Political Quotes

“my priority in Congress is for the Federal Government to be a better partner in promoting livable communities, to make our families safe, healthy, and economically secure. A critical element in a livable community is making sure that we can deal with the natural disasters: floods, fire, earthquakes, and storms. Every year natural disasters cost billions of dollars and kill and injure Americans all across this great Nation. Every year the Federal Government is there to help unfortunate victims and their States and local governments in the recovery and repair. In the last 8 years alone, the United States has suffered more than 850 people dying in floods, and the property damage has totaled almost $90 billion. The total expenditure for disaster relief, including FEMA and insured losses, has been more than $150 billion in the last 20 years. There are two ways that we can help: we can be dealing after the fact, dealing with the unfortunate victims and the damage that has been brought; or we can work to deal before disaster occurs to minimize damage and perhaps even prevent it all together.”