Lamar Smith: “First of all, let me say to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Reed) and to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy)…”

“First of all, let me say to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Reed) and to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy) that I appreciate all their time, effort, and work that has gone into this piece of legislation. It is because of their patience and diligence and persistence that we arrived at this particularly important place tonight and are considering this legislation. I also wanted to point out that this bill will, with every expectation that we have, create thousands of manufacturing jobs in the United States. The fact that New York and Massachusetts will benefit from these jobs is an important consideration, but the jobs that are created are going to be across the country. And so the gentlemen from New York and Massachusetts are doing an immense favor to our economy and to our economic growth in America. Mr. Speaker, advanced manufacturing is fundamental to future U.S. economic success and national security. America has led the world since World War II, but our global leadership is not guaranteed. Competing nations have increased their investments in advanced manufacturing to surpass the United States. The World Bank reports, for example, that China now leads the U.S. in high-tech exports with 28 percent of the global market versus 18 percent for the United States.…”