[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 107 (Thursday, September 1, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9594-S9597]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HURRICANE KATRINA RELIEF

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I begin by offering my thoughts and my 
prayers to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. They have experienced 
untold horrors in the past few days, and the road to recovery will be 
long and hard. As we approach the start of our regular fall work 
period, there can be no more important challenge facing this body in 
the days ahead than providing relief to the victims of this 
catastrophe. It will be weeks before we know the full toll this storm 
has exacted. The only thing we know for sure is that we have 
experienced a national crisis, and the people of the Gulf Coast need 
and deserve our help.
  In these crucial hours, thousands of Americans are engaged in search 
and rescue efforts. I hope these brave men and women performing these 
heroic duties know that they, too, are in our thoughts and our prayers.
  Tonight, in the Senate, we are taking a critical first step toward 
bringing relief to the victims of this disaster. I support President 
Bush for submitting this $10.5 billion request, and I thank my 
colleagues for permitting us to take up and pass this important 
legislation tonight.
  Our unified response sends a powerful signal to victims of this 
tragedy, looking for signs that their Government sees their plight and 
stands with them during this dark time.
  In these days ahead, it is important we continue to send a strong 
unified message. We must work together--not together as Democrats and 
Republicans but as Americans--united in helping families torn apart by 
this devastating storm.
  It is my hope that our actions following the 9/11 attacks will be a 
model for what we do tonight and in the future. Our action after 9/11 
was bipartisan. It was our top priority, and it moved significant 
resources to the victims of the terrorist attacks, and in a timely 
manner.
  Our response to the tragedy of September 2005 must be every bit as 
bipartisan and direct as the tragedy of September 2001. We did not 
handle 9/11 with a Democratic or Republican aid package, and we should 
not handle this crisis any differently. This is not the time for 
partisanship. The victims of this terrible tragedy come first.
  With that principle guiding us, it is important we begin to consider 
our next steps. The $10.5 billion we are sending now represents a good 
first effort, but we all know much more needs to be done. I am deeply 
concerned about the security situation on the ground as I speak. Unless 
we establish security in this area, we cannot mount

[[Page S9595]]

an effective rescue operation, let alone begin rebuilding.
  We have all seen the images of families stranded in the Superdome or 
sitting outside the Convention Center in filth and squalor. They do not 
have food. They do not have water. They do not have medicine. They are 
living in unsanitary conditions, and because we cannot keep the area 
safe, they have been unable to get out. They are trapped. This is not 
acceptable.
  This is America. These are Americans we see suffering. We must find 
ways to get them the resources they need and bring them to safety. We 
must restore security, accelerate our rescue operations, and expedite 
our relief efforts as soon as possible. We must get these people the 
help they need and they deserve.
  When we reconvene on Tuesday, just a few hours from today, the 
security and safety of the Gulf Coast residents must be our first order 
of business. These families are counting on us. They are suffering, and 
they have nowhere else to turn. We owe it to them to make their 
survival our top priority, and we should give them nothing less.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Frist). The Senator from Mississippi.
  Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, let me first of all thank the majority 
leader, who is now presiding over the Senate, for responding so quickly 
to the request of the President for a supplemental appropriations bill 
providing needed funds to the Federal Emergency Management 
Administration and to the Department of Defense to carry on the 
disaster relief efforts that they have begun in the States that were so 
seriously affected by Hurricane Katrina.
  The President has submitted a letter describing the reasons for the 
request for this appropriations bill. Rather than reading the entire 
letter, which has been made available to everyone--the letter is 
actually addressed to the Speaker of the House--I will just read the 
first two paragraphs:

       As I informed the Nation yesterday, we are dealing with one 
     of the worst natural disasters in our country's history. 
     Residents of the Gulf Coast states affected by the hurricane 
     have lost loved ones, have lost homes, and have been 
     displaced from their communities. My Administration is 
     committed to ensuring that they will have the full support of 
     the Federal Government.
       Due to the catastrophic nature of Hurricane Katrina, I am 
     asking the Congress to consider expeditiously the enclosed 
     request totaling $10.5 billion, for an emergency FY 2005 
     supplemental appropriation for the Departments of Homeland 
     Security and Defense. These funds will ensure that Federal 
     response and recovery efforts continue uninterrupted.

  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the letter from the 
President be printed in full in the Record.
  Mr. REID. No objection.
  There being no objection, the letter was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:
                                                September 1, 2005.
     The Hon. J. Dennis Hastert,
     Speaker of the House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Speaker: As I informed the Nation yesterday, we 
     are dealing with one of the worst natural disasters in our 
     country's history. Residents of the Gulf Coast states 
     affected by the hurricane have lost loved ones, have lost 
     homes, and have been displaced from their communities. My 
     Administration is committed to ensuring that they will have 
     the full support of the Federal Government.
       Due to the catastrophic nature of Hurricane Katrina, I am 
     asking the Congress to consider expeditiously the enclosed 
     request, totaling $10.5 billion, for an emergency FY 2005 
     supplemental appropriation for the Departments of Homeland 
     Security and Defense. These funds will ensure that Federal 
     response and recovery efforts continue uninterrupted.
       I hereby designate this proposal in the amount requested 
     herein as an emergency requirement. This request responds to 
     urgent needs associated with immediate response and recovery 
     efforts associated with Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi, 
     Louisiana, Alabama and other affected areas.
       The enclosed request requires immediate action by the 
     Congress to ensure that the Federal response to this disaster 
     continues uninterrupted. I anticipate making a further 
     request in the coming weeks that will provide for a 
     comprehensive response and recovery effort after fully 
     assessing the impact of the hurricane.
       The details of this request are set forth in the enclosed 
     letter from the Director of the Office of Management and 
     Budget.
           Sincerely,
                                                   George W. Bush,
                                                  The White House.

  Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, the letter also contains a copy of a 
letter to the President from the Director of the Office of Management 
and Budget, Joshua B. Bolton. In this letter, he delineates 
specifically where the funds are needed, when they will be exhausted 
under current authority, and why this emergency appropriation is needed 
so that we can continue the aggressive disaster relief efforts in the 
coming weeks. And then he suggests:

       I anticipate recommending to you an additional request in 
     the coming weeks to provide for a comprehensive response to 
     this hurricane, once reliable estimates can be developed that 
     recognize the extent of this disaster.
       This request fulfills known and urgent requirements that 
     cannot reasonably be met under the current [fiscal year] 2005 
     funding levels. I recommend that you designate the proposal 
     contained in this transmittal as an emergency requirement.

  I ask unanimous consent that the complete text of the letter from the 
Director of the Office of Management and Budget to the President be 
printed in the Record.
  Mr. REID. No objection.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                                September 1, 2005.
     The President,
     The White House.
       Submitted for your consideration is a request for fiscal 
     year 2005 supplemental appropriations totaling $10.5 billion 
     to fund immediate emergency response and recovery needs 
     associated with Hurricane Katrina.
       Immediate Federal response and recovery efforts to date 
     have been extensive. The Federal Emergency Management Agency 
     (FEMA) has deployed more than 50 Disaster Medical Assistance 
     Teams, more than 25 Urban Search and Rescue task forces, 
     eight swift water rescue teams, and two Incident Support 
     Teams to the region. FEMA is also delivering water, meals, 
     medical supplies, generators, tents, and tarps and is working 
     to help relocate those displaced by the hurricane.
       The Department of Defense (DOD) is moving significant 
     military resources into the Gulf States to aid in rescue and 
     recovery. Eight Navy ships have moved into the area with 
     water, food, medicine, hospital facilities, berthing, and 
     more. DOD has responded to all FEMA requests and is providing 
     logistical help, including strategic lift support for search 
     and rescue efforts. Other agencies are also participating in 
     response and recovery efforts. For example, Health and Human 
     Services (HHS) Secretary Mike Leavitt has declared a public 
     health emergency and HHS has delivered requested medical 
     supplies to Louisiana, including basic first aid materials, 
     blankets and patient clothing and comprehensive lifesaving 
     medical equipment. HHS has placed 415 Public Health Service 
     Officers on standby for deployment to support medical 
     response in the affected states and CDC officials are working 
     with local officials to identify hospital facilities, 
     distribute medical supplies, and execute a public health plan 
     to control disease and other risks to public health.
       The funds that I recommend you request today will ensure 
     that these immediate response and recovery efforts continue 
     uninterrupted. The $10 billion requested for the Department 
     of Homeland Security will enable FEMA to continue ongoing 
     response efforts, including assistance to families and 
     individuals so that they can be sheltered, fed and provided 
     with emergency medical care. These funds will also support 
     emergency protective measures and debris removal in the 
     affected areas, and urgent response activities performed by 
     other Federal agencies, as delegated by FEMA under the 
     Stafford Act.
       The $500 million requested for DOD will enable DOD to cover 
     the costs associated with deployment of military personnel to 
     assist communities, save lives, and provide relief supplies 
     for the next several weeks. DOD's immediate crisis response 
     costs include immediate facilities repairs of DOD property, 
     evacuation of DOD personnel debris clean-up, transportation 
     costs, and emergency utility costs.
       I anticipate recommending to you an additional request in 
     the coming weeks to provide for a comprehensive response to 
     this hurricane, once reliable estimates can be developed that 
     recognize the extent of this disaster.
       This request fulfills known and urgent requirements that 
     cannot reasonably be met under the current FY 2005 funding 
     levels. I recommend that you designate the proposal contained 
     in this transmittal as an emergency requirement.
       I have carefully reviewed this proposal and am satisfied 
     that it is necessary at this time. Therefore, I join the 
     Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of Defense 
     in recommending you transmit the proposal to the Congress.
           Sincerely,
                                                 Joshua B. Bolten,
                                                         Director.
  Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, in response to this request, the House of 
Representatives, I am advised, will be prepared to adopt a bill making 
emergency supplemental appropriations to

[[Page S9596]]

meet immediate needs arising from the consequences of Hurricane Katrina 
for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2005. And the text of the bill 
is that it:

       Be enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives 
     of the United States of America in Congress assembled, that 
     the following sums are appropriated out of any money in the 
     Treasury not otherwise appropriated for the fiscal year 
     ending September 30, 2005, namely the Department of Homeland 
     Security:
       For an additional amount for ``Disaster Relief'', 
     $10,000,000,000, to remain available until expended . . .

  And then a provision, provided $500 million to the Department of 
Defense:

     . . . for emergency hurricane expenses, to support costs of 
     evacuation, emergency repairs, deployment of personnel, and 
     other costs resulting from immediate relief efforts, to 
     remain available until September 30, 2006.

  I ask unanimous consent that a copy of that bill, which we are 
advised will be adopted by the House of Representatives, be printed in 
the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the 
     following sums are appropriated, out of any money in the 
     Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the fiscal year 
     ending September 30, 2005, namely:

                    DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

                  EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE

                            Disaster Relief

       For an additional amount for ``Disaster Relief'', 
     $10,000,000,000, to remain available until expended: 
     Provided, That the amount provided herein is designated as an 
     emergency requirement pursuant to section 402 of H. Con. Res. 
     95 (109th Congress).

                         DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

                       OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE

                Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide


                     (Including Transfer of Funds)

       For an additional amount for ``Operation and Maintenance, 
     Defense-Wide'', $500,000,000 for emergency hurricane 
     expenses, to support costs of evacuation, emergency repairs, 
     deployment of personnel, and other costs resulting from 
     immediate relief efforts, to remain available until September 
     30, 2006: Provided, That the Secretary of Defense may 
     transfer these funds to appropriations for military 
     personnel, operation and maintenance, procurement, family 
     housing, Defense Health Program, and working capital funds: 
     Provided further, That funds transferred shall be merged with 
     and be available for the same purposes and for the same time 
     period as the appropriation or fund to which transferred: 
     Provided further, That this transfer authority is in addition 
     to any other transfer authority available to the Department 
     of Defense: Provided further, That upon a determination that 
     all or part of the funds transferred from this appropriation 
     are not necessary for the purposes provided herein, such 
     amounts may be transferred back to this appropriation: 
     Provided further, That the Secretary of Defense shall, not 
     more than 5 days after making transfers from this 
     appropriation, notify the congressional defense committees in 
     writing of any such transfer: Provided further, That the 
     amount provided herein is designated as an emergency 
     requirement pursuant to section 402 of H. Con. Res. 95 (109th 
     Congress).
       This Act may be cited as the ``Emergency Supplemental 
     Appropriations Act to Meet Immediate Needs Arising From the 
     Consequences of Hurricane Katrina, 2005''.
  Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I commend the majority leader, with the 
concurrence and support of the minority leader, for calling the Senate 
into session tonight under these emergency conditions, to approve as if 
passed by the House, and when passed by the House and it is received 
here in the Senate, an emergency supplemental appropriations bill to 
fund disaster relief efforts.
  These efforts are ongoing. We have all had an opportunity to see on 
television sets and to hear and read newspaper accounts of the work 
that has been going on the last several days. I had the opportunity to 
travel to my State of Mississippi yesterday and spent the day touring 
the ravaged areas along the Mississippi Gulf Coast and then traveled to 
Jackson, the Capitol of the State, where I was able to meet with 
Governor Haley Barbour and his disaster assistance team that he had 
assembled and was supervising in their efforts to make all of the 
resources of our State government available to disaster victims and to 
help them in the effort to recover from this terrible hurricane.
  I have never seen any storm inflict such great damage as I saw 
yesterday. I was on the Gulf Coast immediately following Hurricane 
Camille in 1969. I was a practicing lawyer at the time. We were trying 
to help one of our clients ensure that the employees of their company, 
Standard Oil Company refinery, were able to present their claims to 
their insurance companies and otherwise be compensated, as they were 
entitled to under their policies, for the damages sustained throughout 
the area where those employees were living along the Gulf Coast. That 
was the worst storm that anybody in my age group had ever heard of, 
before or since--until Hurricane Katrina.
  I can tell you, looking along the coastline, flying in a Mississippi 
National Guard helicopter, the whole coastline, the whole coastal area 
of the State has been virtually destroyed. There are a few buildings 
that are left standing--a few. Those may not be habitable, and the 
businesses that they house may not be able to continue to function 
until extensive repairs are made on those buildings, so it is virtually 
all a total loss for blocks and blocks beyond the beach area.
  Everything was quiet. There was nobody moving around; it wasn't until 
today that many people could have access to the areas where those 
houses once stood. It was quiet. It was eerie. It was a horrible sight 
to behold. I don't know of anything that has depressed me more than 
seeing what I saw yesterday in my State of Mississippi.
  So I am confident the Senate will continue to follow the progress of 
the disaster assistance effort to be sure that we make available to all 
Federal agencies and departments the funds they need to do the job to 
help in the recovery efforts in Mississippi and in Alabama and 
Louisiana and in the other States. There have been damages in Florida 
and Georgia and Texas as well.
  The primary use of the funds that we give to the Department of 
Homeland Security, as requested by the President, will be used to 
reimburse Federal agencies for providing the relief effort that we have 
come to appreciate. The Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers, Health 
and Human Services Department, Housing and Urban Development--all are 
able to share in these funds that will be disbursed to reimburse those 
departments for participating in the disaster relief effort. So it is 
not only this one agency but others that will be sustained and assisted 
as they continue to work in this effort.
  The President has appointed this task force as we all know now: 
Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff is chairing the task 
force on Hurricane Katrina; Mike Brown, the Director of FEMA, has been 
on the ground since the very beginning of this effort, coordinating the 
activities on the ground. Fifty-two counties in Mississippi have been 
identified as eligible for disaster declarations; thirty-two parishes 
in Louisiana; six counties in Alabama. The three Governors of those 
States have requested that the President waive cost-share requirements 
because of the expensive nature of these expenses for emergency 
response activities, and the President has granted this waiver.
  I ask unanimous consent that a description of the challenges and 
accomplishments of this disaster relief effort be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                          Life-Saving Efforts

       Over 3,000 people have been rescued by the United States 
     Coast Guard and other operations. The Coast Guard has 
     deployed 57 aircraft and 27 cutters.
       More than 25 urban search and rescue task forces are 
     operating with 1,800 personnel.
       More than 50 National Disaster Medical System teams have 
     deployed to deal with medical needs.
       1,700 trucks have been mobilized to supply water, ice, 
     food, medicine, and medical supplies.
       450 buses are moving people out of the affected areas in 
     Louisiana.
       Over 78,000 people are in shelters across the region.
       13.4 million liters of water and 3.4 million pounds of ice 
     have been shipped to the impacted areas.

                           Electricity/Energy

       2.3 million citizens are without power in the Gulf Coast 
     States.
       Gasoline and diesel fuel is being routed to emergency 
     personnel and services first.
       The Department of Energy has authorized the release of oil 
     from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
       The Environmental Protection Agency has temporarily waived 
     standards for gasoline and diesel fuels to make sure that 
     more fuel is available for emergency services.

[[Page S9597]]

                                Military

       State and local law enforcement and the National Guard are 
     working to restore order throughout the affected areas.
       13,000 National Guard are stationed in Mississippi, 
     Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida, under control of the 
     Governors. Approximately 6,000 members of the National Guard 
     are stationed in Mississippi.
       The total number of National Guard is expected to increase 
     to more than 20,000 by Friday.
       The Department of Defense has sent eight Navy ships to the 
     area, including a hospital ship with 100 beds and 800 medical 
     personnel.
       The Department of Defense has provided over 20 million 
     ready-to-eat meals.

                             Infrastructure

       The Army Corps of Engineers is coordinating efforts to 
     repair levees in New Orleans and remove water from the city.
       Federal and State departments of transportation are working 
     to repair and reopen highways and interstates.
       Interstates 55, 59, 49, and 20 have been reopened in 
     Mississippi. Interstate 10 is open with one lane of traffic 
     for emergency vehicles only.

                       Health and Human Services

       The Department of Health and Human Services has declared a 
     public health emergency in the affected areas.
       A network of 40 medical shelters with 10,000 beds is 
     staffed by 4,000 medical personnel.
       2,600 beds have been identified in the immediate area, with 
     40,000 more beds nationwide.

                              Agriculture

       USDA's Food and Nutrition Service is providing shelters and 
     mass feedings sites and issuing emergency food stamps and 
     infant formula. Over 80,000 pounds of commodities arrived in 
     New Orleans today.

                                 Other

       The Internal Revenue Service announced special relief for 
     taxpayers in the disaster areas.
       The Small Business Administration will position loan 
     officers in disaster recovery centers to help small business 
     owners.
       The American Red Cross is providing a safe haven for nearly 
     46,000 evacuees in more than 230 shelters across the region.

                          ____________________