Thad Cochran: “the Thune amendment will reduce the funding for the National Civilian Community Corps by $20 million. These funds are…”

“the Thune amendment will reduce the funding for the National Civilian Community Corps by $20 million. These funds are needed to pay the expenses of training and subsistence for those who have volunteered to provide emergency assistance in the gulf coast region, to help disaster victims recover from the destruction caused by Hurricanes Rita and Katrina. There have been over 1,600 National Civilian Community Corps members in my State of Mississippi since August 30, the day after Hurricane Katrina struck our coast. They continue to provide essential assistance. The State of Mississippi put our State office of the National Civilian Community Corps in charge of the emergency 24-hour call center, as well as supply distribution centers. To date, the National Civilian Community Corps has assisted 1,140,000 people; cleaned out 1,500 homes; contributed nearly 2,000 tons of food and 2,790 tons of clothing; served 1 million meals; refurbished 732 homes; supported 654 emergency response centers; and completed 1,730 damage assessments. The volunteers of the National Civilian Community Corps receive about $4,000 for college expenses. They are modestly housed, fed, and provided with health care and uniforms. They remain available at a moment's notice for deployment to any emergency in the country. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Red Cross, and others depend upon this group of professionally trained volunteers for assistance and support.…”