Political Quotes

“As you know, in large part to your help, the conference report to the FY 1998 Supplemental appropriations bill includes $130 million for emergency CDBG funding that is intended to meet unmet emergency disaster needs by supplementing the existing, more traditional disaster programs administered through FEMA, the SBA and the Corps of Engineers. While there remains significant concerns over HUD's administration of emergency CDBG funding, buyout funding is an eligible activity under both FEMA disaster relief and HUD emergency CDBG funding, and I expect any request for buyout funding for Alabama to receive the full consideration by both FEMA and HUD. Nevertheless, the term ``buyout'' has become overused and has come to mean different things to different people. The federal government should be providing communities with a menu of flexible approaches to address emergency disaster needs. This flexibility is critical to the people of Alabama. In addition, I urge both FEMA and HUD to develop comprehensive yet flexible requirements for buyouts, including eligibility and cost requirements.”