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Congressman Garamendi Speaks Up for U.S. Jobs in Transportation, Shipbuilding, and Manufacturing

June 25, 2014

Garamendi offers an amendment to ensure natural gas exports are on American ships, don’t go to countries that sponsor terrorism and cyber-espionage, and will not raise home heating prices for seniors. Click here to watch the video.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today on the floor of the House of Representatives, Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield, CA) offered an amendment to legislation authorizing the export of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) that would require this domestic fuel source to be shipped on our U.S.-flagged domestic fleet to strengthen American businesses and jobs. The measure would have also required that LNG exports would not go to countries that sponsor terrorism and cyber-espionage, and that they would not cause seniors to pay more for home heating. The House of Representatives failed to adopt this commonsense measure. Full text of the amendment is linked here. Yesterday in two televised appearances, the Congressman spoke up for U.S. jobs in steel and transportation businesses.

“Natural gas is a strategic national asset that must be handled responsibly. If we export LNG, we must ensure that it supports our economic and national security,” said Congressman Garamendi. “We can’t let LNG exports force seniors to pay through the roof just to stay warm; we can’t give them as a gift to our enemies; and we can’t let this opportunity for growth in the critical maritime sector go to foreign workers.”

Garamendi continued, “Our nation depends on maritime transportation to keep our economy moving. In large part due to neglect, this industry has fallen on tough times. The careful, limited export of LNG presents a remarkable opportunity to revitalize our maritime businesses. We must seize the opportunity to bring jobs back to our shipyards and back to our ports. Today’s vote is further motivation for our cause.”

Yesterday in an appearance on MSNBC’s Ed Show, the Congressman spoke up for American steel workers and miners whose jobs are threatened from illegal trade dumping, especially from China (click here to watch the video).

Also yesterday, Congressman Garamendi took to the House Floor to urge Congress to reauthorize the Surface Transportation Bill. If the Highway Trust Fund expires this fall, 700,000 American jobs will be lost. Garamendi proposed that Congress take up the Administration’s proposal for a Transportation Bill, the GROW AMERICA Act. The bill would add millions of jobs to the nation’s economy while rebuilding our nation’s crumbling infrastructure (click here to watch the video).