The parishes of our District are indispensable players in our national economy and must be recognized as such; A stronger Louisiana means a stronger America.

Our own District produces a quarter of our continent’s seafood and houses a third of America’s top fishery ports. We build a quarter of our nation’s transport ships, which go on to carry half a billion tons of cargo through our Delta every year. In 2007, our coast outpaced the entire state of Texas in crude oil production, and we supplied more barrels of it than Alaska by a margin of over two to one.

In South Louisiana, where unemployment rates are among the lowest in the nation, we are not mere consumers, but strong producers as well. Accordingly, it is past time that we get credit for these contributions and secure federal commitments to protect and grow our local industries.