Ben Cardin actually said...

"the realities of more extreme weather require us to be engaged internationally on mitigating as much damage as we can with the new reality."

"We know this is going to be a long-term project--first, of course, dealing with the immediate individuals that are still in harm's way, and then looking at how the United States properly can assist in..."

"The Philippines is a close ally of the United States."

"I expressed our deep condolence on the loss of life as a result of the typhoon and America's interest to exercise leadership internationally in assisting the Filipinos in the recovery."