Boxer:Hold Over Sanborn Nom. Until Congress Has Details of Dubai Port Deal

[Kadie]

Boxer Asks Commerce Committee to Hold Over Sanborn Nomination Until Congress Has Details of Dubai Port Deal



February 21, 2006

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today sent the following letter to the Chairman and Co-Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee:



February 21, 2006


The Honorable Ted Stevens, Chairman
The Honorable Daniel Inouye, Co-Chairman
U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
508 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-6125
Dear Chairman Stevens and Co-Chairman Inouye:

In light of outstanding questions surrounding the transfer of operations at some U.S. port facilities to Dubai Ports World (DP World), a United Arab Emirates government-owned company, I respectfully request that the Commerce Committee postpone action on the nomination of David Sanborn to be U.S. Maritime Administrator. I believe Mr. Sanborn’s nomination should not proceed until Congress considers and acts upon the DP World takeover.

As you are aware, Mr. Sanborn currently serves as Director of Operations for Europe and Latin America at DP World and is now under consideration for a key position involving bilateral negotiations on maritime transport with foreign countries. In the previous Administration, the individual serving as Maritime Administrator also served as co-chair of the Presidential Commission on Seaport Security. This is a serious question – do we want these decisions, involving the terms by which foreign ships enter our ports, decided by an individual who works for a company that is headquartered in and owned by a nation that had ties to the 9/11 hijackers?

At the same time, there is now growing bipartisan agreement in Congress that the Bush Administration’s secretive review and approval of the DP World takeover should immediately be stayed until the Administration has provided Congress with a thorough review of the details of this deal. And, many elected officials, myself among them, believe we need to go further and ensure that U.S. port operations are never under the control of foreign governments.

In the post-9/11 world, our ports remain major targets for terrorism and we in Congress must do everything we can to ensure the safety of our nation. Until such time as the serious questions surrounding this port transaction have been answered and Congress has spoken on this issue, I believe we must not confirm Mr. Sanborn to such a consequential post.

Sincerely,

Barbara Boxer
United States Senator

http://boxer.senate.gov/news/record.cfm?id=251787

[EST]

1. And now, Stevens gets to demonstrate how pissed he is

about the attempt to deprive him of his quarter billion dollar bribe. No doubt he will continue his fit of pique by attempting to destroy America. Grrrrr...

[acmejack]

2. He is about a spiteful old SOB, isn't he?

[EST]

3. Nasty little blighter.