Political Quotes

“I rise today in support of Dr. John Fleming's nomination to be the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, otherwise known as the Administrator of the Economic Development Administration, or EDA. I view this as an opportunity not only to speak about the qualifications of a former colleague of mine--we served in the House together--but also to highlight the EDA's work in my home State of West Virginia. The EDA did not always play an active role in West Virginia, which is really odd when you consider that we have no shortage of economic development and infrastructure needs and challenges in our State. Yet, at my insistence and through the collaboration of my staff, we have turned a corner. Today, we are beginning to see real investments that will make a lasting difference in West Virginia. To highlight the insignificant amount West Virginia received before I became a Senator, in the 2 years prior to my swearing in--2013 and 2014--the State received a total of $200,000 from EDA outside of normal planning grants. These were mostly for technical assistance. When I came to the Senate and realized this, I made it a top priority of mine to ensure that West Virginia secured more Federal dollars to develop our economy and create new opportunities. I made it clear to EDA at the time that the status quo was absolutely unacceptable.…”