Joe Crowley: “I am greatly dismayed to see that desperately needed earthquake assistance to both India and El Salvador are missing…”

“I am greatly dismayed to see that desperately needed earthquake assistance to both India and El Salvador are missing from this supplemental appropriations bill. We have shortchanged the many men, women and children who lost their homes, their belongings, their very livelihoods because of these two devastating earthquakes. We all spoke so eloquently in their aftermath but, to date, have delivered a paltry $13 million from existing funds taken from child survival programs at US AID for Indian assistance. This is an embarrassment. The Gujarati Indians in my district in Queens and the Bronx are outraged that the U.S. government has done so very little for friends and family members who are suffering in the aftermath of the January earthquake after the promises made to them by our government. Until the people of Gujarat, India and El Salvador are provided the opportunity to rebuild their lives and their economy, those that were not lost in the earthquakes of January and February, we should not relent in our calls for assistance. This is a humanitarian issue. This is a political issue. This is an economic issue. Today's Asia times notes that India's gross domestic product is likely to slip below 6 percent in the current fiscal year. This is attributed, in part, to the significant impact of the earthquake in Gujarat. The people of India and El Salvador must have our help.”