Manchin Proposes Amendment to Pay For Disaster Relief with $1.6 Billion in Afghanistan Funding

Statement

In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) today said that the petty, partisan squabbles that define Congress must end, and he offered an amendment to pay for the Federal Emergency Management Agency by eliminating $1.6 billion from programs that will fund nation building in Afghanistan. Senator Manchin expressed his enormous frustration -- and that of the American people -- at watching our nation's leaders engaged in yet another political exercise -- this time over funding for disaster relief.

"There is not a state in this great nation that hasn't suffered the terrible tragedy and cost of a natural disaster. While there are many government programs and issues we should vigorously debate, we surely cannot question the responsibility of government to help our communities in their darkest moments," Senator Manchin said. "In the America that I believe in, we don't look the other way when a community is suffering from the pain of a natural disaster, we stand up and offer a helping hand."

As Senator Manchin outlined in his speech, because of the difficult fiscal reality confronting the nation, American taxpayer dollars should be used to rebuild America, not Afghanistan. He said that this country has no business allowing billions to be lost to waste and corruption in Afghanistan, all while ignoring the needs of our neighbors in America who are suffering from the effects of tornadoes, floods, and hurricanes and who need shelter and food.

Rather than eliminating funds for nation-building in Afghanistan, the program that some Members of Congress have proposed cutting in order to pay for disaster relief is the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing program, which is credited with saving or creating 39,000 American jobs. It is a program with support from both the Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers. In fact, Ford has moved a hybrid battery facility from Mexico to Michigan because of this loan program. Senator Manchin said we should not cut programs that help create American jobs -- nor should we deny disaster relief funds -- while we are spending billions to rebuild Afghanistan.

"Yes, we all agree that funding for disaster relief should be paid for -- in these most difficult times and especially now that we are looking at these deficits that we have accrued," Senator Manchin said. "Yes, we must save and set aside that money. As my grandfather once told me, you can't give someone the shirt off your back if you don't have a shirt to give them. We have to plan and work hard to make sure we put ourselves in a position to help others. Yes, we must return to a path of fiscal responsibility, where we manage our budgets wisely and put away enough money for the eventual disasters that we know will strike.

"But it is wrong -- no ifs, ands or buts about it -- absolutely wrong -- to pay for disaster relief out of funds that are creating jobs, with the potential of creating more jobs."

"… As I have said before, we must choose between rebuilding Afghanistan, and rebuilding America. And, today, we can make that choice. I choose to rebuild America."

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