Date: 1990-04-04
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Madam Chairman. I move to strike the requisite number of words. Madam Chairman. my colleagues. I rise in support of this legislation for a very personal reason. that I was part of the Congress that first established EDA. For some unknown reason. subsequent administrations have always attacked it. have always tried to cut the funding. and have always tried to do away with the EDA. From all of the programs that impact in my congressional area. my congressional district. let me say that we have what is known as the Rio Grande Valley Economic Development Council. with all representatives from all the area. I have another part of my district that belongs to another one. and another part that belongs to another one. But for now let me just mention the Rio Grande Valley Development Council. They have a slide presentation in which they show you slide by slide the project that was funded in whole or in part by EDA. It has the name of the company. You can leave there and go to the community and see the project in existence operating. There are parking lots full of workers cars. This is the only area outside of agriculture. In agriculture we suffer and die every other year it seems like. But the EDA. the Port of Brownsville. the Shrimp Port Basin. the Military Highway Water Supply District. these are the types of projects that we have brought to our area from EDA. This is the kind of project that I like to vote for. and I know that most of my colleagues will also. the one where you can trace the dollar from the taxpayer to the Treasury to the business to the worker. This is part of the enhancement of the GNP. This is part of reducing unemployment. These are jobs that are clearly jobs. daily jobs. unlike agriculture that you have to suffer by. So it makes you feel good to see a parking lot of workers cars. These are old year cars. but nonetheless. the people are working. I would dare say that this has been one of the best programs. The Economic Development Administration has been administered with no scandal. I challenge anyone to go find like what you have found in other agencies. There is no scandal. Joe Bailey Swarmer was the one that handled the Texas and Southwest area for many years. and he was a dedicated public servant. He worked with us. I am here to attest to the fact that EDA has made jobs in my district and anyone can come and I can take you to the plant. We are now having new research and technology that has come into the picture. Fruit of the Loom is going to build a plant outside of Arlington. TX. What we are going to do there in part with the help of EDA is bring the cotton to the gin. gin it. throw the bale into the next building. textile. make the material. throw the material into the next building. make the Fruit of the Loom products. Cotton is going to come in on this side. Fruit of the Loom is going to have the final product at the other end of this long building. This is what we have been talking about in rural America. This is what we have been talking about. enhancing the availability. Those people with those cars in that parking lot pay taxes. more than what we first loaned them through EDA. loans or grants. I think this is what we are looking for. I think we should do more of this. make taxpayers out of people that have no other recourse but to receive assistance from the government. I am here to personally attest to the fact that the program has been well run. thanks to the people in my local area and to the people at EDA who have managed it. the people that have received the grant and/or loan. have been responsible. and in the end everyone has won. We have more money coming into the Treasury. we have more people off the unemployment lists. and it makes you feel good to see that your tax dollar went for something like that.