David Vitter: “I spoke to this amendment yesterday. I will not speak to it again. I will simply underscore several things. First of…”

“I spoke to this amendment yesterday. I will not speak to it again. I will simply underscore several things. First of all, Senator Landrieu joins me in presenting this amendment which goes to the essential levee and hurricane protection needs of the greater New Orleans area. Second, the entire amendment is offset. So this amendment does not increase the spending in the bill by any amount--not one single penny. Third, we believe this amendment is very important to make sure that there are adequate funds for the essential levee hurricane protection work which is at the heart of this bill. We have many debates about what is at the periphery, but this type of work is at the heart of this bill, and, of course, the President and his leadership have made that clear. Again, I went into the details of this amendment yesterday. I won't go into them again. But I certainly hope in light of the fact that this amendment does not increase the cost of the bill, the Senate can come together and support Senator Landrieu and myself in passing this very important amendment to ensure that the vital work going on right now building up to the next hurricane season which starts in June can be done, and that all necessary moneys are there for all those important categories of work. I believe my colleague from Louisiana would like to say a few words in support. I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Louisiana is recognized.”