[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 16598-16599]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      COST OF GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

  Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, this afternoon I joined with Senator 
Warner and Senator Klobuchar and Senator Casey to point out just how 
much harm is caused to this country because we are governing from one 
manufactured crisis to another. The cost of the government shutdown, 
the cost of coming so close to defaulting on our obligations, the fact 
that we are governing through automatic across-the-board cuts known as 
sequestration, is hurting our economy.
  This has been particularly difficult for the people in the State of 
Maryland, the State I represent. In our region we have so many Federal 
workers, so many Federal facilities--10 percent of our workforce works 
for the Federal Government--that we saw many small businesses in our 
communities that depend upon the Federal workforce literally having 
nobody in their restaurants and in their shops. Consumer confidence was 
at an alltime low.
  There have been estimates as to the amount of harm caused by the 
government shutdown. Standard & Poor's said $24 billion was taken out 
of our economy as a result of the government shutdown. Add that to the 
extra cost because we came so close to defaulting on the debt. Add that 
to the fact that since 2011 we have been living under sequestration. 
The estimate is we have lost about 900,000 jobs from this self-
inflicted crisis management.
  I could give many examples, but I will give a few.
  I am very proud that the National Institutes of Health is based in 
the State of Maryland. Their impact is all over this country, including 
in the State of Massachusetts. As a result of sequestration and then 
the government shutdown, hundreds of grants could not be awarded. I 
think it was 700 by sequestration alone.
  What does that mean? That means young researchers don't get a grant. 
They may stay with research, they may go to a different field, they may 
go to a different country. It means that maybe the cure for Alzheimer's 
will be put back a little bit or the influenza vaccine will be put back 
a little bit. Literally, lives are at risk. But also, our economy is at 
risk because the research supports so many private sector jobs. I could 
give the same example at FDA, NIST, Beltsville Agricultural Research 
Center, or Fort Meade. We have

[[Page 16599]]

many examples of how our country has been harmed. We cannot govern from 
one manufactured crisis to another.
  My message is I hope we will get a budget agreement--I know the 
budget conferees met this week--which will give some predictability to 
our economy, eliminate sequestration, a progrowth budget so we can 
invest in education, research, and modern roads, bridges, and transit 
systems.
  I am very optimistic about America's ability to globally compete if 
we stop these self-inflicted crises. I have been doing a ``made in 
Maryland'' tour throughout the State where I have visited many 
businesses. I give credit to my colleague in the House, Congressman 
Hoyer, whose saying, ``Make it in America'' has really caught on. So I 
took my friend Congressman Hoyer's suggestion, and I went around 
Maryland to meet with different companies. Maryland businesses are the 
best in the world. I know I am a little biased about Maryland, but they 
are the best in the world on innovation and creativity. I will give a 
few examples which may not be self-evident.
  The Paul Reed Smith Guitar Factory is located on the eastern shore of 
Maryland in a small community called Stevensville. Over 200 people work 
there, and they produce the best guitars in the world and are sold all 
over the world. Santana's guitar was produced there. It is now in the 
Metropolitan Museum of Art, it is such an incredible instrument--not 
only in beauty, but in sound--and was made right here in Maryland, USA.
  Another company I visited during my ``Made in Maryland'' tour was the 
Volvo Mack truck plant located in Hagerstown, MD, one of the largest 
employers in western Maryland, with good-paying jobs. They make the 
most efficient truck engine in the world and it is produced right in 
Maryland, in the United States of America, the most innovative and 
creative ways to deal with the problem of efficiency in trucks.
  I visited Ernest Maier, which makes brick pavers with concrete. It is 
very close to the Nation's capital. We can do manufacturing in America 
and we can compete in manufacturing. They are developing the technology 
for pervious concrete. It is critically important to our environment.
  I take great pride in the Chesapeake Bay and the work we are doing to 
clean up the Chesapeake Bay. One of the major sources of pollution 
comes every time we have a storm and all of the runoff goes into the 
tributaries that lead into the Chesapeake Bay, causing a lot of 
pollutants to come into the bay, creating dead zones. If we have 
pervious concrete, allowing the water to seep rather than to flow, it 
cuts down dramatically the amount of pollution. The Ernest Maier 
Company is doing something about cleaning up our environment as well as 
selling a product that is well received around the country.
  We have Marlin Steel located in Baltimore. It is a small specialty 
steel company. Their jobs are growing. One hundred percent of the 
ingredients come from the United States, and their product--steel, 
manufactured in Maryland--is exported around the world because it is a 
quality product.
  Atlas Container is another Maryland manufacturer with a national 
market. I visited them. They are doing great. Their sales are up, their 
employment is up.
  An area which I think is particularly important to the Presiding 
Officer is the craft beer industry. I have been up to Massachusetts and 
enjoyed some of their craft beers. There are over 100,000 jobs in the 
craft beer industry in this country, and it is growing. Times have been 
tough--but not in the craft beer industry. It is growing.
  I visited Flying Dog in Frederick and Heavy Seas in Baltimore. They 
are coming out with new and seasonal beers, which is keeping a market 
growing, using creativity, besides having a very fine product.
  It is not just in the craft beer industry, it is also in the wine 
industry. We have about 64 wineries in our State. I visited one in 
Montgomery County, MD. I don't know if most people know that Montgomery 
County, MD, produces one of the best wines in this country and can 
compete internationally. We are very proud of what is done at Sugarloaf 
Mountain Winery in Montgomery County, MD.
  I wish to talk about some of the high-tech jobs done here. Brain 
Scope has developed a portable device available in the battlefield 
which can tell the severity of a head wound, as to whether the warrior 
needs immediate attention in order to save his life because of a brain 
injury or whether they can take a little more time before treatment. It 
is inexpensive in its operations and gives the data necessary to 
determine brain waves and the severity of the head injury. I think the 
total cost was about $10 million to develop. The military is very 
appreciative of this discovery. Think about the lives it will save, and 
think about the application of this technology to our community life. I 
think we are always nervous when we see our children and grandchildren 
on the playing field at sporting events, knowing how common head 
injuries are. This technology can be used on the playing field to 
determine the severity--whether a person who suffers a head injury 
needs to seek immediate medical attention because it is life 
threatening or whether they just need to sit out for a while.
  This is the type of innovation and creativity taking place in 
Maryland. I can name dozens more small innovative companies working in 
biosciences, life sciences, and cyber security areas.
  At Brain Scope they started with two employees. They now have over 
20. This is a common story. These are good-paying jobs created here in 
Maryland, in the United States of America.
  Lions Brothers in Owings Mills, MD. If you have ever seen a uniform 
with emblems on it, it was most likely done at Lions Brothers. They 
have figured out a way in which they can produce this product--which is 
used not only for sports gear, but the U.S. Government for uniforms, 
Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts.
  What is common in each of these companies? They are innovators. They 
find creative ways to create and expand markets. They are creating more 
jobs, and they are creating good-paying jobs.
  We could name every State in this country where we have seen this 
creativity. We have duplicated this throughout our country. But the 
message is clear: Our country can take off, but we have to give 
predictability to our businesses. That is why the work being done in 
the conference committee on the budget is so important. We can't go 
through another manufactured crisis, another shutdown, another 
threatened default on our debt, the continuation of sequestration. It 
needs to end. We need to have a budget which allows for the type of 
government partnership for that type of economic growth--the basic 
research, the educated workforce, the modern roads and infrastructure 
and energy systems. That is what we need to have so the companies I 
mentioned can continue to lead the world in innovation, creativity, and 
creating the jobs we need--the good-paying jobs in America.
  If we act, I am confident America will compete and win the global 
competition. ``Made in Maryland'' has been a huge success and has been 
duplicated all over our country. Let us act and get our work done so we 
truly can make it in America.
  Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Warren). The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. HELLER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the quorum 
call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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