Political Quotes

“I thank the distinguished chairman and I thank you for your constant forward thinking on the workers of America. Coming from the gulf region, I don't know if any of you have ever seen an oil rig, particularly one as large as Deepwater Horizon. It is the home of the workers. It is their home away from home. They eat there, they sleep there, they work very hard there, and they recreate there. They're there 24 hours a day. Some may be a cook. Someone may be a sophisticated engineer. Some may be a seaman and that is their profession. But they're working there; and, therefore, they are looking to ensure that their home away from home is safe. As I've listened to administration officials who are now all about the gulf, I can tell you that the workers who love their industry and love their jobs are excited about the call for transparency and protection and increased safety for this industry. They're excited about what is going on as it relates to those who would engage in telling the truth. If you look at the facts in some of the hearings that we've been in, you will know that there have been a lot of conversations with subordinates trying to talk to supervisors. Something was awry, but no one listened. We may have even heard that some companies left the rig early on because they were disturbed. Or as my colleague mentioned, the young man by the name of Jason who even told his wife, ``Prepare my will.'' And so it is important today that we stand up for the workers.…”