Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4665 is indeed a bipartisan bill, which my colleagues Congressman Dave Reichert, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Congressman Peter Welch, and I introduced. The bill would direct the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis to measure, analyze, and report on the full economic impact attributable to the outdoor recreation economy. In the United States, this economy is a major driver of job creation and growth. Hiking, biking, fishing, hunting, kayaking, climbing, BASE jumping, you name the outdoor sport, it is generating revenue for our country. In northern Virginia, we are blessed with great outdoor opportunities like the W&OD Trail and the Mount Vernon Trail, and we are very excited by the recent development of the Capital Trails Coalition, which is looking at how to foster increased interconnectedness of all the trails in the national capital region. Mr. Speaker, as an avid hiker, this is very personal to me. I am now at 1,435 miles out of the 2,189 miles of the Appalachian Trail, and over those 1,435 miles, I often experience the outdoor economy firsthand with the number of backpacks, sleeping bags, stoves, water filters, diners, small motels, the many, many ways we find to spend money while on the trail. Beyond the recharge of just being outside, I love getting to know the small towns and the forest communities along my hikes from Georgia to Maine.…”