Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague, Mr. Green, for his leadership on this very important amendment. I am not shocked by this amendment. I am pleased with this amendment. This is something that is desperately needed because this amendment would permanently authorize the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Program. This important program does provide States and communities like mine in Houston with flexible, long-term recovery resources for building affordable housing and infrastructure after a disaster. This amendment would ensure that these essential services go to the most deserving communities, those hit hardest by a disaster. It builds safeguards to ensure that funds are not diverted away from the lowest- income survivors. Further, it reforms disaster recovery allocation formulas and protocols to ensure equity, prioritizes transparency and oversight and discovery, disaster recovery, protects civil rights in fair housing, and supports disaster mitigation efforts. Mr. Green and my hometown of Houston is no stranger to disasters, and Mr. Speaker, I would submit that if the folks on the other side of the aisle think that this is not a good program, and they don't want the dollars because it takes too long to get them, we will gladly accept them in Houston because we get hit almost every year or every other year. We get hit hard, and we get hit in the most vulnerable populations.…”