On the recordSeptember 27, 2016
Let me thank the gentleman, the ranking member from the great State of Oregon, and the chairman, the gentleman from Pennsylvania. I would hope that as we look at these issues we really look at the name of this bill, the Water Resources Development Act of 2016, and know that we have, over the years, had common ground on infrastructure issues that are so important to our respective communities. Mr. Chairman, in April of 2016, we had the tax day flood. Shortly thereafter, we had a flood on Memorial Day in Houston, Harris County. It seems to me to be a constant refrain in our community and in my congressional district. We are a community of bayous and, frankly, need strong structures for the Army Corps of Engineers and a strong Federal partnership on dealing with massive flooding and the loss of life. Water takes on many other aspects. Just a few miles up the road, Austin, Texas, and the surrounding areas are living in a constant drought. They face a constant interaction and conflict with those who are in the agriculture business. It is concerning to me that programs in this bill have been deauthorized. It is concerning to me that a very important issue of pure water has been ignored, and that is funding for Flint. I should think this would be a bipartisan issue. Many of us went to Flint. We spoke to citizens in Flint.…
