WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN), chairman of the House Republican Study Committee, urged the Bush Administration to put a hold on a port contract that would shift control of port operations in six U.S. ports to a company owned by the United Arab Emirates.
“During ordinary times normal procedures for reviewing port security contracts might be appropriate, but these are not ordinary times,” said Pence. “We are a nation at war, and to ensure the security of our nation’s major ports the president should put a hold on this contract until it can be investigated.”
The British-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co. (P&O) approved the company’s acquisition by Thunder FZE, a subsidiary of Dubai-based Dubai Ports World. P & O directs commercial operations at the six U.S. ports. The takeover by Dubai Ports World means that it will be in charge of those operations.
Under federal law, the president has until March 2 to overrule approval grant by the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States for DP World to purchase the London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation, which has been running the commercial operations at ports in New York, New Jersey, New Orleans, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Miami.
And from now on I’ll only tell you when someone is defending the port deal. Because that would be news.