Political Quotes

“We often hear about the disconnect between the beltway and the American people. It is usually not intentional. It is not based on malice, but it is real. The perfect example of this disconnect is found in my district in southern Illinois. Alexander County is home to the Len Small levee along the Mississippi River. The levee breached during the winter floods of 2015 and 2016. The aerial photo here shows just how devastating the breach was for farms and communities. There is about 1,000 acres, and that river is now trying to cut a new gorge to change the course of the river. We immediately went to work in our office to try to get Len Small repaired. However, the Army Corps of Engineers told us that the levee wouldn't receive Federal funding because it failed to meet the benefit- cost ratio based solely on its flood protection criteria. But the Len Small levee provides much more than flood protection. It is critical to navigation and commerce on the Mississippi River. If it cuts through that gorge, it changes the course of the river and it becomes a rapids. So I introduced legislation directing the Army Corps of Engineers to consider navigational benefits, along with flood protection, when determining if a levee was worth a repair. The Corps then informed us that there was no navigational benefit to the repair in Len Small. So over the months, the flood waters receded, leaving nothing but the sand and debris behind.…”