David Vitter: “the last 24 hours has been a frustrating and disappointing time for me, quite frankly--frustrating because as we face an…”

“the last 24 hours has been a frustrating and disappointing time for me, quite frankly--frustrating because as we face an unprecedented crisis along the gulf coast, some elements of the Senate have acted as they often do by giving speeches and filibustering. When I ran for the Senate last year, that is what I heard the most from real people in real life in real towns and cities across Louisiana. They did not get that disconnect. There were real issues on the ground they had dealt with every day in their lives, and yet so often the response of some in the Senate was to give speeches, to obstruct, and to filibuster. So I have to say particularly in these circumstances, when my State and the gulf coast face unprecedented obstacles and hurdles, it has been frustrating to get that response from the other side in the Senate. But we have moved through that, and I am glad. Just a few minutes ago, we sent over to the House a significant measure to try to get some immediate relief to local governmental entities so that they can sustain essential services, police and fire and hospitals and the like. That is vitally important. When others have been filibustering, making speeches, and delaying, particularly in the last 24 hours, I tried to do something constructive. What I did is what I have done for the last 10 days-- working on this vital issue, trying to get something meaningful, important, and positive done.…”