Political Quotes

“First, I offer my prayers and the prayers of the people of the Virgin Islands for the people of Puerto Rico after the devastation of Hurricane Fiona. My colleague across the aisle, Congresswoman Gonzalez-Colon, knows that, like so many other issues, she has my support. Mr. Speaker, like many Virgin Islanders, September is a month forever etched in my mind. Five years ago on September 6, Hurricane Irma relentlessly pummeled the territory, and Virgin Islanders watched in mute shock as a Category 5 storm shredded roofs, uprooted trees, and shattered lives. Then, 2 weeks after Hurricane Irma, 5 years ago today, Hurricane Maria made landfall. For hours that stretched into the early morning, another Category 5 hurricane brought destruction across parts of the island that had not been shredded by Irma. The compounded impact of two Category 5 hurricanes is unfathomable. Virgin Islanders, undeterred by the dramatic scale of devastation, rallied in the face of tragedy and proceeded to rebuild their lives and our community. Virgin Islanders banded together to deliver food and medical supplies, organize cleanup initiatives, and volunteer to transport people and goods between the multiple islands and Puerto Rico. The response of this body, the House of Representatives, from leadership chairs to rank-and-file Members, was extraordinary.…”