[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 80 (Tuesday, June 10, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H3647-H3648]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        DISASTER ASSISTANCE BILL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Minnesota [Mr. Minge] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  (Mr. MINGE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. MINGE. Mr. Speaker, I represent the Second District of Minnesota. 
It is a district that contains almost the entire length of Minnesota 
River. Minnesota River flows through a broad valley. I think for many, 
it is known as

[[Page H3648]]

the Valley of the Jolly Green Giant. It is very productive, it is lush, 
and it is noted for the table vegetables that have been grown there 
over the past several decades.
  In the valley there is a narrow river that winds back and forth and 
oxbows and normally is very placid. But occasionally it becomes a 
raging torrent. In 1997, this river carried more water than it ever has 
since the area was settled, over 100 years ago. The record water levels 
resulted in flooding in numerous communities, starting in Ortonville at 
the head of the river as it flows out of Big Stone Lake, required the 
evacuation of the community of Odessa. Tributaries flooded in Appleton, 
Dawson, MN. Montevideo, MN, my home community, was on the evening news 
for the first time in the history of the community repeatedly because 
of the efforts of the volunteers to try to stop the damage by 
sandbagging, building dikes.
  Their efforts were successful except for one neighborhood which could 
not be saved and could not be diked. Downstream, Granite Falls built 
dikes. It was largely spared the ravages of the flood. North Redwood 
Falls was affected, however, and a few homes in the community known as 
New Ulm. This was all damage that was done, but fortunately we were 
spared the ravages of the communities on the Red River of the North.
  People in my area felt quite fortunate, by comparison. The 
communities pulled together. Thousands of volunteers came from 
neighboring towns from the urban areas, and a real spirit of 
cooperation and goodwill prevailed. I can tell you that partisanship 
was certainly absent in this undertaking.
  The people also were impressed with the activities of the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, and the Army Corps of Engineers, 
both of which had a very substantial presence, and the National Guard 
troops that were mobilized and came in. I held a series of 
informational meetings on the disaster programs that were being 
established, the ones that were in place. The FEMA officials, the Army 
Corps of Engineers, the State agencies, U.S. Department of Agriculture 
agencies all came and participated in these meetings.
  It appeared that we would have a disaster assistance program that 
would both be effective in addressing the needs of the communities and 
the residents and would be promptly available. Unfortunately, as the 
days wore on, it also emerged that partisanship would be a part of the 
picture.
  In an effort to pass legislation that the leadership in this body and 
the other side of the building knew would be unacceptable to the 
President, they begin to beat the drums about how important certain 
riders were. And unfortunately, I concluded that what was happening is 
that this disaster assistance bill was being hijacked for other 
purposes. Proposals that could not be passed separately would not be 
accepted by the President were being shoehorned into the disaster 
assistance bill in hopes that the President could be brow beaten or 
embarrassed into signing them.
  Well, we know what happened. The President vetoed the legislation. I 
am not here this evening to say that we have to point fingers at the 
leadership in the House and the Senate or criticize the President. The 
fact of the matter is, all of us knew that this legislation as it left 
Congress was on a collision course with the White House.
  It is very difficult for me to tell people at home that the political 
process is consumed with politics and that we cannot deliver the type 
of assistance that has become a consensus package for disaster 
assistance. It is awfully difficult for me to explain to people why it 
is that controversial riders have to be attached to this legislation. I 
cannot explain it. I voted for it. I wanted to see it passed. But it 
was unacceptable.
  The previous speaker said the money is in the pipeline. Do not worry. 
I would just like to briefly point out that although FEMA is well 
funded, the community development block grant program for relocation 
assistance is hanging in abeyance. People in businesses do not know 
what level of relocation assistance will be available, whether it will 
be available. Precious construction days are slipping by.
  Similarly, the livestock indemnity program is in limbo and a number 
of other programs are simply not being addressed. I would like to urge, 
I implore the leadership of Congress to promptly send to the President 
a clean bill so that we can provide the assistance that has been long 
promised and is badly needed by the victims of this flooding in the 
upper Midwest.

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