Bob Menendez

Well, Mr. Chairman, let me close, if I may, with your indulgence, because of the nature of this issue, by saying, number one, we await what the supplemental looks like, and we will reserve judgment until them.

Over 50 ships were diverted that were headed for New York and New Jersey. Those ships were carrying over 15,000 cargo containers and almost 10,000 automobiles.

Amazingly, the bridge can be repaired, but many of the surrounding homes were lost and part of that highway will need to be rebuilt.

Your leadership in this committee and the Appropriations Committee is going to be so critical to the reconstruction of New Jersey

We lost 34 lives during the storm. It was the largest mass transit disaster in our nation's history.

The use of a commercial port for forward projection from the East Coast is the Port of New York and New Jersey, and when it cannot operate well, it is part of a national security imperative as well.

This is the first time we have had the experience. I have lived in the state my whole life and I have never seen the breadth and scope of devastation that the state has faced after Superstorm Sandy.

I welcome my colleague's support, and I agree to work with him to refine the new sanctions provisions contained in this amendment to make them as workable and effective as possible as the bill moves forward. Mr. President, I ask for the…

If I could ask the distinguished chairman a question, I would assume, then, that at this point I would not have to call up the amendment? That would be in order tomorrow?

Did the Senator say the only time for debate on these amendments would be 2 minutes?

We must get a significant investment moving forward.

The storm was the largest mass transit disaster in our nation's history.

The need we have is enormous. We need the Federal Government as a partner to help us rebuild.

Thank you for your personal expressions of concern soon after the storm. I appreciate it, as do the people of my State.

I intend to work with the Chairman, Chairman Boxer, to charge the Corps to rebuild damaged beaches, dams, or levees better than they were before.

I have never seen the devastation that Sandy brought us.

The infrastructure in its entirety has to be in concert with what we now know and can do in advance of these tragedies.

A fundamental objective of Dodd-Frank was to reduce systemic risk.

Well, there certainly is a robust appetite to sort of, like, level the playing field and have an honest and transparent system and we believe you are well on your way.

I appreciate that view, I think which is in the context of what the law specifically asks for.

I personally have been pushing hard on this at the Bureau.

Well, we certainly want consumers to be protected and that is the focus of our legislation.

When we do something right, it is not a problem to acknowledge it.

Was it your agency that pursued this in the first instance?

Thank you, Senator Akaka.