Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, my amendment is simple. It would prohibit funds from being used to design, develop or procure Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Cutters unless the main diesel engines are manufactured in the United States and made by American workers. To address any concerns that this could be a single-source contract, this provision may be waived to ensure competition and best value to the American taxpayer. The Coast Guard plans to build and procure 25 or more Offshore Patrol Cutters in the coming years. And I fully support this acquisition program. However, I believe that the Coast Guard should be required to purchase engines manufactured in the United States made by American workers. For some reason, though, the Coast Guard has a history of buying ship engines from foreign manufacturers. We also know that the Coast Guard has a history of designing ship platforms which give preference to overseas manufacturers, resulting in major contracts going to foreign manufacturers. This practice is driving American manufacturers out of business. Although Congress required that vessels for the Coast Guard be manufactured in the United States starting back in 1993, in recent years, the Coast Guard has continued to procure vessel engines from foreign manufacturers. Mr. Chairman, this is just plain wrong. The Offshore Patrol Cutter is a 25-ship class, one of the Coast Guard's largest cutter classes. Making these ships here in America would generate a lot of U.S.…”