On the recordDecember 28, 2012
first of all, I congratulate the people who worked so hard on this bill. We appreciate the new chair of the Appropriations Committee and the good work she did; the work done by the New York delegation, led by Senator Schumer; and the work done by the New Jersey delegation. This is extremely fine legislation. I really appreciate all their hard work, and the cooperation we got from the Republicans was wonderful. The people in New England suffered a tremendous blow caused by nature. As has happened during the entire history of this country when that sort of devastation has occurred, Congress stepped in to do something to help the beleaguered people. In this case, it is New York, New Jersey, and some other States, but they were the ones hit the hardest. Even now, hundreds of thousands of people are without homes, so I hope the House takes this up very quickly. ____________________
