Political Quotes

“the amendment pending before the House, offered by Mr. Weldon of Pennsylvania and Mr. Skelton of Missouri addresses matters relating to domestic terrorism involving weapons of mass destruction. Such matters fall within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure through our jurisdiction in Rule X, clause (1)(q) over ``Federal management of emergencies and natural disasters,'' including activities of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the lead federal agency for domestic emergency preparedness and response. While I have some concerns about how broadly this amendment has been drafted, I fully support the intent of this Weldon/Skelton amendment to provide for proper coordination of Federal, State, and local efforts to prepare for and respond to domestic terrorism. Accordingly, I look forward to working with members of the National Security Committee in a House-Senate conference on this bill to provide some additional direction to the President to ensure that the authorizations provided by this amendment will not be used to undertake activities beyond the intent of Congress.”