Robert Menendez actually said...

"Don't those figures make the compelling case that the disaster supplemental is not just about building or rebuilding a few States, but is helping to rebuild at the same time a national economy?"

"If we cannot get New York and New Jersey workers and businesses back to the pre-storm pace in terms of economic recovery, I think we are going to see our economic recovery slow down instead of moving ..."

"That amount would not even cover the recovery estimates that we currently have, much less get to any of the necessary mitigation investments that have been requested under the President's budget."

"So, in essence, it is more fiscally prudent to do the mitigation than to just replace as it was and wait for the next storm and repay all over again?"