Political Quotes

“while our focus today is on the horrible plight and the tragedy of California, I would like to remind all of my colleagues of the snow, and ice, and record-setting Arctic temperatures that have caused serious, life-taking and life-threatening problems across the entire Nation. With the end of the winter another 6 to 8 long weeks away, millions of low-income seniors and families with young children remain in grave danger. Madam Chairman, in 1969 singer Paul Simon wrote ``Bridge Over Troubled Water,'' a timeless song familiar to us all. This winter, 25 years later, Mother Nature has shaken us, as a nation, off the bridge and into the troubled water below. The last year has wrought floods, earthquakes, and an unprecedented arctic cold. While the focus may be the horrible plight of sunny California, I believe all of my colleagues are aware that more people have died over the past few weeks due to freezing temperatures in the Northeast than due to the disastrous earthquake in California. Our Government, in an attempt to address both emergency situations, has responded by providing nearly $7 billion in earthquake assistance and a suspect $200 million for energy assistance. In my estimation, and in the estimation of millions of very cold Pennsylvanians, New Yorkers, and New Englanders, as well as resident of New Jersey, this offering is tragically inadequate.”