Political Quotes

“I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this bipartisan legislation being considered by the House this evening, H.R. 527, the Helium Stewardship Act, is a commonsense action plan to protect our economy from the impending helium shortage and to inject free market principles into our Federal helium program. The House must take action today on this legislation before time runs out. Under current law, the Reserve must cease operations on October 1--that's only 6 days from now, Mr. Speaker. The Federal Helium Reserve supplies one-third of the world's helium, and a disruption would cause real harm to our Nation's economy. Helium is essential to our 21st century economy. Without it, we wouldn't have lifesaving MRI machines, we wouldn't have computer chips, we wouldn't have fiber optic cables or other devices used for our defense needs. Unless Congress takes immediate action, tens of thousands of American jobs and critical technologies would be put at risk. The bill before us today is truly a bipartisan, bicameral plan that I'm pleased to have worked on with both my Senate and House colleagues. {time} 1800 This bill would implement a new operating system for the Federal Helium Reserve on October 1 that would include semiannual auctions. This will ensure that we prevent a crippling helium shortage and that the reserve stays open until 2021, when then nearly all of the helium supply is sold.…”