Political Quotes

“as we consider the nomination of Heather Higginbottom to be Deputy Director of OMB, I would like to bring to the attention of my colleagues my concern for how OMB and the Coast Guard have been conducting business. The Arctic is opening at an alarming rate, which creates new requirements for the U.S. Coast Guard and the Navy. Multiple Presidential directives call for Arctic presence to meet national security and homeland security needs; to facilitate safe, secure, and reliable navigation; to protect maritime commerce, and to protect the environment as resource development increases. Polar icebreakers are critical to meet our national needs in the Arctic. According to a recent independent study, the Coast Guard and the Navy need six heavy-duty icebreakers and four medium icebreakers. This is not a political document; it is a study of the national security and commercial viability of the United States. It is not a surprise to this Senator that any third party, any independent judgment maker, or anyone paying attention as the Chinese, and the Russians, oil companies, even pirates actively stake claims in the Arctic, that the United States needs to be prepared to engage to protect its interests there. In the Coast Guard Reauthorization Act of 2010, we required the Coast Guard to complete a comparative business case analysis to determine how we can revitalize icebreaking fleet while maximizing taxpayer dollars.…”