Elizabeth Furse: “People in my district have suffered greatly as a result of the flooding in the Pacific Northwest. Over the past few…”

“People in my district have suffered greatly as a result of the flooding in the Pacific Northwest. Over the past few weeks, my staff and I have spent days and nights throughout my district, working with citizens and local community groups to begin the long, slow process of recovery. We have been doing everything from helping constituents wade through the maze of available Federal assistance, to helping get tons of alfalfa to some hungry cows. One portion of the bill before us today contains disaster relief funding for my constituents, relief that is sorely needed. As a result I will vote in favor of this bill today. People in Oregon are hurting, and we need to get them relief as soon as possible. At the same time, I am very troubled by this bill. It is an exercise in irresponsibility. We would not be in this situation today if Congress had passed the fiscal year 1996 appropriations bills on time, not waiting 6 extra months. Moreover, we would not be in the situation if Congress had not turned almost every appropriation bill into a Christmas tree, adding unnecessary and unrelated riders.”