Al Franken: “I rise today to talk about the urgent need for FEMA disaster funds, which is under this Burma joint resolution. I was…”

“I rise today to talk about the urgent need for FEMA disaster funds, which is under this Burma joint resolution. I was very concerned when I heard some of my colleagues in the House of Representatives demanding that spending cuts be in exchange for supplemental disaster relief funds. Last night, we could not even pass a procedural vote to proceed to a bill that would provide this needed relief. This raises the question, What kind of country are we? Are we a country that takes care of the victims of disasters without hesitation or reluctance or are we a country that engages in misguided debates in the midst of a disaster when our citizens need us the most? My State of Minnesota has seen its fair share of natural disasters over the last few years. In the past year and a half, President Obama has declared seven Federal disasters in my State. I have seen the devastation Mother Nature can cause. I have seen communities that desperately need Federal assistance to recover. Northwest Minnesota has seen the phenomenon of 100-year floods turn into nearly annual events. Every spring, towns in the Red River Valley of the north hope that this year will not see another record-setting flood. This spring, I visited Georgetown, MN, and watched as they built emergency earthen levees to protect their town.…”