Brian Babin: “I thank Ranking Member Graves and Chairman DeFazio. Mr. Speaker, Southeast Texas is the global leader in creating…”

“I thank Ranking Member Graves and Chairman DeFazio. Mr. Speaker, Southeast Texas is the global leader in creating reliable, affordable energy that powers America and, quite frankly, much of the world. But we can't do that without modernizing and improving our water infrastructure, which it is my honor to have achieved in this bill for the people of the 36th Congressional District of Texas, and by extension, all American families. My district has four ports, including the main port terminal of the Port of Houston. The Houston Ship Channel is the busiest U.S. deep- draft waterway, and it is the top exporting port in the Nation. This bill turns years of advocacy to dredge, widen, and improve two- way traffic on the Houston Ship Channel into real results. This will allow for a more efficient, safe, and productive waterway for all. But I also recognize that there is still much work to be done. It is not an exaggeration to say that by spending $1 million today on hurricane and flood prevention infrastructure, we can save a billion dollars in damages down the road from another storm like Hurricane Harvey, which dumped 60 inches of rain on my district--a North American rainfall record, by the way. Thankfully, this bill contains numerous provisions for me and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle that work to address these critical needs.…”