By Staff
As I'm sure you know by now, earlier this year ThyssenKrupp chose southwest Alabama to build its new state of the art steel manufacturing and processing facility.
Together, the ThyssenKrupp team and the people of Alabama are prepared to show all who are watching what a world-class partnership can produce.
This new plant is one of the largest industrial development projects in the United States with ThyssenKrupp and the people of Alabama investing $3.7 billion in this new facility.
Earlier this month, ThyssenKrupp officially broke ground on the new site and Gov. Bob Riley, U.S. Sens. Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions and I were on hand for the ceremony.
During construction, the facility will create upwards of 29,000 jobs and is expected to create an additional 38,000 to 52,000 indirect jobs over the next 20 years.
As I have said before, no one deserves more credit for making this project a reality than Riley and Neal Wade in the Alabama Development Office.
Once again, they have spearheaded a superbly coordinated and executed effort with our entire congressional delegation, our state legislature, the Chamber of Commerce and the many business leaders they represent, and all of our local elected officials throughout southwest Alabama who have been so involved in this announcement.
To those of us who never stopped believing that our ship would one day come in, let there be no doubt. Our ship is made of steel!
Honoring America's veterans
This week provides us the opportunity to pay tribute to the men and women who have served in America's armed forces and honor the courage and sacrifice of those who continue to serve today.
For their service, our veterans deserve from their government a commitment to ensuring they receive the benefits they have earned. Unfortunately, the funding our veterans need and deserve is being held hostage by the Democratic Party's political games.
By near unanimous margins, both the House and the Senate passed the veterans funding bill earlier this year, a bill that provides more than $37 billion for veterans programs, a $4.4 billion increase over last year.
Instead of appointing conferees to iron out the differences between the bills passed by each House of Congress, Speaker Pelosi and her leadership team are holding back in order to use this bill as a bargaining chip in their ongoing spending battle with the White House.
As we salute all of our nation's veterans this week, I remain hopeful that the House majority will move forward with a conference on this bill, so it can get to the president's desk for him to sign.
To the men and women who have done so much to protect this nation, I would like to say thank you, not only for me, but for my family, friends, and constituents who continue to live in the peace and freedom for which our troops fought so bravely and continue to defend to this day.
My staff and I work for you. If we can ever be of service, do not hesitate to call my office toll free at 1-800-288-8721 or visit my Web site http://bonner.house.gov.