Bill Clinton: “the recently passed amendment did try to improve upon the status quo, and I commend Senators Collins and Lieberman for…”

“the recently passed amendment did try to improve upon the status quo, and I commend Senators Collins and Lieberman for attempting to do so. But the answer is we need to restore the independence of FEMA. We need to give back to it Cabinet-level status with a direct line to the President. My amendment will allow us to do that. I urge you to vote for this amendment even if you voted for the last amendment because it improves the status quo vote which gets us back to the kind of independent FEMA that can actually respond to disasters and mitigate and help us prepare for them. Thank you, Mr. President. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who yields time in opposition?”