Frank Pallone: “I rise in support of the Crowley amendment to the foreign ops bill that would add $10 million to the Office of Foreign…”

“I rise in support of the Crowley amendment to the foreign ops bill that would add $10 million to the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance at USAID. It is my understanding that this amendment is going to be changed somewhat so that it is $1 million instead of $10 million but that we will try in conference to get the larger amount. I know that there is likely to be more money available at that level in conference, so I commend the author of this amendment for his efforts here. I think this is very important, and let me stress that those of us who have been around here for a few years know that there are many natural disasters that befall the South Asia area, whether it be cyclones in Bangladesh, or earthquakes in India, or some of the other natural disasters that we have seen over the years. And, of course, the U.S. is always there to help out and to provide assistance when those disasters occur in India and surrounding countries. But the bottom line is what we are trying to do here today is, I think in many ways, much more important than disaster relief, and that is preparedness. The idea of having a FEMA-type organization in place in South Asia to address a long-term disaster management program is probably the best idea I have seen around here in years in trying to cope with these natural disasters.”