Mitch Landrieu: “we had a colloquy this morning with the leader about the need to do more for the victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.…”

“we had a colloquy this morning with the leader about the need to do more for the victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. I am not going to ask for a record vote, and I am not going to delay the debate, but I do want to be recorded as voting ``no'' if we have a voice vote. It is very important to let people in this country know that our work is not yet finished. While we are breaking for the holidays, there will be many people who have no holiday table to go home to. Members of this body have worked very hard. I respect the work that each has done. We have worked in a bipartisan way to address some issues of health care, education, and housing. But just because we have done our job doesn't mean the same thing is actually happening on the other side of the Capitol. There are still more issues that we need to find solutions for. We need to find a solution for the health care crisis along the gulf coast due to the hurricanes and subsequent levee breeches. We need to find a solution for the massive housing shortage throughout the States that Katrina and Rita whipped through. We need to find a solution for the small businesses that have been devastated and the thousands of people who have been left jobless. And we need to find a solution to building Category 5 levees and providing plenty of storm and flood protection which also means restoring our vital coastal wetlands, as they are our first line of defense.…”