Nick Rahall: “I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio). Mr. DeFAZIO. I thank the gentleman. I've long supported…”

“I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio). Mr. DeFAZIO. I thank the gentleman. I've long supported changing the law so that the funds collected for harbor maintenance are spent on harbor maintenance. They're spent all across the country on a whole range of things, except harbor maintenance. I have jetties failing in Coos Bay, Oregon; a jetty failing at the mouth of the Columbia River. I have ports that are shoaling in Port Orford or Florence that the Corps says they can't afford dredging. I don't blame the Corps because they've been shorted in the budget process. They have a $40 billion backlog of critical projects. This will help them focus their energies on some other critical projects by giving them adequate funds to do the dredging, to rebuild the jetties, and to do the other work to maintain our locks and channels that they need to do. This is long overdue, and I strongly support the amendment.”