Don Nickles: “It has now been more than a year since the tragic and senseless bombing of the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City. Last…”

“It has now been more than a year since the tragic and senseless bombing of the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City. Last year, this Congress, with the support of the administration, approved $39 million in disaster relief specifically for the recovery of Oklahoma City. This funding was for community development assistance to repair public and private facilities damaged by the blast. For that I, along with the people of Oklahoma, am grateful. In the aftermath of this disaster, a full evaluation of its impact on downtown Oklahoma City indicates that if the area is to adequately recover, additional Federal assistance is needed. To this end, I asked the Appropriations Committee in May to consider supplementing last year's funding to cover additional damage claims plus loan and grant funds to assist businesses as they re-enter the damaged area. The administration, while not officially requesting these funds, has indicated its support for the additional funding during recent discussions with Oklahoma City officials. The distinguished chairman of the subcommittee has worked with me in trying to accommodate this request. Can he assure me that he will continue this cooperative effort to meet these ongoing needs arising from the bombing?”