Maria Cantwell: “I rise to discuss the Port Security Act of 2006, the underlying bill we are discussing in the Senate here this…”

“I rise to discuss the Port Security Act of 2006, the underlying bill we are discussing in the Senate here this afternoon. I want to start by commending the steadfast dedication of my colleague, Senator Murray, from the State of Washington, and Senator Collins for their hard work in moving this legislation through the Senate, and certainly Senator Stevens and Inouye for their leadership on this issue. I want to say that Senator Murray has done great work both here in Washington, DC, and at home in the State of Washington to close security gaps. And I have enjoyed working with her to make sure that our ports in Washington State are more secure. Port security ought not to be an afterthought or an extra security measure when we are talking about securing our borders or securing our communities. It should be one of our key priorities. Washington State knows how critical these ports are to our economy and to our way of life. There are ports all along our shore lines from Seattle to Vancouver, Bellingham, and other cities. They create jobs. They drive economic growth for the entire northwest. And in the Seattle-Tacoma area, the ports are the third-busiest in the Nation, with over 11,000 containers passing through Seattle and Tacoma daily. That's more than 4 million containers a year. That is more than 100,000 workers in the Puget Sound area including longshoremen and freight forwarders and others who depend on the ports of Seattle and Tacoma for their jobs.…”