Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman. I thank you for your leadership and bringing your expertise to Washington. It is great to serve with you, and I appreciate all the leadership that you are showing, not just on this issue but so many different issues that are good not just for the folks of Arkansas, but for the entire Nation. So thank you so much for being part of this Special Order tonight. Mr. Speaker, a healthy forest is so incredibly important because a healthy forest represents, also, wealthy communities. Our rural communities are so dependent on the active, proper management of our national forests. These national forests didn't always exist. At one time, our predecessors--some going back 100 years or more--came to the table with the local communities, and they made a commitment that for the good of the Nation they would create national forests. Now, let's be clear. National forests are not national parks. They are completely different. National forests are not managed by the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service. National forests are managed by the Department of Agriculture, because they were set aside and established so that our Nation would always have an abundant, ready supply of timber. Timber was one of the initial industries that we had. It was so important to the past of our country, but important to the future of our country as well. As Mr. Westerman really articulated well, when you have a healthy forest, you have carbon sinks and you have filters.…”