Political Quotes

“The American people desperately need new jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, America's labor force participation rate remains mired among historic lows. Almost 94 million Americans who could work are outside the workforce. That is more than the population of all but 12 of the world's countries and more than every other country in the Western Hemisphere, except for Brazil and Mexico. We face this historically low rate not because Americans don't want to work, but because so many Americans have despaired of any hope of finding a new full-time job and have abandoned the workforce. The RAPID Act offers strong help to reverse this tragedy, restore the hope, and produce millions of new jobs. We must pass the bill, not weaken it, to provide these new high-wage jobs. The gentlewoman's amendment would weaken the bill in one of the worst possible ways. It would remove the clear consequences in the bill for agencies that refuse to follow the bill's deadlines. That consequence is to deem permits approved if agencies refuse to approve or deny them within those deadlines. Mr. Chairman, the bill provides 4\1/2\ years for agencies to complete their environmental reviews for new permit applications and reasonable and additional time for agencies to wrap up final permit approvals or denials after that; 4\1/2\ years is more time than it took the United States to fight and win World War II.…”