Thank you Mike for that wonderful introduction. I am honored that you claim me as one of your own because I feel like I am one of you. You have always made me feel welcome and I deeply appreciate that. I spent ten years at sea and one year as an apprentice working alongside ordinary and able bodied seamen. Never, in my wildest dreams, would I have imagined that I would be serving in the Bush Administration as the U.S. Maritime Administrator. I have never forgotten my roots and I am so grateful for this career and opportunities that I have had over the years. Most importantly, it was my years at sea that made me who I am today. It’s your jobs and the dedication that you have to the maritime community that inspire me every day.

It is indeed an honor to be here again to participate in the MTD’s annual meeting. I don’t know if you are all feeling the same way I am, but there is a level of excitement here in this room – perhaps a recognition of the tremendous success we have achieved together or a sign of anticipation for great things to come. I think it’s a little of both.

I hope you all heard Secretary Mineta’s speech yesterday morning because he offered a vision for the future of the nation’s marine transportation system and its integration into our national transportation network. The Secretary also has a great appreciation for you and the work you do everyday to keep both our economy and our troops moving. The President and the Secretary recognize the importance of a world class transportation network to our economy and to our Nation.

That is why the Bush Administration supported a new and expanded Maritime Security Program. I want to take this opportunity to thank Mike Sacco, Ron Davis, Tim Brown and many others from the maritime labor community who worked hard to make MSP reauthorization happen. We did this together!

Over a year ago, when we first learned that U.S. Armed Forces would again be relying on American sealift to bring freedom to the Middle East, we called on you. We knew there was the potential for danger, but we also knew that the U.S. Merchant Marine would ensure that equipment and supplies would get to where they needed to be and on time. Together, we planned for many contingencies and we coordinated for months before the Army landed in Iraq. We met the challenge – over 7,000 mariners and over 130 U.S.-flag ships brought the military their tanks, humvees and other critical equipment that led to the freedom of the Iraqi people and the capture of Saddam Hussein. The work continues and the men and women of the merchant marine remain actively engaged in replenishing equipment and supplies as our troops rotate into and out of Iraq.

In meeting the monumental challenge of a large-scale sealift operation that rivals World War II, we can also thank the men and women of the ILWU and the ILA. Longshoreman have worked tirelessly at the Nation’s strategic ports to ensure our Ready Reserve Force Ships, MSC and MSP ships are properly loaded, safely and securely, and on-time to meet the demands of our troops in the field. Often unseen, you too, have been instrumental to the success of these operations.

Now that the Iraqi Freedom sealift has once again shown how invaluable the U.S.-flag merchant marine is to our national security, we have an opportunity to reinforce support for the merchant marine by demonstrating the economic value of a strong and vibrant U.S.-based maritime industry.

This means, we must make certain that what I call the three pillars of national maritime policy, are maintained and followed. Yesterday, Secretary Mineta emphasized the Bush Administration’s support for MSP, the Jones Act and Cargo Preference. MSP helps keep the U.S.-flag merchant marine engaged in the sealanes of the world; the Jones Act is vital to our merchant marine and our shipbuilding capacity; and our cargo preference laws help sustain an assured base of cargo that enable U.S.-flag vessels to compete globally.

As Secretary Mineta also said yesterday, we are working together to review other ways to strengthen our maritime industry. The status quo is not enough. The time is now to enhance our merchant marine and our shipbuilding. No other initiative better emphasizes what can be done today than short sea shipping. Two years ago, when I first began to mention short sea shipping as a possible transportation alternative to the congested highways for freight movements, I reached out to both labor and industry. Today, we continue to work together to develop short sea shipping through a newly formed Short Sea Shipping Cooperative Program – labor is a key member. As a concept and method of shipping goods, short sea shipping will ultimately transform and strengthen our nation’s Marine Transportation System through enhancing economic activity at our smaller ports while helping reduce surface transportation congestion in adjacent metropolitan areas.

Secretary Mineta offered a vision of leadership and progress for our nation’s merchant marine and maritime infrastructure – now let’s make it happen!

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