[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 46 (Tuesday, March 20, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E393-E394]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF SEAPORTS TO THE ECONOMY AND NATIONAL 
                     SECURITY OF THE UNITED STATES

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JANICE HAHN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 20, 2012

  Ms. HAHN. Mr. Speaker, even before coming to Congress last July, 
ports have been a top priority for me. I served on the Los Angeles city 
council for ten years and represented the Port of Los Angeles--that, 
with the Port of Long Beach, are America's ports.
  When I arrived in Congress, I wanted to raise awareness of ports and 
their impact on our nation's economy. So, I started the bi-partisan 
PORTS Caucus to work with my colleagues over the past couple months to 
educate my colleagues and include ports in our national dialogue. This 
week, I took the next step in that mission by introducing a resolution 
honoring our ports.
  The United States is served by more than 350 commercial sea and river 
ports that support 3,200 cargo and passenger handling facilities. Each 
day United States ports move both imports and exports totaling some 
$3.8

[[Page E394]]

billion worth of goods through all 50 states. Additionally, ports move 
99.4 percent of overseas cargo volume by weight and generate $3.95 
trillion in international trade. These numbers speak for themselves: 
ports are a crucial component of our national economy, and they deserve 
Congress' attention.
  This resolution honors both the tremendous contribution ports make to 
our national economy and the extraordinary service of Americans 
employed at our nation's ports. I urge my colleagues to support this 
resolution in order to advance our national dialogue on ports.

                          ____________________