Political Quotes

“I want to commend my friend, the very able chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Mr. Natcher, and the distinguished ranking minority member of the committee, Mr. McDade, for bringing this supplemental before the House. The bill will offset some of the costs and relieve some of the hardships brought upon so many people in the Los Angeles area by the recent earthquake there. Like so many other natural disasters, it has caused billions of dollars in physical damage to thousands of buildings, bridges, schools, homes, and other structures. It has also brought much pain and suffering to millions of people throughout southern California. So I will join my colleagues in support of the bill. Madam Chairman, I am very disappointed that the administration has not included in the bill funds to repair all of the damage to one of the major VA medical centers in Los Angeles. The damage to the Sepulveda hospital was so severe that all patients had to be moved to other VA and private hospitals in the area. According to preliminary VA estimates, it will cost at least $150 million to repair damage to the main hospital bed tower and surrounding buildings. VA requested these funds from the White House, but without any explanation to our committee, full repair costs are not included in this bill. This means that veterans must go to hospitals further away and I fear that many will have to look for their care elsewhere.”