I ask unanimous consent that the amendment be considered as read. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The amendment is as follows: (Purpose: To prohibit Urban Area Security Initiative grant recipients from funding…

it has turned into an all-hazards agency, which was never its intent

I think the important point Dr. O'Toole made is we will work with you if you buy in.

I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Amendment No. 69 to Amendment No. 26

It takes a while for it to get all the way down.

I ask unanimous consent that the amendment be considered as read. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The amendment is as follows: After section 573 of title V of division D, insert the following: Sec. 574. Fourteen…

I want to comment a minute, before I talk about the individual amendments, on the process we have seen. We are going to have several amendments, and this is well in excess of $1 trillion in spending. We have had four amendments voted on…

We need to figure out together, how we do this more effectively to really help States when they are overwhelmed.

The Stafford Act says that the Federal Government should get involved in disasters when State and local capacity is overwhelmed.

Unless I am prohibited by legislation, I want to look at what you recommended about what we can provide.

I would hope that you would take that into consideration. That $1 billion should be applied first to these issues before we give more CDBG money for the disaster up there.

What we ought to do is have a flat-out statement from you all that says if you are doing it based on what is out there now, we are not going to come back and ding you in the future.

I want to pin you down. Is this per capita damage indicator a good measure to determine State and local capacity to handle disasters?

So we are worried about $6.2 billion or so that has been spent?

If you are in the Hurricane Sandy disaster area and you are not going to find out until July of this year what the floodplain map is, what are you supposed to do for your home?

Can you assure them that, following what is out there now, they are not going to get dinged in their insurance?

Did I hear you say that you only get CDBG funds based on disasters?

But the eligibility requirements have not changed. They did not change.

If you would, I would appreciate it very much.

So they should take note that we are going to keep our eye on it.

The reason I am so interested in this is I saw the wasted money in Hurricane Katrina on debris cleanup, and it was atrocious.

This is the way to do oversight.

We have got to figure out a way to have a better assessment.

I love Tom Carper, but the tone of climate change and the reality of what we have actually seen and what the predictions have been, do not have any connection.

I want to compliment the chairman of the Appropriations Committee. She has done a good job. She does want to get back to regular order. As we can see, nothing has happened. There is a reason nothing has happened. It is not in her control…