Political Quotes

“I appreciate the passion of the Senator from Louisiana and her personal experience from Louisiana on the consequences of disaster. She speaks from firsthand knowledge and speaks for all of us in this respect. I rise today because we as a nation have always come together to help each other in times of crisis without question, without politics. In my 20 years between the House and the Senate, I never questioned, in the midst of a disaster somewhere in the country--which, fortunately, for the most part has not been New Jersey--casting my vote to support those fellow Americans who found themselves in urgent need because of natural disasters having nothing to do with any control they had whatsoever. This is not the time to politicize disaster aid. It is not who we are or what we expect this Nation to be. Our goal when disaster strikes is to unleash the full force of the Federal Government to help families in trouble and communities in ruin, not to score some political points by slowing relief and calling it responsible fiscal policy. In the wake of a storm, when the floodwaters rise, when the winds blow, when the storm surge rushes in, we should not be rallying our political base; we should be rallying the full force of emergency responders to help. In the last few weeks, the east coast has suffered an earthquake, a hurricane, and some of the worst flooding my State has seen in years--a 100-year flood.…”