[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 79 (Monday, June 9, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5404-S5405]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            DISASTER RELIEF

  Mr. CONRAD. Madam President, the President of the United States has 
now vetoed the disaster relief bill. He has done so because there were 
unrelated provisions put in that legislation.
  Madam President, the time for political games is over. This is a 
headline from the largest newspaper in our State over the weekend. The 
headline is: ``You Are Playing with Our Lives.'' The woman quoted is a 
Renee Steffan. The article said, ``She has strong words for Members of 
Congress who think flood victims can wait while bickering continues in 
Washington over a disaster relief bill.''
  She goes on to say, ``You are playing with our lives.''

       She issued that warning from the sweltering travel trailer 
     that she and her family now call home. She says, ``This isn't 
     some game. You should come here and walk in my shoes for a 
     day.'' Homeless for a month, out of work, and bounced from 
     one temporary shelter to another, the wife of two is fed up 
     with lawmakers who think Grand Forks residents are getting 
     along just fine.

  Madam President, Grand Forks residents are not getting along just 
fine. Not only are Grand Forks residents not getting along just fine, 
nor are the residents of East Grand Forks. In these two communities, 
50,000 in Grand Forks, 9,000 in East Grand Forks, nearly every single 
soul was evacuated 6 weeks ago. Thousands of them are still homeless. 
Their homes are destroyed. Their jobs are destroyed. And their lives 
are on hold waiting for us to act.
  The President vetoed this bill. He said clearly these unrelated 
provisions ought not to be in a disaster relief bill.

[[Page S5405]]

 That is the plea and the request of the people from Grand Forks and 
East Grand Forks. Send a clean bill to the President, one he can sign 
so that the relief can start to flow.
  Now, the Washington Post this morning, in the Novak column, he 
reported, and I quote:

       At a contentious meeting of Republican leaders after 
     adjournment Thursday, Lott argued that this time, unlike 2 
     years ago, the GOP would win `the PR battle.' He claimed 
     Americans did not care much about the supplemental 
     appropriations bill providing help for victims of Red River 
     flooding in the Dakotas and Minnesota.

  I do not know if that is really the position of the majority leader. 
I hope it is not. But if it is, let me just say that he is wrong. 
People do care. The outpouring from across the United States has been 
unprecedented.
  People of the United States care a lot about helping people hit by a 
disaster. They have proven it time after time after time. The fact is, 
if the majority leader really believes that the American people do not 
care, he is wrong. The American people are better than that.
  And for those who do not think it makes any difference, let me just 
quote from the Republican Governor from South Dakota. The Republican 
Governor says, ``If you've got a disaster bill, you ought to deal with 
the disaster.''

       For those who say that delay does not matter, Janklow--

  Again, the Republican Governor of South Dakota--

     said the delay in the legislation is blocking reconstruction 
     of sewage facilities, highways and a State-owned rail line in 
     South Dakota.

  It is not just the Republican Governor of South Dakota who 
understands that delay matters, but there is a Republican Congressman 
from Minnesota, Jim Ramstad, a former North Dakotan, by the way, a 
member of the Ways and Means Committee, who said over the weekend: 
``Those who argue that there is money in the pipeline are being 
disingenuous at best.''
  This is a Republican Congressman from Minnesota. He said, ``There's 
no money for housing, no money for livestock, no money for sewage 
systems, no money for water supply, no money for housing buyouts. There 
is no money in the pipeline for those things. They can't really rebuild 
without the funds that are tied up in the disaster relief bill.''
  And he concluded by saying, ``Let's end the Washington games.''
  Madam President, the people of North Dakota and Minnesota and South 
Dakota and the 30 other States that are affected by this disaster make 
one request. Send a disaster relief bill that is clean, that does not 
have these unrelated provisions, send it quickly so the relief can 
begin to flow. The people in our areas need it. As that woman said from 
a sweltering trailer, the time for these political games is over. 
People have been hurt and they need help. Now is the time to respond.
  I thank the Chair and yield the floor.
  Mr. COVERDELL addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Allard). The Senator from Georgia is 
recognized.
  Mr. COVERDELL. Parliamentary inquiry. It is my understanding that the 
hour from 4 to 5 has been designated under my control, or any person 
that I shall delegate time to?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator is correct.
  Mr. COVERDELL. Mr. President, in light of the presentation we have 
just heard and the recent veto of the emergency aid by the President, I 
am going to yield 10 minutes of my time to the distinguished Senator 
from Texas, and then I will return to the original content of the 
purpose of the hour from 4 to 5 after she has responded.
  I yield 10 minutes to the distinguished Senator from Texas.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas is recognized for 10 
minutes.

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