On the recordDecember 17, 2012
today we have an opportunity to pull together to help the citizens of New York, New Jersey, and other parts of the Northeast as they recover from the damage of Hurricane Sandy. As we did when Hurricane Katrina struck the gulf coast and Irene struck communities up and down the eastern seaboard, we have an opportunity to help make families and communities whole again. I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will join me in moving quickly to send aid to those affected by Sandy as they continue to recover and rebuild. The Senate must move swiftly to approve the supplemental disaster act and act to give the intelligence community the tools it needs to keep our Nation safe before the Christmas holiday. In short, before we leave for Christmas, we are going to have to finish our work on Sandy and FISA. They are both extremely important and they have to be completed. So everyone should understand we have that to do. We will see if anything changes, but it appears we are going to be coming back the day after Christmas to complete work on the fiscal cliff and a few other leftover items. ____________________
