William M. ``Mac'' Thornberry: “there are lots of Americans who work hard every day to make ends meet and spend their weekends with their kids or work…”

“there are lots of Americans who work hard every day to make ends meet and spend their weekends with their kids or work in the yard who are searching for a little bit of common sense to come into government programs. I do not know if there is a clearer example of where a dose of common sense is needed than in this bill. There are levees that need to be fixed. Many of them will not be fixed without this bill, at least not fixed in time to stop the devastation. If they are not fixed, then not only are people's homes destroyed or lives lost, but the habitat is also destroyed of the animals and plants that we are trying to protect. The base bill, I think, is the least that we can do that will make a difference in people's lives. If we wait under the Boehlert amendment until the water comes rolling down the canyon, it is too late at that point to do anything to save them. It makes sense to maintain the levees to prevent the flooding, to begin with, rather than wait until it gets into that situation and then try to run in and come to the rescue. This is a dose of common sense, and it is the least that we can do to save this badly flawed legislation.”