Nydia M. Velazquez: “I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Speaker, Hurricane Sandy has devastated New York, and thousands and thousands…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Speaker, Hurricane Sandy has devastated New York, and thousands and thousands of my constituents lost their homes and their businesses. It is a shame--an embarrassment for this institution--that the House Republican leadership continues playing games with this essential assistance more than 2 months after the storm struck. It is indefensible that as Americans continue to suffer from Sandy's impact, that the House majority could not get their act together to bring the entire aid, Senate-passed package to a vote. Talk about ``fiddling while New York City burns.'' This is also the case with today's legislation. While I fully support providing FEMA with additional funding, it is just another sign of the majority's dysfunction. With FEMA just days away from being unable to pay flood claims, the Republicans argue among themselves about what to do. That is a sad situation. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.”