The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“HILL INTERNATIONAL DESERVES TO BE PAID FOR WORK DONE” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H7811-H7812 on Sept. 16, 1998.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
HILL INTERNATIONAL DESERVES TO BE PAID FOR WORK DONE
(Mr. SAXTON asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, just as the previous speaker, I rise on behalf of one of my constituents, Hill International, a company which has fought for over a decade to collect a debt from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is an unpaid debt which has been unfairly withheld.
In the early 1980s, a subsidiary of Hill International, Gibbs & Hill, successfully completed a desalinization plant in Yanbu City, Saudi Arabia, yet were never paid the $55 million due them for the work. Despite all the work put in by Members of Congress to encourage the settlement of this claim, and despite repeated promises that the claim would be paid, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia has yet to pay this overdue bill.
I also find it troubling that our own administration has been unable or unwilling to actively assist the U.S. company against a foreign government. Where is the State Department in this fight?
Fifty-five million dollars may seem like spare change to the Saudis, but it means something to Hill International, just as it would any hardworking company of the United States. I rise to say that I will not rest until the debt is paid.
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