[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 82 (Thursday, May 27, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H3874-H3875]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       OIL SPILL SITUATION STINKS

  (Mr. GOHMERT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, as we've had hearings regarding the oil 
spill out in the gulf, there have been some staggering things come 
forward, and the media is not grabbing it like they should and letting 
everyone know.
  Who knew that the inspectors inspecting the offshore rigs were 
unionized? So they had union limits on how many hours and travel and 
this kind of thing. These guys are like the military. They're out there 
to protect the environment, and we're going to put limits on them? 
They've got to be out there protecting us.
  And then yesterday, Director Birnbaum, when asked what kind of checks 
and balances did you have, she

[[Page H3875]]

said, We sent them out in pairs of two. And then I asked, Well, then 
was it a good idea that the last inspection team of two was a unionized 
father-and-son team that went out there to carefully watch each other 
to make sure each other did the right thing? This is outrageous.
  And then we had the investigation going on as to what gifts may have 
been given to the people doing the inspections.
  This thing stinks, and it needs to be cleaned up.

                          ____________________