Political Quotes

“If the Endangered Species Act were so important to my colleagues, then we wouldn't go 30 years without reauthorizing it. If it is a national priority, then we ought to look at it, do our congressional oversight jobs that we were sent here to do, and determine if it is working or not. I can't imagine, to my colleague from Maine, that her fishermen would appreciate being locked out of their livelihoods and what they contribute to the Maine economy any more than my producers of agriculture who put food on the table for folks in Maine and all over the country. I really believe we have gotten this thing so out of whack when we talk about critical habitat for these freshwater mussels that are healthy. There is nothing healthy about the ag economy. There is an ecosystem that we ought to all be concerned about because if we can't feed ourselves and if we don't have food security in this country, then we don't have a strong nation. We are blessed with tremendous resources. The greatest of those resources are hardworking farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and others who help feed Americans and take tremendous risks, weather risks and market risks. These guys live with tremendous debt. They borrow and they pray to the good Lord that the weather will work out, and they have been experiencing record drought in my home State of Texas. Now they have to contend with healthy, freshwater mussels in 1,500 miles of river. It seems to me we have this thing upside down.…”