Mary Landrieu

I think there is not a community in the United States that is not vulnerable from something.

I am not underestimating the importance of responsible insurance. It is a system that the United States uses.

To spend taxpayer money smartly, again rebuilding these communities for the future, not rebuilding past communities.

A disproportionate share of our Nation's debt and deficit reduction has come from spending cuts as opposed to increased revenues.

Without their leadership, a lot of these reforms would not have been possible.

When a community is going through a recovery, they do not want to see yellow lights flashing.

If you are going to live in a coastal area, it is a smart way and probably the only way to rebuild.

The Netherlands does not have private insurance. Their government funds completely their flood insurance.

It was actually illegal to build smarter, and you received a penalty for doing so.

In the past, it was difficult... to do collective oversight of Federal expenditures because there was no aggregate tally across all the agencies.

We fought very hard to get a more flexible program.

Well, I am very excited to hear that. And I don't know if the local officials realize what a great benefit this is to you all that we did not have in Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and the difference that it could possibly make.

I know from personal experience that it is not just the money. It is how the money comes, under what categories, and with what flexibility.

I think this was one of the successes of your advocacy and the team from this region, to advocate for the $50 billion.

They need our help. And the longer they have to wait, the more they are confronted with additional problems.

I am disappointed that we could not reach agreement on a thoughtful way forward to reduce the deficit.

As a result of the lessons learned from the Hurricane Katrina experience, I worked to include Stafford Act reforms in the Hurricane Sandy relief bill that passed the Congress in January.

We have got to have a little bit more thought in this country, if we are going to have an insurance partnership with the Government.

I am urging FEMA to extend temporary assistance for 120 days to eliminate that worry and anxiety.

I am very concerned about the impact sequestration will have on the Nation and in particular the Hurricane Sandy rebuilding effort.

I just think it is very important for the public to understand that there are no cheap solutions to this dilemma, but there are better solutions than others.

It is just imperative for us to really push forward to get particularly these small businesses back up and running.

Sequester is a real threat, in my mind, to this whole effort.

We have to be better prepared for the next storm . . . and rebuild not just better . . . but smarter . . . and more resilient.

I look forward to working with the subcommittee and FEMA to provide the highest level of assistance to the many people who are lucky enough to call the beautiful Jersey shore home.