Vernon Ehlers: “I certainly appreciate his sponsoring this particular Special Order and particularly his encouragement of the American…”

“I certainly appreciate his sponsoring this particular Special Order and particularly his encouragement of the American people to contribute. We are impressed that the President has designated $350 million to deal with this tragedy, but I would like to point out that that is very little more than $1 per person this country and very little more than $2 for every working person in this country. Certainly we can do better than that, and I encourage all Americans to send contributions to the charities that the gentleman mentioned. I would also mention the American Red Cross will play a role in this through its international arms. I am also aware in my community of relief organizations such as the Christian Reform World Relief Committee, which is very active in this. International Aid is another organization in Spring Lake, Michigan, which has dispatched $3 million of medical equipment and other supplies already. And I am sure every American can look around their own community and find similar organizations that they can contribute to to help during this incredible tragedy. We certainly want to express our sympathy as the American Congress and the American country to the people who have suffered this tragedy.”