Barney Frank: “My problem with the answer the gentleman from Texas gave my friend from North Carolina is he voted for the amendment…”

“My problem with the answer the gentleman from Texas gave my friend from North Carolina is he voted for the amendment from the gentleman from Alabama to kill this fund before he knew whether his amendment would be accepted or not. The gentleman says he doesn't know anybody in this body who would turn his back on communities. He has a far more limited circle of acquaintances than I would have thought for someone who had been here this long. The fact, though, is that the amendment from the gentleman from Alabama would have, if it passed, killed the fund. The gentleman from Texas voted for it. Had he been successful in that vote, there would be no fund for him now to ask for. Now, I thought my friend from Mississippi who has been an eloquent and passionate defender of the interests of all the people in the gulf made a very good point. As I said to the gentleman from Houston, Mr. Green, yes, I think we should look at the needs of Texas. We did some in the hurricane bill in terms of vouchers. I'm prepared, if this bill gets to conference, to accommodate. We may have underestimated the physical destruction in parts of Texas. I don't think we should now pick a number, but no one had approached me. Mr. Green from Texas had approached me, and I said I would work with him. I would be glad to work on it.”