we should pass it immediately. When I introduced this legislation back in January of last year, working with Senators Wicker, Sullivan, and others, it was included in the larger Coast Guard Authorization Act. That was passed by the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee in May of 2017. Since that time, we have conducted extensive negotiations with our colleagues--and that may be an understatement--to address important environmental as well as enforcement concerns. This legislation fulfills at least two priorities for Pennsylvania.…”