Political Quotes

“Madam Chairman, I yield myself such time as may consume. Madam Chairman, I rise to present legislation providing emergency supplemental funding for Hurricane Sandy relief and recovery. The base bill totals $17 billion in crucial funding to meet immediate needs for the victims, businesses, and communities devastated by Hurricane Sandy. Since this terrible storm hit, we've come to realize that recovery is going to take months and years, not days and weeks. This legislation puts the region on the path to recovery by providing the aid needed for immediate relief. We are also analyzing the justifications for further financial aid for long-term relief that would come in a later supplemental or a regular appropriations bill. A significant portion of the funding in this bill will go to the most direct source of relief and recovery funding available to the victims of the storm, the FEMA disaster relief fund, which will provide individual and community assistance throughout the affected region. The bill also will support critical housing and infrastructure needs, ensure repairs to damaged veterans medical facilities, and help keep the economy moving by funding necessary transit repairs, small business loans, and recovery aid for businesses of all sizes. My committee thoroughly examined the emergency request, listened to the needs of the people in the region, and assessed the most pressing needs to determine the funding levels made in this bill.…”