Political Quotes

“Senators Sanders, Lautenberg, Conrad, Gillibrand and I filed an amendment to provide an additional $2.5 billion to the Federal Highway Administration's Emergency Relief Fund, which is woefully underfunded right now. In addition, our amendment would waive the $100 million per State cap on emergency funding, which has been done for previous disasters, and allow 100 percent Federal reimbursement for disaster repair work occurring more than 180 days after the disaster. Nearly 3 weeks ago, Vermont bore the full brunt of then-Tropical Storm Irene as it turned gentle mountain streams and valley rivers into raging torrents of destruction. Whole towns were cut off from the outside world. Homes, businesses, farms, water systems, and miles of roads and bridges were swept away. And some Vermonters lost their lives in these devastating floods. Roads, bridges, and rail lines all over the State have been wiped out. Flooding closed more than 300 town and State roads and damaged more than 30 bridges in Vermont, stranding people in more than a dozen towns for days. It is going to take years and years for my small State to recover. In the aftermath, it has been extremely difficult to move emergency supplies and rebuilding materials around, as some of the washed-out roads have gaping gullies in the middle that are 30 feet or more deep, and some of the reopened roads and bridges are not yet recommended for heavy traffic. The consequences have been harsh.…”