Political Quotes

“I rise to support the FY03 Bob Stump National Defense Authorization Act and appreciate all the hard work my colleagues and my chairman did to produce a bill in support of our national defense. One area of particular concern for me is the Maritime Administration's Title XI Vessel Loan Guarantee Program. I am pleased to see that we have decided to authorize $50 million to continue this valuable program, which sustains our national shipbuilding industrial base by supporting commercial shipbuilding. This is necessary in the face of foreign competition and subsidies and is good for all U.S. shipyards, large and small. In addition, this will also serve to maintain a skilled labor force critical to our defense industrial base. I note that the committee expects that the Maritime Administration will place a priority on providing loan guarantees under the Title XI Ship Loan Guarantee Program for the construction of commercially viable vessels that are militarily useful, such as for highspeed sealift, or that meet specific requirements of Federal law, such as the requirement for double-hull tankers. These types of commercial projects would be the highest priority for continuing this program. There are many laudable projects, including the FastShip project in my congressional district, which should be supported by the Department of Defense and the Department of Transportation. Military useful projects, like FastShip, have always been a key element of the Title XI program.”