Henry Cuellar: “Again, I want to thank the ranking member for yielding her time, for her leadership, and for all the work she has done…”

“Again, I want to thank the ranking member for yielding her time, for her leadership, and for all the work she has done, and also our chairman, Mr. Frelinghuysen, for his leadership, and Chairman John Carter, one of our Texans, for bringing this important resolution to the floor. This funding will help FEMA, which is running out of money, provide the immediate recovery and relief that we need in Texas and Louisiana. It is only a downpayment. Normally, in rain events, we measure water in inches; during Hurricane Harvey, we measured it in feet. At the end, there were over 19 trillion gallons of water on the ground. Hurricane Harvey killed at least 60 people, including Alonso Guillen, a DREAMer who drove over 100 miles to help rescue by boat those who first responders couldn't reach. Those who were evacuated will soon come home to find their homes and their memories left behind in ruin by the floodwaters. The cost of the total damages will be in the billions. Many losses, however, will be priceless: pictures of family weddings, kids' soccer games, children's favorite toy, a daughter's prom dress, or an antique that has been passed through generations. Yet, many heroes stepped up to open up their homes, their churches, and their businesses to house those evacuees. Those efforts highlight the fact that this is not a natural disaster, but it is a national disaster, and it requires a response.…”