DeLauro Statement On Sandy Disaster Relief Appropriations Act
Statement
Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) today urged her colleagues in the House of Representatives to pass the Hurricane Sandy disaster relief legislation before them. Today's vote is on the second part of a bill that Republican leaders abruptly yanked from the House floor two weeks ago. That unnecessary delay has slowed down the process of getting aid to people whose lives were torn apart by the storm.
DeLauro has repeatedly urged her Republican colleagues to bring this disaster funding up for a vote and get aid to Sandy victims, just as Congress did for victims of Hurricanes Ike, Katrina, Gustav and Irene before them.
The following remarks are as prepared for delivery:
"I rise to express my strong support for this long-overdue, this much-needed $51 billion in disaster relief. Sandy was one of the most severe storms to hit Connecticut in our history. We are asking, we are pleading, when we should not have to beg--for money for the northeast to be able to survive this tragedy.
"We need to make available the disaster aid that families in the Northeast need to recover and repair from Superstorm Sandy, just as we have in the past for other disasters across the country. This is one of the central responsibilities of this institution -- to act on behalf of the American people after a natural disaster.
"I hope we make sure that all of the states affected by this storm are eligible to receive Community Development Block Grant funding and other vital aid, so places like Milford, which saw hundreds of homes wiped out by the storm, can fully recover.
"I also urge the defeat of an amendment that cuts funding for rebuilding seawalls and research buildings at the Stewart McKinney National Wildlife Refuge in Connecticut.
"The families affected by Sandy are in their hour of need, and they have already waited far too long for this institution to act. I urge all of my colleagues to support this disaster aid funding and to help the Northeast rebuild."
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