Calling for Vote on Disaster Funding

Floor Speech

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Mr. RUTHERFORD. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman yielding and giving me the opportunity to speak about this very important topic impacting our State and our constituents.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to strongly urge House and, particularly, Senate leadership to stop turning their backs on hurricane survivors in my home State of Florida and pass a disaster supplemental bill before Congress leaves for the next 2 weeks.

Last October, Hurricane Michael ravaged our State, hitting the panhandle with speeds of up to 155 miles an hour and killing 49 people. Six months later--6 months later--families, farmers, and businesses are still waiting for the assistance that they deserve.

Families lost homes, precious belongings, things that can never be replaced.

Florida's timber industry was decimated. The total timber damage is an estimated 2.8 million acres of timber that is now lying rotting on the ground--2.8 million acres.

This is, unquestionably, one of the worst storms to hit Florida in our long history.

But not only are Florida agriculture and other industries desperately awaiting our help, our national security is also being impacted. Tyndall Air Force Base, one of the Nation's premier military installations, was completely demolished by this storm.

Since Congress has not passed emergency funding, the Air Force has been forced to move money from other accounts to help pay for the recovery. The Air Force is now facing even tougher choices, like limiting flying time and construction projects from other installations.

Madam Speaker, this is simply unacceptable. Maybe if the Senate Democrats would spend less time focused on running for President and more time doing the job that they were elected to do, folks back home would already have the disaster relief that they are due.

I voted, along with my House colleagues, to pass a supplemental back in December. In December, we passed that. The Senate Democrats have just obstructed that effort.

Entire small communities that were wiped away still have no assistance coming from the Federal Government. I hope the hardworking taxpayers of Florida remember this lack of concern when they go to the polls in 2020.

Our Senate is broken by a 60-vote cloture rule that has to be removed, and I hope the folks back home will remember this in November of 2020.

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