[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 108 (Friday, September 2, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H7616-H7627]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT TO MEET IMMEDIATE NEEDS 
        ARISING FROM THE CONSEQUENCES OF HURRICANE KATRINA, 2005

  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that it 
shall be in order at any time without intervention of any point of 
order to consider H.R. 3645 in the House; the bill shall be considered 
as read; the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the 
bill to final passage without intervening motion except (1) 10 minutes 
of debate equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking 
minority member of the Committee on Appropriations; and (2) one motion 
to recommit; clause 10 of rule XX shall not apply to the question of 
passage of the bill; and all Members may have 5 legislative days within 
which to revise and extend their remarks on the bill and that I may 
include tabular and extraneous material.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I do not intend 
to object; but I think it would be helpful for Members to understand 
that if this proposal is agreed to, and I expect it to be, that there 
will be 5 minutes of debate on each side of the issue, and then any 
Member who wishes to comment will have an opportunity on a Special 
Order, which immediately follows, to do so.
  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. OBEY. I yield to the gentleman from California.
  Mr. LEWIS of California. I appreciate the gentleman yielding. I just 
wanted to emphasize a comment you just made that the limited debate of 
10 minutes is designed to have us expedite the paperwork and otherwise 
from this process. In the meantime, we know the Members want to be 
heard so there will be a Special Order following the passage of the 
bill so that we can move forward with the paperwork and make sure the 
President gets this on his desk as quickly as possible.
  Mr. OBEY. Continuing under my reservation, Mr. Speaker, I think it is 
important that if this motion is agreed to, I do think that the 
situation in the Gulf Coast is serious enough that it warrants more 
than a dog and pony show and that it warrants some thoughtful 
discussion of how problems like this might be avoided in the future. I 
would simply say under my reservation that I have been horrified 
watching my television set over the past few days as I moved around my 
district in Wisconsin to see the absolute inadequacy of the Federal 
response to what has occurred. I would hope that the magnitude of the 
disaster which we have seen would make

[[Page H7617]]

us all think through the degree of lack of discipline and denial that 
has marked this country's preparation for not just natural disasters 
but disasters of other origins as well.
  Point one: I was personally appalled to see an interview with a 
representative of the Army Corps of Engineers in which he explained 
away our failure to prepare for anything worse than a level three 
hurricane for the New Orleans area by saying in essence that a cost-
benefit analysis had been done, and it was concluded that it was not 
cost beneficial for us to prepare for anything above a level three 
hurricane. What that in essence says is that you are not going to worry 
about the biggest disasters that can occur; you are only going to worry 
about the smaller ones.
  Whether it is with a hurricane or whether the action of the 
Mississippi River a number of years ago, how many times do we have to 
see disasters overwhelm our preparedness before we recognize that we 
are playing Russian roulette with people's lives, with their livelihood 
and with the life of whole communities if we do not prepare for the 
worst?
  Point two: I think it is fair to say that the administration and the 
Congress itself has not covered itself with glory in terms of 
anticipating problems like this. We have seen the Congress in fiscal 
year 2004 cut the budget request by $170 million for FEMA. We have seen 
an amendment by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Moran) to try to 
supplement FEMA funding several years ago turned down by the House. We 
have seen flood control projects in the Gulf short-sheeted in Federal 
budget requests from the executive, and we have seen now stories, one 
by Sidney Blumenthal, which makes the point that in early 2001, FEMA 
management issued a report saying that a hurricane striking New Orleans 
was one of the three most likely disasters in the U.S., including a 
terrorist attack on New York City.
  Yet the Federal budget has not demonstrated any serious response to 
that warning. And we have seen other comments as well in the paper, 
including a number by Louisiana papers, documenting the lack of 
effective Federal response. Another statement in the New York Times 
indicated that 5 days after Katrina hit, the response from our 
government was still spectacularly inadequate and in the words of the 
editorial amounts to a stunning lack of both preparation and urgency in 
the Federal Government's response. I would hope that the pictures that 
we have seen on our television sets would change that.

                              {time}  1315

  Continuing under my reservation, the third point I would simply make 
is that I think the devastation and utter destruction that we have seen 
indicates that we have a serious problem not just with respect to our 
response to natural disasters but in response to other potential 
disasters. I would hope that we would take to heart the lessons that 
this disaster ought to teach us about the need for more adequate 
preparation across the board, including potential terrorist attacks.
  There are those of us in the Congress who still believe that we are 
not doing enough to secure our borders.
  There are those of us who still believe that we are not doing enough 
to protect this country against terrorist attacks from air cargo.
  There are those of us who believe that we are not doing nearly enough 
to protect this country against terrorist attacks by the use of 
containers in our ports; and in my view, the response of the 
administration and the Congress since 9/11 on that score has been 
totally inadequate.
  I think that this disaster in the Gulf demonstrates the importance of 
ending the practice of casual thinking on these potential problems.
  Point four: and I do not know the answer to this, but I know 
questions have been raised about whether or not the heavy involvement 
of our Guard and Reserve forces in Iraq is in any way linked to the 
fact that we have had so few Guard and Reserve personnel being used in 
response to this disaster. I do not know whether there is a direct 
causation or not, but I do know that there are some 11,000 Guard and 
Reserve forces from the affected States now in Iraq and those are 
obviously troops that cannot be used on their home ground.
  I think we need to examine very carefully whether or not this 
demonstrates that we need to do more to build up the size of our 
regular Army forces so that we do have a greater capacity to use the 
Guard and Reserve forces at home when they are needed.
  I would also say that every time that we have a disaster, Congress 
responds by tossing together an appropriation bill for an emergency 
appropriation. It would seem to me after all of the disasters that we 
have had that we should have a more regularized approach to the 
problem. I have introduced in the past, and I will introduce again, 
legislation asking that we establish an experience-rated insurance fund 
from which all States can purchase insurance coverage against future 
disasters so that you have a ready-made source of funding the moment 
these disasters hit.
  There are five or six States in the Union that experience disasters 
on a fairly regular basis, and it seems to me that we need to have an 
experience-rated insurance system so that we take into full account the 
cost of hurricanes and the cost of other disasters that might occur. If 
we did that, we might see a greater level of preparation with respect 
to, for instance, long-term planning by the Corps of Engineers to deal 
with the most severe hurricanes.
  Mr. Speaker, this legislation obviously has to pass, but I hope this 
represents just the beginning of some new thinking so that we do not 
wind up 3 or 4 years from now facing yet another problem as unprepared 
as we apparently were for this unfortunate and heart-rending incident.
  Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, and I will not 
object, I want to say that I appreciate the fact that there will be a 
Special Order after this bill is debated where Members can say how we 
feel about it, but I really think it is inappropriate. I think that 
there should be substantial debate on this bill itself, not that we 
want to slow down any kind of funding, but frankly we fiddled and 
faddled for days and days, and now we are told that we can only have 5 
minutes per side to debate this bill. I think it is wrong. I think 
Members of Congress who have rushed back here, who want to help, who 
want to make sure that the people of the Gulf are given their due and 
the moneys, we should have the right to debate this bill now. We watch 
TV and we see the looters and much has been made about the looters who 
are coming and looting in New Orleans. I think quite frankly with the 
prices of gas rising, the real looters are the big oil companies. They 
are looting the American people. It is unconscionable that we have had 
a spike of 30 to 50 cents in gasoline prices 2 days after this disaster 
happened. There is no way that that could have been reflected at the 
pump so quickly. So it is looting the American public, and I think 
these are the issues that Congress should debate. I am glad that our 
Energy and Commerce Committee is having a hearing on this on Wednesday, 
but the American people ought to hear Congress debating this. What are 
we going to do to bring relief to our people with these huge and 
unconscionable gas prices? We are doing nothing. We are fiddling while 
Rome is burning. So while I say that it is very important that we are 
passing this legislation quickly today and we should be doing this, I 
wish that we had had hours of debate on this, yesterday or today. It 
should not be where we have 10 minutes of debate because we quickly 
have to get the bill to the President. We need to get the bill to the 
President as quickly as possible but Congress needs to debate the 
issues of the day.
  So while I will not object because we have to get the relief to the 
people of the Gulf, the fact is that Congress needs to debate the issue 
of high gas prices. Our constituents all across America are suffering. 
The oil companies are making record profits. Frankly, they ought to 
turn some of those profits back to the American people to try to keep 
the price of gasoline down. This is all tied in, and how dare they use 
this terrible disaster, this terrible tragedy to loot the American 
people and to spike the prices of gasoline higher and higher.

[[Page H7618]]

  I hope this Congress can have a full and free debate on this. I do 
not object because I want to get the money there as quickly as 
possible, but this Congress needs to do and this President needs to do 
something about the high price of gasoline.
  Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the order of the 
House, I call up the bill (H.R. 3645) making emergency supplemental 
appropriations to meet immediate needs arising from the consequences of 
Hurricane Katrina, for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2005, and 
for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the 
House.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3645

       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''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of today, 
the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis) and the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) each will control 5 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis).
  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  We have come together today, for all of us in the House of 
Representatives know that words are not adequate to begin to deal with 
this horrendous natural disaster that has beset all Americans but 
particularly those people in the region of the Gulf.
  Indeed, Mr. Speaker, I do not intend to speak extensively here today 
but to say that the bill is designed to make sure that all of us 
understand that America will respond to this tragedy. Money is not 
going to make the difference in the final analysis. This bill provides 
for $10 billion to make sure that FEMA has enough flexibility and 
adequate dollars will be available to flow in the very near term as we 
really assess the cost moving forward. This will not be the last time 
we discuss this issue in terms of both financial strain and also the 
horrid strain it is placing upon those Americans who are directly 
affected. The bill beyond that provides $500 million that will also be 
available for the Department of Defense to, in a flexible fashion, be 
of further assistance in this tragic disaster.
  With that, I hope that the Members will participate in the Special 
Order that will follow this very brief debate in order to make sure 
that there is a complete airing as the House would seek its will.
  Mr. Speaker, words cannot begin to describe the toll Mother Nature 
has taken on the people of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and 
Florida. The levels of desperation and human suffering from Hurricane 
Katrina are unlike anything we have seen in our country.
  I do not intend to take much time today for the need in the affected 
region is so great. This is not a time for words or political rhetoric. 
It is a time for action. We need to move quickly, to save lives, and 
help the people of the region get back on their feet. The President has 
promised an unprecedented level of immediate aid. Congress is backing 
that promise with the funding and resources to keep the aid flowing.
  This is a simple 2\1/2\-page supplemental. It contains two sections: 
$10 billion for FEMA within the Department of Homeland Security; and 
$500 million for the Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide account 
within the Department of Defense. The $10.5 billion figure was 
determined based on what FEMA is now spending on a daily basis and how 
much is needed to take us out a few weeks until we get a better 
assessment of what the long-term funding needs will be.
  At the beginning of this week, FEMA had roughly $2.6 billion in its 
Disaster Relief Fund and $1.5 billion in the Flood Insurance Program. 
In recent days, FEMA and OMB concluded that these funds were being 
utilized at a rate of between $500 and $750 million per day. President 
Bush and our leadership made the decision to convene the Congress in an 
emergency session and move this supplemental to the President for his 
signature today.
  We do not yet know how much the recovery from this disaster is going 
to cost. Our resolution today provides an immediate infusion of money 
to allow FEMA and the Department of Defense to address the most 
immediate needs resulting from this natural disaster. Costs associated 
with evacuation, emergency repairs, deployment of personnel, and other 
costs resulting from immediate relief efforts are included in this 
package.
  This initial step today will ensure that there is no disruption in 
funding for relief efforts. We fully expect to be approving additional 
emergency funding in the coming weeks. Quite frankly, it will take some 
time to assess the full scope and cost of this disaster. Much of the 
damage is still underwater and the full extent is still unknown. Damage 
assessments will be collected from a great many Federal entities--FEMA, 
the Corps of Engineers, the Coast Guard--and others.
  The destruction that has overtaken New Orleans and the Gulf Coast 
will require months, and even years, of intense effort to recover and 
rebuild. It will take nothing less than a domestic Marshall Plan to 
rebuild new roads, utilities, homes, and businesses. On this point, let 
me be very clear: Rebuild, we must. Rebuild, we will. Congress and the 
Bush administration is one-hundred percent committed to the rebuilding 
process and today's action is the first step.
  One final thought as I conclude my remarks: There is no greater 
spirit than the American spirit responding to citizens in need. When we 
see suffering, we want to do something. We want to lend a hand. Many 
people are responding to this tragic circumstance by offering their 
prayers and opening their hearts and their checkbooks to organizations 
like the Salvation Army and the American Red Cross. I encourage my 
colleagues and our citizens to do the same in the days and weeks ahead.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 3 minutes.
  Mr. Speaker, by way of explanation, this bill provides $10.5 billion, 
$10 billion of which will go to FEMA, half a billion dollars to DOD. It 
provides for relief efforts for the aftermath of the Katrina hurricane. 
The funds to DOD will go to the operation and maintenance account with 
broad transfer authority. They will eventually wind up, I am certain, 
being used for procurement for housing and matters like that. The funds 
for FEMA may be used for any traditional purpose under the FEMA 
legislation, including public assistance, shelter, food, et cetera.
  Let me simply say that I hope that we recognize this is just the 
initial downpayment in the costs that are going to be associated with 
this incredible disaster. I would also hope that we would recognize 
that we have for a long time been making inadequate investments in 
activities that could lessen the impact of disasters such as this, and 
I would hope we would recognize that values such as preventing this

[[Page H7619]]

horrendous event from occurring again ought to be much higher on our 
values scale than they have been in past months and certainly in past 
recent years.
  Mr. Speaker, I would urge support of the legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the distinguished 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the minority leader.
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time, and 
I thank him for his very strong statement. I wish to right off the bat 
associate myself with the remarks of the gentleman from Wisconsin, our 
ranking member on the Appropriations Committee, his remarks that he 
made in reserving the right to object. I thank the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Lewis), who knows firsthand as do I what an impact a 
natural disaster is to a State and how important it is to hear right 
away from the Federal Government as to what our commitment is to 
recovery.
  I remember, as I am sure the gentleman from California does, when the 
Loma Prieta Earthquake hit Northern California, it was such a shock and 
such a surprise as with our colleagues today. We could see in my area 
of San Francisco parts of the city burning, bridges down and 
impassable, the people in need, without adequate shelter and the rest. 
The San Francisco Bay Area, let me broaden it, Loma Prieta is in the 
southern part of the bay area, as the gentlewoman from California (Ms. 
Zoe Lofgren) is reminding me.
  Jamie Whitten came to the floor that day and said, Last night there 
was an earthquake in San Francisco. I immediately called in my staff 
and said, what is it that we can do to help. We want to remove all 
doubt in anyone's mind that we understand the gravity of the situation, 
that the social compact that the people have with the Federal 
Government will be one that will be honored and that this will not be 
part of their problem, the same thing that I know that the gentleman 
from California (Mr. Lewis) understood at the time of the Northridge 
Earthquake in Southern California where the response was one that 
helped remove doubt as to the fact that we are one Nation and that we 
are always moving to be a more perfect Union.
  That challenge that our Founding Fathers gave us in the 
Constitution's preamble, to form a more perfect Union, it is the first 
responsibility listed there, is one that we must remember now, because 
we are faced with a situation where so many people in the Gulf States, 
in Louisiana and Mississippi and Alabama and Florida, are affected by 
this. In other natural disasters, as with our earthquakes in 
California, certain parts of the community were affected and other 
parts of the community helped the emergency relief and the recovery. 
Here we have a situation where we have a total devastation of a region. 
Who is there to help? All the more reason for us as the Congress of the 
United States to come together, to give hope to these people, to say to 
them that we hear your cries.

                              {time}  1330

  We hear them and we are told about them, also, from our distinguished 
Members of Congress from the region. The gentleman from Mississippi 
(Mr. Taylor) lost his home, his only home, and those of many of his 
staff did as well. The gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Melancon) has been 
manning an emergency center to help people get help. The list goes on. 
The gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Jefferson) saw his whole city 
practically get wiped out. But I am sure that everyone on each side of 
the aisle has stories that they know firsthand. The gentleman from 
Mississippi (Mr. Thompson), the ranking Democrat on our Committee on 
Homeland Security who knows full well what our capability is as a 
country and what an attack this is of nature and therefore what more we 
need to do to get this all done. The list goes on. There are many 
heroes in this.
  So when I hear my distinguished colleague for whom I have great 
esteem, the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis), say that we cannot 
have a full debate on this, we will just do it as a Special Order 
because we have got to get this to the President right away, that would 
have been a very good argument to have this special session of Congress 
much earlier this week, because it was clear that although we did not 
have all of the facts, we knew that people were hurting very badly in 
our country, that there was a need for additional resources, and it was 
important to bring the considerable talent on both sides of the aisle 
together in Washington, DC to make a judgment about the facts and to 
allocate the resources.
  Just a couple of days ago it was thought that there was enough money 
to cover until next week, until we came back. So what? As it turns out, 
that was not a correct assessment. But even if it had been, why should 
we not have been here to give hope, to give inspiration if we are 
capable of that, but at least to remove all doubt in everyone's mind 
that this is the first order of business for us and that is to protect 
our people and try to make them whole in time of a natural disaster.
  But we are here, and what we need to do and what we need people to 
hear is the strongest bipartisan cooperation, whatever the timing, on 
how we address their needs. Their needs have been referenced in terms 
of energy. Energy is important, not just at the pump, although let me 
say about that, pox on those who would price gouge at the pump to our 
people in our country who are already suffering from debilitating 
prices at the pump that enable some not to even be able to get to work, 
and now in this tragic time we do not want matters made worse with 
price gouging and there will be a price to pay for that. But energy for 
many reasons. Energy to get product, plywood, whatever it is, to where 
it is needed, to rebuild in the Gulf States, energy to keep the lights 
on, too. Such a high percentage of people, there are probably 5 million 
people, without electricity as we gather here today. Two million homes, 
5 million people without electricity as we gather here.
  Energy, and I know others will address it more specifically, is a 
very important part of this, especially since the Gulf States are such 
an important source of production and transport of energy to the rest 
of the country.
  Our children. Think about the children. Right now they are supposed 
to be starting school. Instead, they are starting to wonder where their 
homes are, where their loved ones are, if their parents have jobs and 
if indeed they even have a school to go to. We have an enormous task 
ahead of us. Our children will forever be marked by the trauma of this 
hurricane unless we quickly take them to a place that says, there was a 
tragedy, people responded, you were considered a priority. Hopefully, 
they will get through. My own grandchildren who live in Houston and see 
all these children coming into the Houston area, Mr. Speaker, your 
area, they are becoming afraid of rain. If it rains, will our house be 
washed away? Just after 9/11 when kids were saying if a plane goes 
overhead, should we be afraid of that? We must reassure our children 
and eliminate the traumatic effect on top of the physical displacement 
that they are suffering here.
  So whatever the allocation of these resources are, I hope it is 
enough. And if it is not, again with the facts as our friends, we must 
allocate the resources to make sure these children are in school.
  I was telling some of the leaders yesterday in a conference call that 
when I visited Macedonia and other places in the Balkans, when these 
children were displaced and they did not have any classroom situation, 
it compounded the terrible experience that they had until a school 
situation was created for them. Think of what this is going to mean 
with people who have been sent to other States. How are those schools 
going to absorb all of these children even within their own States, but 
in two different school districts. In the allocation of our resources, 
I hope that we will have children first in terms of their education, 
their health.

  That takes us to the significant public health issues that we are 
facing there. Dead bodies floating in the water, some say that is not a 
danger. I do not know. It sounds dangerous to me. The chemicals that 
are in the water. There are so many things that we do need the facts 
on. So it is not a question of speculation. What are the facts? What is 
the public health challenge that we face? How do we allocate the 
resources to stop that immediately, because if our children are sick 
and they see death around them, much

[[Page H7620]]

of the rest that we do is not going to seem as relevant.
  We know that the list goes on. Shelter, people losing everything. I 
can tell you from my earthquake experience, and this is a little 
discouraging, you really are never made whole. The history of your 
family, the photographs, the sentimental attachment that you may have, 
some of that is just now to be forgotten. But if we cannot make them 
whole in the same way, we certainly have to give people hope in a new 
way that the life that they will lead will be something that not only 
replaces, but enhances, their experience, because they have been 
through a lot and in our perfect Union, as we embrace each other as 
people of America, we have to do so in a way that honors the social 
compact between the people and the government.
  That means all people. It does not mean people who have the 
wherewithal to get away to a second or third home. It does not mean 
people who can get helicoptered out, and God bless them for their 
success in being able to do that. God bless them for taking that route. 
But it does mean that if people are left behind because of their 
economic status, then that is wrong. That is wrong and that is not 
something that this $10 billion should support.
  We must, if this is not enough, do more. It is all an investment. It 
will cause an economic growth in the region as we rebuild, creating 
jobs, giving hope, bringing people home that I think will more than 
return to the Treasury what we are putting out there. But right now 
they need our help and they need it in a very substantial way. They 
need it for their health, for their housing, for their jobs, the 
education of their children, for the environment in which they live so 
that it is healthy and not again a public health hazard. They need to 
be considered full participants in this great country that we are.
  Let me say that there are many heroes in all of this. I named some of 
our colleagues, the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson), the 
gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Melancon), the gentleman from Mississippi 
(Mr. Taylor), the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn), those 
whose experiences I know firsthand. The list goes on and on. Again, 
others will speak from their firsthand experience about it. But the 
biggest heroes of course are the people who are on the front line all 
the time working very hard. I would hope that as we did in our 
earthquake situation, and forgive me for keeping returning to it, but 
it is an experience that we thought was the most desperate until we saw 
what we are seeing now, and this goes beyond anything I think that 
anyone can imagine, that the disaster assistance centers must be 
established, that people have to know what they have a right to in 
terms of their emergency assistance and that what people have a right 
to in terms of recovery, in terms of SBA loans and the rest of that.
  There are some things in place that can help people right away if we 
can get FEMA in place to help them. But again we must remove all doubt 
that we are there for all people. It cannot be viewed as for those who 
will receive assistance and those who have not will go by the wayside. 
This issue of social justice, of economic justice, of the economic life 
of a city, of a State that rests on the fullest participation of all of 
its people must respond in the fullest way to all of its people.
  I will say once again that I regret we could not have come here 
sooner with fuller participation of Members who have, again on both 
sides of the aisle, enormous experience in public health and energy 
issues and housing issues and education issues and the rest; but let us 
say that we get this running start now, and I have asked the Speaker 
that when we come back next week with the full participation of our 
membership that we establish a hurricane task force that would include 
the ranking members, the chairmen of the committees of jurisdiction 
relevant to this emergency relief and recovery and that that task force 
will immediately move forward in an expedited manner and not be slowed 
down by business as usual, but instead again give hope to these people.
  Again, I associate myself with what the gentleman from Wisconsin 
said. Even 4 years later after 9/11, there are still many things that 
have not been done, that have been clearly indicated are necessary. We 
have the resources to do it. It is just a question of priorities. That 
takes us to what this is about, what our priorities are as a country. 
How we allocate our resources is a statement of our values. As we leave 
here today and we go forward in the weeks ahead, we must make sure that 
everyone understands that a statement of our values is to form a more 
perfect Union by meeting the needs of our people and not having half a 
loaf when they are all Americans and entitled to full recovery.
  If we can spend $20 billion on reconstruction in Iraq, we can 
certainly use that as a start on reconstruction in America. I say that 
with the fullest appreciation for the importance of the reconstruction 
of Iraq. I respect that that is important to stability there. I respect 
that it is important to stability here, for us to do that. Again, I 
wish we were here sooner. We are not. Let us go forward. Let us do it 
in a bipartisan way. I think the last thing that the American people 
need to see is any kind of partisan bickering about how we go forward, 
but nonetheless we have to have a strong commitment to these people.
  In the Bible, Isaiah tells us that to minister to the needs of God's 
creation is an act of worship. To ignore those needs is to dishonor the 
God who made us. Let us make the work that we do here an act of worship 
to the God who made us and an act of respect for the people who sent us 
here.
  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the 
gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Blunt), the distinguished majority whip.
  Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this 
time. We are dealing with perhaps the worst natural disaster in our 
Nation's history. Residents of the Gulf Coast States affected by the 
hurricane have lost loved ones, have lost homes, have been displaced 
from their communities, not just by the thousands or the tens of 
thousands in terms of displacement but by the hundreds of thousands and 
by the millions.
  I am committed and I hope we all are to making sure that we have the 
full support of the Federal Government, that they have the full support 
of the Federal Government to get the responses they need to begin to 
recover and rebuild from this catastrophe.

                              {time}  1345

  I also understand that the Federal Government is only part of the 
answer. The severity of this tragedy demands something from each of us. 
We must answer the call to personally give to those in most need of our 
help. The American people are generous, and we know that Americans will 
come to the aid of those in need. While our thoughts go out to those 
who are suffering in the loss of this catastrophe, it is critical that 
we respond to this in an organized manner, addressing the most urgent 
needs first.
  It has been said in the last few minutes that we should have had this 
session earlier this week. But being here yesterday, I believe at 4 
o'clock yesterday afternoon, the number that we decided we needed today 
was bigger than it was at 12 o'clock yesterday. We were hopeful that of 
course we could go until Tuesday based on funding that was available 
and come back and deal with these problems as they need to be dealt 
with.
  That is why, Mr. Speaker, you and others have directed the committee 
chairmen to do everything they can to move forward on every front, to 
look at where their committee might make the best recommendations to 
this body. That is why today we are passing this supplemental to get 
FEMA through the process of next week.
  We all need to be committed to making sure that the people affected 
will have the full support of the Federal Government. We need to look 
at what has happened to States whose revenue base has been decimated. 
We need to look at what is happening to our economy. We need to do our 
job. We need to do it in a manner that is not partisan, and we need to 
move forward to take this first step today.
  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of 
my time to close the debate on this measure and in doing so suggest 
that those who are looking with interest that one of the great things 
that has happened in recent years is that we often televise

[[Page H7621]]

our discussions here. While that theoretically would build a base of 
support on the part of Americans for the Congress, it is strange to me 
that the polling would suggest that many Americans are very 
disconcerted by the tendency for extreme rhetoric on both sides of the 
aisle often carrying on partisan battle for the sake of it and so the 
polls are just seen as coming down, down, down.
  The reality of that is that the American people expect better of us 
than that. But Americans respond in times of crisis and tragedy. There 
is not any doubt that this tragic event that has been experienced by 
the people on the Gulf Coast is beyond imagination, but in reality also 
the public will see the Congress reflecting the best of our people. 
They do not want us pointing fingers at each other, trying to figure 
out who you can blame besides myself. They want us to recognize that we 
have a responsibility to serve our people, and in times of crisis 
especially respond to their basic needs, saving lives, extending those 
lives, helping them to begin to rebuild.
  The destruction that has overtaken New Orleans and the Gulf Coast 
will require months and even years to completely respond to recovery. 
It will take nothing less than a domestic Marshall Plan to rebuild our 
roads and utilities and homes and businesses. On this point, let me be 
very clear. Rebuild we must. Rebuild we will. The majority whip 
suggested that Americans themselves are already responding 
individually. Indeed, as we responded to the tsunami in spades, 
Americans are already responding, with their hearts, with their prayers 
and indeed with their pocketbooks to the Salvation Army, the Red Cross 
and otherwise. They are going to make sure that money is not the 
question. We are beginning that process by way of our public 
responsibility today with this bill, but indeed in the weeks and months 
and years ahead, we will demonstrate as a Congress that America does 
its best work when we come together as Americans and not as partisans.
  With the passage of this bill, this task is just beginning. I urge 
people on both sides of the aisle in the weeks ahead to make certain 
that we are holding hands with those victims and all of our Americans 
who want to see us respond in the way that we can respond and we are 
doing our best.
  Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, after seeing the heart-wrenching 
images of so many of our fellow Americans in Louisiana, Mississippi and 
Alabama who have lost everything and are unfed, thirsty, suffering from 
oppressive heat in unsanitary conditions and waiting in desperation for 
help from their government, this bill is a truly no-brainer.
  Every American is united in the heart-felt desire to help the 
hundreds of thousands who are literally crying out for assistance. 
$10.5 billion is not nearly enough to get the job done, even in the 
short term. So far, judging from the horrible suffering of thousands of 
people that Americans see every night on their television screens, our 
government has not been handling this crisis very well.
  I hope that this money will have some impact in finally getting some 
aid to the needy. Before Katrina, who among us would have thought that 
Americans would be begging for food and water and become refugees in 
our own country? Yet that is exactly what has been happening for days 
in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Thousands of these people are 
within blocks of aid, but for days no aid has been provided to them.
  However, it is not enough to simply vote for funding bills. We have 
to make sure that the relief money we are appropriating today and that 
we will be appropriating in the weeks, months and years ahead actually 
gets to the victims, and is not skimmed off by fast-buck artists and 
unscrupulous contractors.
  This crisis is so enormous and so devastatingly serious that it is 
without precedent in our history. For these reasons, we need to get out 
of a ``business as usual'' frame of mind and implement some bold new 
approaches to helping our people in their time of dire need.
  First, the Speaker should immediately create a Task Force or Special 
Committee with the power to cut across overlapping jurisdictional lines 
to prevent duplication and expedite needed legislation. This Committee 
should draw on and coordinate the expertise of the House standing 
committees in the areas of public health, housing, food and nutrition, 
safety, social services, energy, transportation and commerce. There is 
precedent for this approach. In 1977, Speaker O'Neil set up the Ad Hoc 
Committee on Energy, with legislative authority to deal with the energy 
crisis. I think we should use the same approach today.
  Second, Congress should provide additional resources to the office of 
the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security to help 
insure that the hundreds of billions of dollars that will likely be 
necessary to care for our people and rebuild our country are not wasted 
through fraud, abuse, overpayments or ineffective government 
management.
  We have many good reasons for concern about wasteful spending. In the 
three years since the Department of Homeland Security was created, 
numerous reports by the Congress, the Department's Inspector General 
and the Government Accountability Office have detailed instance after 
instance of contracting deficiencies, fraud, wasteful or lavish 
spending, lax oversight and management, procurement shortcomings, 
blurred lines of responsibility and lack of accountability.
  In addition, the case of U.S. government spending in Iraq is 
instructive in what we don't want to do in the hurricane areas, where 
multi-billion-dollar contracts were given to big companies like 
Halliburton with little oversight or accountability. Pentagon 
investigators found over one quarter of a billion dollars in 
unacceptable or unsupported charges by Halliburton in a contract they 
had to restore Iraqi oil. Hundreds of millions more in other contracts 
have simply disappeared or cannot be accounted for.
  These practices have not only cheated the taxpayers, but they cheat 
the people who need help from getting the benefits that these funds 
should have provided.
  I believe that this Congress must make sure, to the greatest extent 
possible, that the funds that we are appropriating today and in the 
coming months to help the Hurricane Katrina victims are directly 
squarely at helping the victims and not those who seek to profit at the 
expense of the victims.
  Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, our country is once again devastated by a 
tragedy and our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and families 
who have been affected. I would like to wish the best to the Members of 
this House and their staffs from the affected areas; our prayers are 
with you and your families as well.
  Mr. Speaker, I would also like to recognize and praise my 
constituents in EI Paso, Texas, who like many other citizens have begun 
to organize efforts to send relief to those in need. Just yesterday, I 
helped kick off an initiative being called ``48 Hours of Giving'', a 
joint effort by the El Paso Sheriffs Department, the El Paso Chapter of 
the American Red Cross, the EI Paso Salvation Army, and Bassett Place 
to raise money to help victims of Hurricane Katrina.
  The EI Paso County Sheriff's Department has also offered to send 
their Search and Rescue team to the area to provide assistance and the 
EI Paso chapter of the American Red Cross has begun signing up and 
training volunteers to send to the Gulf Coast for relief. It truly is 
heartening to see communities come together in times of great need. It 
is my hope that we continue this spirit of generosity as we overcome 
this tragedy.
  The passage of this Emergency Supplemental Appropriation will help 
continue the efforts to provide aid in a timely matter. While our 
communities are opening their hearts and doing whatever possible, it is 
our government's job to be doing everything it can with all resources 
to provide for the well-being of its own people. It is unconscionable 
that we are not taking care of our own, and that there are still 
Americans who have not been fed or sheltered or reunited with their 
families for five days now. It is embarrassing that this mighty nation 
that sends relief around the world has failed its own people so 
miserably.
  I hope that this House and this government can rebuild our own 
devastated areas with the same enthusiasm and resources dedicated to 
rebuilding governments and nations abroad.
  Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, Hurricane Katrina is the largest 
natural disaster in the United States in decades, impacting large parts 
of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi. There has been 
enormous damage to homes and businesses in the Gulf Coast region, as 
well as a significant loss of human life. Both the mayor of New Orleans 
and the governor of Louisiana now estimate that the number dead in New 
Orleans alone could be in the thousands. That estimate, if correct, 
would make Katrina the Nation's deadliest natural disaster since the 
1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire, which killed up to 6,000 
people.
  As co-chair of the Congressional Hazards Caucus, I unfortunately know 
firsthand how damaging natural disasters can be. While I am devastated 
by the enormity of this tragedy, I know that our faith, tenacity and 
determination ensure that we will work, as a Nation, to do all that we 
can to stem the crisis and help those in desperate need. Therefore, I 
rise today in full support of Congress's initial payment for disaster 
relief for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
  This supplemental appropriations bill contains $10 billion for the 
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and $500 million

[[Page H7622]]

for the Department of Defense, for a total of $10.5 billion in relief 
aid. This funding is desperately needed. Currently, FEMA is spending 
$500 million a day to aid victims. If this supplemental spending bill 
is passed, the $10 billion allotted to FEMA will enable it to assist 
the people affected by the hurricane for another 20 days. This aid will 
focus on critical areas, including public health and sanitation, public 
safety, housing, energy supplies, national transportation 
infrastructure, commerce, and the safety and adequacy of food supplies.
  Hundreds of thousands of Americans have been devastated by Hurricane 
Katrina and are turning to their elected representatives for 
assistance. We must do all we can to ensure an immediate and thorough 
response to these needs, and I fully support the $10.5 billion 
supplemental appropriation for disaster relief.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, ``National Preparedness 
Month,'' an initiative of the Department of Homeland Security and the 
American Red Cross to ``encourage Americans to take simple steps to 
prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses and schools'' began 
on September 1st. As the Ranking Member of the House Committee on 
Homeland Security, I serve as the Honorary Congressional Co-Chair.
  I was filled with sadness and disbelief when a press release from the 
Department came across my desk on Thursday announcing the initiative, 
saying that it would help Americans take simple steps such as ``get a 
kit, make a plan, be informed, and get involved.'' The release seemed 
hollow and inappropriate in light of the devastation caused by 
Hurricane Katrina in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and my home State of 
Mississippi.
  My message to the Department and others in government is simple: we 
will need more than a few emergency kits and press releases to ensure 
that our Nation is adequately prepared to respond to a natural disaster 
or terrorist attack.
  Hurricane Katrina was an unprecedented natural disaster, but to 
government officials tasked with protecting our Nation's communities, 
it should not have been a surprise.
  Risk assessments have long told us that the Gulf Coast was in danger. 
The New Orleans Times-Picayune did a series of articles as early as 
2002 about the risks to New Orleans from a hurricane. The Federal 
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created reports and conducted 
exercises on Gulf Coast preparedness and response issues. Yet, it pains 
me that here we are a week after the hurricane struck with potentially 
thousands of deaths, communities razed, a city underwater and under 
siege, and gasoline shortages and price gouging across the Nation.

  From what I am seeing here in Mississippi, our government failed in 
both its preparedness and its response to this disaster. I also believe 
that if terrorists, rather than a hurricane, had attacked the Gulf 
Coast--the result would have been no different.
  It appears our preparedness plans did not anticipate that thousands 
of people would be stranded in a stadium or convention center. Or that 
citizens would be roaming the streets begging for food and water and 
seeking shelter wherever they can find dry spots--as they're doing in 
Mississippi.
  Instead of a well-prepared plan, victims have had to rely on ad hoc 
charity from cities with big hearts such as Houston that are opening up 
venues to house now-homeless evacuees.
  I have even heard that people are being put on two-day bus rides to 
Washington, DC, for shelter. While Washington should be commended for 
opening the DC Armory to victims, there is something wrong with having 
to put evacuees who have lost everything on buses for several days so 
far from what might be left, if anything, of their communities.
  How will families and friends of these evacuees know how to find 
them? The same could be asked of those who are being turned away from 
the Astrodome and moved on to Dallas or San Antonio.
  I also wonder how an electrical outage could take down such critical 
infrastructure as two oil and gas pipelines servicing a large section 
of the country? In 1998, President Clinton issued a presidential 
directive that required the government to look at pipeline and 
electrical grid security. In December 2003, President Bush issued a 
homeland security directive that repackaged the government's efforts.
  The last several years in Congress, we have continually heard that 
the administration and private sector are working to secure our 
critical infrastructure. Yet, a power outage managed to cripple the 
pipelines, resulting in skyrocketing gas prices across the Nation. 
Overnight, some communities saw gas prices rise 40 cents, others $2.00.
  What message does this send to terrorists if our petroleum systems 
are so vulnerable? I also wonder what extra steps the Federal 
Government and the energy sector are taking today to ensure that these 
facilities are bolstered against attack from terrorists who might try 
to exploit the current situation.
  Despite the increasing threat of hurricanes, especially this year, 
our government continued to cut the funding of the Army Corps of 
Engineers, thereby cutting the funding for flood control projects. In 
2005, President Bush only requested $3.9 million for the floor projects 
in New Orleans, although the Army Corps of Engineers said it would be 
able to spend $20 million if the funds were only provided. Congress 
increased the funding to $5.5 million, which still was insufficient to 
fund new construction contracts to secure the levees. For Fiscal Year 
2006, the President has asked for even less, requesting only $3 
million. Allowing dams and levees to remain vulnerable to disaster and 
attack simply is unacceptable.
  The administration must focus on the very real threats to our 
communities, towns, and cities if we are to secure our Nation. 
Preparedness is our prime defense against natural disasters and 
terrorist attacks. What Americans face today is a result of what 
happens when our government fails to prepare.
  Natural disaster or terrorist attack--our government must do better. 
We all deserve better.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the United States is facing 
one of the most difficult challenges in its history, and I applaud the 
Congress for acting swiftly to introduce and pass H.R. 3645, a bill 
that will provide $10 billion in relief money to the Federal Emergency 
Management Administration (FEMA) to bring relief to the victims of 
Hurricane Katrina. As the Representative of the 18th Congressional 
District that includes Harris County, the local government that has 
given the most support to the displaced residents of New Orleans, LA, 
Alabama, and Mississippi, this supplemental appropriation has 
tremendous meaning and value.
  The Washington Post called the effect of Katrina ``[t]he largest 
displacement of Americans since the Civil War reverberated across the 
country from its starting point in New Orleans yesterday, as more than 
half a million people uprooted by Hurricane Katrina sought shelter, 
sustenance and the semblance of new lives.'' Mr. Speaker, I strongly 
support this appropriation because it is a very important first step to 
other very necessary ones to address the direct effects on Florida, 
Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana and the indirect effects on local 
governments that have stepped up to provide solace, safe haven, and 
hope such as my District of Houston, Texas and Harris County in 
particular. I would like to take this opportunity to applaud the City 
of Houston, its teams of first responders, and the compassionate 
taxpayers who exhibited leadership in spiritual, physical, and economic 
assistance to their brothers and sisters from Louisiana.
  I am disheartened by my colleagues among us who ask the question of 
what sense it makes to spend billions of dollars to rebuild a city that 
lies six feet below sea level. As leaders of the legislative branch of 
the federal government and as the people responsible for making policy, 
we must be very careful not to show insensitivity or the semblance of 
arrogance since our own family members or close friends are not among 
the sufferers of this historic tragedy. Today's Houston Chronicle reads 
``Weary refugees grateful to arrive at resting place: The next step for 
many is finding family members.'' [1][1] Thousands of displaced 
persons--this time not in the context of Sudanese refugees but American 
refugees, have been bused and helicoptered from New Orleans to 
Houston's Reliant Astrodome where some are now abused, raped, and 
assaulted because many of these individuals no longer have hope. Ten 
billion dollars is hardly enough to restore lives that have been lost, 
medical records that float in what used to be New Orleans, or homes 
where memories were created.
  As a member of the Committee on Homeland Security, I am pleased that, 
through the lessons learned from the attacks on 9/11, this Nation is at 
least well-versed on centralizing resources and manpower to respond as 
quickly and strongly as possible.
  Mr. Speaker, I support this very critical legislation, and I hope 
that my colleagues will show their compassion by joining in this 
support.
  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this 
legislation to provide $10 billion in emergency supplemental 
appropriations for the relief effort in the aftermath of Hurricane 
Katrina. Without question, this appropriations bill is only an early 
estimate of the funding needs along the Gulf Coast and will most likely 
be only the first installment of federal funds dedicated to this 
devastated region.
  As Houstonians learned in June 2001 during Tropical Storm Allison, it 
takes quite a while to accurately assess the damage and determine just 
how much is needed to repair that damage after a natural disaster such 
as Hurricane Katrina. We remember all too well the flooding and 
destruction that Houstonians endured during Tropical Storm Allison. The 
memory of our pain and frustration during that time puts Houston in a 
unique position to empathize with and help our neighbors in Louisiana, 
Mississippi, and Alabama.

[[Page H7623]]

  Houstonians are selflessly rising to the occasion and helping 
hurricane victims in need. Our hospitals within the Texas Medical 
Center are using their resources to evacuate the critically ill in 
Louisiana's hospitals and have done an admirable job of reuniting 
evacuated patients with their families. The good-hearted members of our 
community are coming out in droves to volunteer, to help in any way 
they can. And our schools are opening their doors to the children of 
Hurricane Katrina, so that the devastating events of the past week will 
not thwart their education and the bright future that lies ahead of 
them.
  As we applaud the overwhelming generosity of the people of the 
Houston area--as well as communities all across the country who are 
coming together to provide much-needed help--it is critical to remember 
that the responsibility for relief ultimately lies with the federal 
government. There is no question that the federal government was 
unprepared for the kind of devastation that has ravaged Louisiana, 
Mississippi, and Alabama. As we support the local governments who have, 
without hesitation, stepped in and played a tremendous role in the 
relief effort, we must ensure that the generosity of these communities 
is met with a federal commitment to reimburse them for the expenses 
they've incurred as good Samaritans.
  Across our country, American hearts ache as we witness the extreme 
suffering of our fellow Americans in Louisiana, Mississippi, and 
Alabama. I am proud to support this $10 billion disaster relief bill, 
which will be the first step in helping our brothers and sisters to 
rebuild their lives. Yet as we sympathize with their plight, it is 
impossible to deny that a majority of Katrina's victims fell through 
the cracks of our country's safety net long before the hurricane hit 
land. The faces of Hurricane Katrina will long be branded in our 
memory. Let us not forget those faces as we address future issues 
facing our country's safety net--a safety net that we know all too well 
can mean life or death for the disadvantaged in our country.
  Mr. PLATTS. Mr. Speaker, the ongoing scenes of devastation and 
despair caused by Hurricane Katrina are heart-wrenching and 
unprecedented in our Nation's history. We must and will unite in a 
national effort to assist our fellow citizens in these hours of 
overwhelming need.
  Our condolences and prayers go out to all individuals who have been 
impacted by Hurricane Katrina, especially those who have lost loved 
ones in this horrific tragedy. Passage of this legislation makes it 
clear that all members of Congress, Republicans, Democrats, and 
Independents alike, are indeed united in our prayers for and commitment 
to the victims of this devastating event. We are also united in our 
admiration of the military and emergency services personnel who are 
working tirelessly to save lives and maintain order. Their heroic 
efforts, matched with the outpouring of support from the American 
people, are a testament to the character and compassion of our people.
  While the days, weeks, and months ahead will be long and difficult, 
our Nation will meet this unprecedented challenge with unwavering 
determination, compassion, and courage. May God watch over the victims 
of this tragedy during this time of tremendous loss and suffering.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, my deepest condolences go to the 
victims of Hurricane Katrina who have lost their lives, their homes and 
their livelihoods. For many, it did not have to be this way.
  I represent south Florida, an area with a great deal of experience 
with hurricanes. Frankly, the planning and response efforts that I have 
seen from FEMA and the rest of the Federal Government leaves my 
confidence in our ability to respond to any kind of domestic disaster 
shaken and makes me fear for my constituents should a hurricane, or 
other disaster of this magnitude strike south Florida.
  There are some serious questions to be asked: Why with several days' 
notice about this storm, were more people not evacuated? Where was the 
plan to evacuate people who did not have the money or ability to 
evacuate themselves? When the size and strength of the storm was known, 
why wasn't a response team in place to go into affected areas 
immediately? Why was Federal funding to reinforce the levee system cut 
when it would have saved thousands of lives and billions of dollars? 
And, given that this disaster was the first large scale test of the new 
Department of Homeland Security and their Federal Emergency Management 
Agency, does this new structure improve or hamper disaster prevention, 
response and relief?
  Yesterday morning, President Bush went onto NBC's Today Show and made 
the following statement: ``The critical thing was to get people out of 
there before the disaster. Some people chose not to obey that order. 
That was a mistake on their part.'' President Bush's statement shows a 
complete lack of understanding of, and insensitivity to, the plight 
facing so many American families today, or why those families died or 
are now suffering in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The United 
States Census Bureau reports that in 2004 over 23 percent of the 
population of the city of New Orleans was living at or below the 
poverty level. The poverty level is $12,334 a year for a family of two, 
or $19,307 a year for a family of four. Mr. President, when a husband 
and wife only make $12,334 they very likely do not have a car, or money 
for gasoline, or even money for a bus fare to get out of town. It was 
not a mistake on their part, but rather Mr. President, a mistake on 
your part that you did not have a plan to evacuate these families from 
the path of imminent danger.
  One thing is very clear; poor planning, and a slow response to an 
imminent disaster has cost hundreds of people their lives and hundreds 
more will die if the Government does not significantly increase its 
response. Even today, there are over 200,000 National Guard troops that 
have not been called up to help in the relief efforts. Even today, the 
Navy's Hospital ship Comfort remains in Baltimore Harbor, and will not 
set sail for the Gulf until Saturday and will not reach the Gulf for a 
week after that.
  Our government must be better prepared to plan and respond to 
disasters of every kind in this country. But for right now, we must 
mobilize the incredible resources of the Federal Government and respond 
to this crisis in a manner that recognizes that people are dying as we 
speak because not enough has been done to help them.
  Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of 
House Concurrent Resolution 225 and ask for its immediate adoption so 
that the people of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama can get the 
relief they sorely need through funding from the Federal Government.
  I offer my prayers to the victims of Hurricane Katrina and my 
thoughts and condolences are with the many families who have lost loved 
ones and family members.
  During turbulent times such as this, I have witnessed the generosity 
of great Americans from across our country who have come to the aid of 
their fellow citizens. Now is the time those citizens of the Gulf Coast 
communities need our help. In my home State of California, those 
citizens who in recent years have suffered through devastating 
earthquakes, mudslides and brushfires know firsthand how natural 
disasters can dramatically impact their lives and how challenging it 
can be to rebuild homes, communities and families. Already the people 
in southern California and in my district are hard at work donating 
both time and resources to the many victims in the impacted Gulf Coast 
communities.
  We Californians have a long tradition of helping our neighbors 
through devastating tragedies and disasters. And in that spirit, I call 
on all Americans to help support the rescue and recovery efforts that 
are under way in the region affected by Hurricane Katrina.
  I applaud the leadership of Congress in convening this special 
session today to ensure that funding will be made available to help 
rebuild the lives of the families affected and the communities in which 
they live.
  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to say that our thoughts and prayers 
go out to all those who have suffered through the catastrophic event of 
Hurricane Katrina. I also rise today in support of the $10 billion 
supplemental spending bill to help deal with the ravages left in its 
wake. This category 4 Hurricane has laid waste to our Gulf Coast 
region, including the city of New Orleans. Today, I am outraged, 
outraged at the failure of our Federal Government to have planned for 
and adequately responded to a disaster we all knew could happen.
  I join millions of Americans who have been stunned by the television 
coverage showing the desperation of thousands and thousands of our 
citizens and the failure of our Government to provide them with 
essential services--food, water, medical care, and sanitary conditions.
  Today, I want to talk about the situation in New Orleans and the Gulf 
Coast and the immense suffering and desperation that the people there 
are experiencing. It has been 5 days since Hurricane Katrina slammed 
into the region and yet tens of thousands of Americans are without food 
and water. Lawlessness has settled in New Orleans and we have not 
provided the support necessary to secure the region. Tens of thousands 
of citizens are still stranded in shelters and we have not been able to 
evacuate them to safer areas; and thousands of residents of New Orleans 
are in need of rescue from their flood-filled homes and we have not 
mobilized the personnel necessary to search for them and bring them to 
safety.
  Today, as thousands of residents of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast 
region face the possibility of death, I am outraged that the Federal 
Government failed to adequately plan for the hurricane as it approached 
this very vulnerable region. Last Friday, the hurricane's potential 
danger was clear, yet we did a poor job of getting resources in place.

[[Page H7624]]

  After the hurricane struck, we did not activate the full resources of 
the Federal Government to assist the region. Instead, we relied on 
local and State governments, entities that were clearly overwhelmed and 
did not have the resources necessary to deal with a catastrophe of this 
magnitude.
  Today, I am outraged at the failure of government to protect our 
citizens. Last year, James Lee Witt, former head of FEMA, testified 
before a congressional hearing, saying: ``I am extremely concerned that 
the ability of our Nation to prepare for and respond to disasters has 
been sharply eroded. I hear from the emergency managers, local and 
State leaders and first responders nearly every day that the FEMA they 
knew and worked well with has now disappeared.''
  Today, we must bring the full weight of the Federal Government to 
bear in this crisis. I call on the Federal Government to send in the 
necessary personnel to rescue those in need and to restore order to the 
region. I also call on the Federal Government to open its facilities in 
order to share the burden of providing temporary housing for those who 
have been displaced.
  Once we deal with the human tragedy that is now taking place, I call 
for congressional hearings that will examine what went wrong. Why our 
most vulnerable citizens were left to fend for themselves and why an 
entire region was not prepared for such a catastrophic event. I also 
call for congressional hearings to investigate the gas gouging that has 
spread across the Nation--taking advantage of human tragedy to make a 
profit. Hurricane Katrina has inflicted grievous pain on our country. I 
want to be sure that in the future we are prepared to deal effectively 
and competently with any catastrophic event that should occur.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, in the aftermath of such a grave 
humanitarian catastrophe, one of the worst in our Nation's history, our 
thoughts and prayers are with those touched by tragedy and coping with 
loss.
  Relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina are being carried out unabated 
in the face of great destruction, and much more needs to be done. 
Relief workers are locating survivors, evacuating those in harm's way, 
finding temporary shelter for the displaced and beginning to clean up 
debris. Over 20,000 National Guard troops and thousands of local law 
enforcement are working hard to maintain order and keep victims safe.
  For this massive undertaking to continue and improve, it is essential 
that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has the funds needed to 
carry relief efforts through these crucial early days, as well as the 
long weeks ahead. Congress stands united with the President and with 
those affected in Gulf Coast States. The speaker has used his emergency 
powers to call us back to Washington to appropriate a supplemental 
$10.5 billion to FEMA and the Department of Defense. As the scope and 
scale of this tragedy become clearer, we will be ready to take 
additional action.
  Under desperate and trying conditions, the soul of the South remains 
strong. In large measure, the people of Alabama, Louisiana and 
Mississippi, as well as Florida, are coping with lost lives, flattened 
houses and flooded businesses with great dignity and perseverance.
  The Gulf Coast and the Port of New Orleans are vital to our economy 
and home to many important industries. Oil refineries, grain shipments, 
tourism and international trade are all affected by this natural 
disaster. While we urgently cope with the suffering of our fellow 
Americans, Congress is also mindful of the hurricane's economic 
fallout. We are committed to minimizing the adverse national and 
international economic affects of Katrina.
  The lesson of past national tragedies, most recently September 11, 
2001, is that when this country faces calamity, the American people and 
their elected representatives respond with overwhelming generosity, 
compassion and action. We also saw this with the response to the 
December 2004 Asian tsunami. So to those who are still in dire need of 
help, I can say with confidence that help is on the way. And help will 
not end with the rooftop rescue or the evacuation to another city. 
Congress, the President and FEMA will see this effort through until the 
very end.
  There is still much hardship, loss and grief to endure, and the road 
to reconstructing lives, communities and jobs will be difficult. But, 
as we have before, this country will come together to aid those now 
suffering. We will get relief on the ground so the Gulf Coast region 
can begin rebuilding from the ground up.
  Accordingly, Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this 
necessary and important appropriations measure.
  Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, nothing tears at our hearts or 
bruises us emotionally as much as the pain and suffering of people 
trapped by the horrific natural disaster in our southern Gulf States 
this week.
  Each of us watches helplessly from our living rooms, as TV screens 
fill with the faces of young and old, and we hear the voices, all 
beseeching us for the very basics of life: water, food, shelter, and 
safety.
  These images and sounds fill us with pain, frustration and dismay. 
Our voices blend with those of our American brothers and sisters who 
need a helping hand: ``Do something.''
  Like every other American, I wanted to load up my car with food and 
water and drive to New Orleans or one of the other cities so badly 
damaged and be there not only to give them sustenance, but also to tell 
them that we care about them and what has and is happening to them.
  But the truth is that if we all did what we want to do, we would just 
magnify the problems.
  And so we do what we can: we send donations of money and supplies, we 
send our National Guard and local law enforcement and emergency 
workers. And we yell at the government because we believe that in 
America, we ought to be better equipped to deal with such emergencies.
  You know what? We should be better prepared. That is an issue we will 
deal with in the weeks and months ahead. The victims of Hurricane 
Katrina need us today, and our initial focus should be to meet their 
needs. Congress. by approving this major financial aid package, is 
responding with the rest of America to the immediate need.
  Our first priority is saving lives and making sure these American 
citizens have their basic needs met. Once that occurs, we can move 
forward with long-range planning for these citizens who lost so much, 
and communities struggling with recovery.
  Mr. Speaker, there is a time for campaigning and a time for 
governing, a time for leadership and compassion and a time for 
congressional hearings. Today is a time that we pull together with love 
of our neighbors and the love of our Nation to bring relief, safety and 
security to our fellow Americans in need.
  Ms. KILPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I want to extend my condolences to the 
families who have lost loved ones in the natural disaster we have 
witnessed over the last 5 days. Our hearts go out to them and we are 
working desperately to address this desperate situation.
  I pay tribute to Democratic Leader Pelosi for giving this effort to 
provide for supplemental funding relief for the hurricane victims in 
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida the priority attention and 
urgency it deserves. Because of her forward thinking and sensitivity to 
the scope of this disaster, we are here today in this special session 
of Congress doing what we should be doing: responding to the needs of 
the thousands of victims of this natural disaster to make sure the 
money is available for food; water; emergency supplies; temporary 
shelter; command, control, and communications networks; public safety; 
public health and sanitation; and other forms of emergency assistance.
  Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for acceding to the gentlelady's call to 
convene the House to pass this $10 billion package. Today, we 
demonstrate that partisan politics stop when it comes to responding to 
the needs of thousands of Americans who find their very lives imperiled 
by Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. We are showing that Congress 
can lead and provide a rapid response when misfortune strikes.
  This is not the time for recriminations. There will be plenty of time 
for that when Congress reconvenes next week to review the slowness and 
inadequacy of the response and consequence management efforts of the 
natural disaster that struck our Gulf Coast. The experience of my 
congressional office in trying to contact responsible Federal agencies 
involved with the effort shows that communications between 
congressional offices, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, 
and other responding Federal agencies has not improved since 9/11.
  What shocks us as Americans is that the we are witnessing human 
tragedies on our television screens on a scale we do not expect to see 
in America. It is hard for us to accept a human tragedy like we see in 
the third world happen on our own shores. It is even harder for us to 
accept that our response to this human tragedy is no better than what 
we see by lesser and undeveloped countries. The lack of an effective 
response and plan of action has us all in shock.
  While no class has escaped the human tragedy, the disproportionate 
numbers of victims are black, poor, aged, disabled or otherwise 
physically debilitated. These are the people who are the lowest 
priority in emergency evacuation plans because we do not know how to 
address their fundamental needs. They are the first who depend on the 
Government for services, the first at the mercy of the elements but the 
last on civic emergency action plans.
  Our hearts go out to those who are stranded and dispossessed. We need 
leadership to address their needs. The private sector like the hotel 
industry and the civic community

[[Page H7625]]

must step up to offer assistance. The city of Detroit has offered to 
transport 500 families to Detroit to shelter them and meet their basic 
human needs. The Mayor of Detroit, the Honorable Kwame Kilpatrick, has 
worked with FEMA, local hotels and food manufacturers to provide 
temporary shelter for an estimated 500 families. He has gained the 
cooperation of the city of Detroit School District to accommodate the 
children of dislocated families. We need more State and civic leaders 
to step up.
  I also want to acknowledge the offers of assistance our government 
has received from the international community. Governments from other 
countries have offered their expertise in airlifting residents and in 
other humanitarian response recovery techniques in our time of need. I 
hope we are big enough to accept these offers where there is a need.
  Again, I thank Democratic Leader Pelosi and the Speaker for seeing 
that Congress does its part to respond quickly. To all the victims, 
their families and loved ones, please know we stand with you in our 
actions and prayers.
  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, this amount of money is only a fraction of 
what is needed and everyone here knows it. Let it go forward quickly 
with heart-felt thanks to those who are helping to save lives with 
necessary food, water, shelter, medical care and security. Congress 
must also demand accountability with the appropriations. Because until 
there are basic changes in the direction of this government, this 
tragedy will multiply to apocalyptic proportions.
  The administration yesterday said that no one anticipated the breach 
of the levees. Did the administration not see or care about the 2001 
FEMA warning about the risk of a devastating hurricane hitting the 
people of New Orleans? Did it not know or care that civil and Army 
engineers were warning for years about the consequences of failure to 
strengthen the flood control system? Was it aware or did it care that 
the very same administration, which decries the plight of the people 
today, cut from the budget tens of millions needed for Gulf-area flood 
control projects?
  Countless lives have been lost throughout the South with a cost of 
hundreds of billions in ruined homes, businesses, and the destruction 
of an entire physical and social infrastructure.
  The President said an hour ago that the Gulf Coast looks like it has 
been obliterated by a weapon. It has. Indifference is a weapon of mass 
destruction.
  Our indifferent government is in a crisis of legitimacy. If it 
continues to ignore its basic responsibility for the health and welfare 
of the American people, will there ever be enough money to clean up 
after their indifference?
  As our government continues to squander human and monetary resources 
of this country on the war, people are beginning to ask, ``Isn't it 
time we began to take care of our own people here at home? Isn't it 
time we rescued our own citizens? Isn't it time we fed our own people? 
Isn't it time we sheltered our own people? Isn't it time we provided 
physical and economic security for our own people?'' And isn't it time 
we stopped the oil companies from profiting from this tragedy?
  We have plenty of work to do here at home. It is time for America to 
come home and take care of its own people who are drowning in the 
streets, suffocating in attics, dying from exposure to the elements, 
oppressed by poverty and illness, wracked with despair and hunger and 
thirst.
  The time is now to bring back to the United States the 78,000 
National Guard troops currently deployed overseas into the Gulf Coast 
region.
  The time is now to bring back to the U.S. the equipment which will be 
needed for search and rescue, for clean up and reclamation.
  The time is now for Federal resources, including closed Army bases, 
to be used for temporary shelter for those who have been displaced by 
the hurricane.
  The time is now to plan massive public works, with jobs going to the 
people of the Gulf Coast States, to build new levees, new roads, 
bridges, libraries, schools, colleges and universities and to rebuild 
all public institutions, including hospitals. Medicare ought to be 
extended to everyone, so every person can get the physical and mental 
health care they might need as a result of the disaster.
  The time is now for the Federal Government to take seriously the 
research of scientists who have warned for years about the dangers of 
changes in the global climate, and to prepare other regions of the 
country for other possible weather disasters until we change our 
disastrous energy policies.
  The time is now for changes in our energy policy, to end the 
domination of oil and fossil fuel and to invest heavily in alternative 
energy, including wind and solar, geothermal and biofuels.
  As bad as this catastrophe will prove to be, it is in fact only a 
warning. Our government must change its direction, it must become 
involved in making America a better place to live, a place where all 
may survive and thrive. It must get off the path of war and seek the 
path of peace, peace with the natural environment, peace with other 
nations, peace with a just economic system.
  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, Hurricane Katrina has caused 
unprecedented destruction to our neighbors to the south. We in North 
Carolina understand the destructive power of hurricanes and floods, and 
our thoughts and prayers are with all the victims who suffered through 
the storm and suffer in its aftermath.
  I am pleased that Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi called for Congress 
to reconvene early in order to provide the needed personnel, equipment 
and resources for this disaster.
  We must immediately devote the personnel, resources and funding 
necessary to help these people get the food, health care and safe 
shelter they need before rebuilding can begin, and this $10.5 billion 
is a good start.
  The recovery from the Hurricane Katrina disaster will be long and 
difficult. I commend all the brave first responders, FEMA employees and 
volunteers with the Red Cross and other charitable agencies as they 
work to provide relief to the hurricane victims. People's lives have 
been changed forever, and the American people have responded with their 
money, time and prayers to help our neighbors.
  Mr. ORTIZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the bipartisan leadership--both for 
the whole House and for the Appropriations Committee--for this urgent 
response to our neighbors and families in the Gulf Coast region.
  The notion of refugees in America is a foreign concept for us, but I 
know the American family will respond fully and completely in 
relocating the people who have fled the Gulf region; and who must now 
necessarily migrate north and make temporary lives somewhere else for 
at least the next few months.
  I want to note something interesting to my colleagues. Just last week 
before the Base Closure and Realignment Commission, BRAC, I pointed out 
to the commissioners that the Gulf of Mexico has serious security 
needs.
  With the BRAC recommended closures of Naval Station Ingleside and 
Ellington Air Field in Texas, and the closure of NS Pascagoula in 
Mississippi, we were leaving the Gulf of Mexico vulnerable to an attack 
that could disrupt our oil supplies--both the wells in the Gulf and the 
refineries along our southern coast--and our vital trade routes. Post-
BRAC, we will have not a single surface Navy ship in the Gulf of 
Mexico.
  Mother Nature painted a very vivid picture for all of us of how a 
major disruption in the Gulf can affect our Nation and our economy.
  I will be talking to DOD officials and my colleagues on the House 
Armed Services Committee to pursue a Center of Excellence for Homeland 
Defense and Security in the western Gulf of Mexico.
  Again, I thank the House for this rapid attention to the dire need 
for relief to our neighbors in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. I 
support the bill, and urge swift passage.
  We must come to grips now with the fact that this is just our first 
drop in the bucket; this ongoing rescue and relief effort will be 
monumental and long term. It will be years before New Orleans and the 
Gulf Coast can be rebuilt. It will take our money, it will take our 
energy, and it will take all our hearts.
  Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this emergency 
supplemental for the millions of Americans affected by the devastation 
stemming from Hurricane Katrina.
  It is important that the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Defense, and all other 
federal agencies involved have all monies necessary to do the recovery 
and reconstruction effort the right way.
  This supplemental is a down payment to ensure that the recovery 
effort is not halted due to a lack of money. But, it is only a down 
payment. We must work in the coming months and years to make sure that 
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and all the other states 
dramatically affected by Hurricane Katrina are rebuilt and that the 
survivors are given the means necessary to begin their recovery.
  I ask Americans all across this great country to open their hearts 
and donate to the effort to help their fellow citizens in their time of 
need. The recovery effort demands that private business, private 
charities, private citizens, and the government come together to help 
those in their time of crisis.
  I applaud Leader Pelosi and Speaker Hastert for bringing the House 
back into session today to pass this supplemental. It is one small way 
we in the Congress can ensure that the money from the federal treasury 
remain flowing so our first responders can do the work that needs to be 
done to help the survivors of this terrible disaster.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a time for all Americans to come together and 
help those in need. It is time to get the survivors to safety, provide 
them with food, water, and shelter, and to ensure that their basic 
needs for survival are taken care of.

[[Page H7626]]

  I rise in strong support of this supplemental and ask for all 
Americans to help their fellow citizens in their time of need.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in solidarity with 
the Members of this body--Republican and Democrat, liberal and 
conservative, southerner and westerner, black, white and brown--in 
support of the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill for Hurricane 
Katrina. Just as all of you were there for my constituents last year 
after an unprecedented four hurricanes devastated my home state of 
Florida, I stand here today with you to offer my full support for all 
of those affected by Hurricane Katrina.
  On the eve of August 25, 2005, Katrina first made landfall in South 
Florida. Broward and Miami-Dade Counties were the first to witness the 
strength of this devastating storm. As a result of her strength and 
ferocity, more than 150 families saw their homes, some even in my 
district, receive major damage or were completely destroyed. Tens of 
thousands of homes and businesses were out of power for days and many 
in South Florida remain homeless today because of Katrina.
  Despite this obvious disaster, I find myself today infuriated that 
FEMA has denied individual assistance to the residents of Broward and 
Miami-Dade Counties. The agency claims that the magnitude of the 
disaster in South Florida does not merit Federal assistance. I 
disagree. It does not matter if 1 or 100 homes are destroyed because of 
a natural disaster. Federal emergency disaster assistance exists to 
help those in need when they have no one but the Federal Government to 
turn to. It is beyond irresponsible for FEMA to neglect the needs of my 
constituents simply because the extent of the damage does not reach 
some artificial and fluid threshold.
  My thoughts and prayers remain with the residents of Florida who have 
been affected by the storm, as well as the people of Louisiana, 
Mississippi, and Alabama. As this great body convenes today, I am 
deeply troubled by the pictures that I see on television and in the 
press. Our fellow citizens are in a battle not only with the elements 
of Mother Nature but also homelessness, disease, starvation, and 
dehydration.
  I am pleased, Mr. Speaker, that this body is heeding the call of the 
Democratic Leader and meeting today to pass this emergency 
supplemental. But I am shocked that in the richest country in the world 
with our vast resources, our own fellow citizens are literally dying in 
the streets of New Orleans because we cannot get them food to eat and 
water to drink. I've even heard that organizations such as the American 
Red Cross are being prohibited from delivering essential humanitarian 
assistance to New Orleans residents because they are being prohibited 
access to downtown. I am outraged.
  Making matters worse, our news programs now refer to the residents of 
New Orleans as refugees, as if they are not American citizens. Our 
words are extremely powerful, and the use of the term ``refugee'' 
suggests that Katrina's victims are second class individuals who rather 
than expecting the assistance from their fellow citizens instead should 
be grateful for anything they receive. Nothing could be further from 
the truth.
  Americans must answer the calls of civic and moral responsibility 
that comes during a tragedy such as Katrina. Do all that you can--
donate money and supplies, open your homes, say a prayer--so that the 
lives of those who have lost so much can return to some form of 
normalcy.
  We have a responsibility to do all that we can to help those most in 
need, and our government must do everything in its power. If the roads 
are flooded and we are unable to drive people out of downtown New 
Orleans, then airlift them out. Figure out a way to get water and food 
to those who need it. Do it quickly, and do it now. The lives of our 
fellow citizens are at stake.
  Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, our first concern over the coming weeks must 
be assisting those who need to be rescued, who need essential supplies 
and medical attention, and who need temporary shelter to survive these 
difficult days. I am committed to helping provide that assistance and 
Congress was correct to pass this aid package today to ensure that 
immediate resources are available for those efforts.
  However, as the recovery continues and we begin the rebuilding 
process, we cannot forget about the problems that have plagued our 
response to the hurricane. It is not too soon to ask what went wrong so 
that we can avoid those missteps in the coming weeks and in future 
disasters.
  Early indications point to the fact that once again, our response 
teams have been hampered with the inability to effectively communicate 
with one another. In Oklahoma City in 1995, at Columbine in 1999, and 
then again in New York in 2001, our first responders were unable to 
communicate. The administration has done little to address this problem 
despite my efforts over the last four years. We must find out exactly 
how communications deteriorated as quickly as they did and put in place 
a real interoperability plan.
  In addition, there appears to be a massive disconnect between the 
information the government has issued on the aid effort and what 
individuals on the ground have experienced. We have to make sure that 
aid gets to those in need immediately--right now, too many still lack 
basic necessities and that is simply unacceptable.
  We have known that the levees in New Orleans could not withstand the 
most severe storms. Former Federal Emergency Management Agency Director 
James Lee Witt recently stated that in the 1990s, planning for a New 
Orleans nightmare scenario included the pre-deploying nearby of 
hospital ships and ships with pumps to remove water from the below-sea-
level city. We have to ask--why was this not done? Was it incompetence, 
a lack of leadership or has the deployment of National Guard troops to 
Iraq slowed recovery efforts?
  We also need to ask if reorganizations of the Department of Homeland 
Security (DHS) offer us the best protection against all hazards. Prior 
to the creation of DHS, FEMA was largely viewed as a very effective 
organization. Since it has been placed in DHS, FEMA's role in 
preparedness and response has changed. Does the current departmental 
organization offer the best model of response to any type of hazard, be 
it a natural disaster or man-made?
  These are difficult questions but they are necessary ones. In the 
coming weeks, I will push for answers even as I work with Members of 
the Homeland Security Committee to make sure that the current crisis is 
addressed and victims are given the assistance they still so 
desperately need.
  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, my thoughts and prayers today, and for the 
last few days, have been with the people of Louisiana, Mississippi and 
Alabama and their family members. The Gulf Coast region has experienced 
what will long be remembered as one of the worse natural disasters in 
our country's history. In the weeks, months and years to come a massive 
clean up will occur and then we will work to rebuild the homes, roads, 
businesses, and schools affected. But we will not be able to forget the 
death, the destruction or the emotional toll this terrible tragedy has 
inflicted on the people affected and across the Gulf Coast.
  I am glad that we in Congress are providing the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency with the additional funds required to ensure that the 
needed rescue and recovery mission continues unimpeded. We have all 
seen on the television and read in the newspapers about the current 
situation in the Gulf Coast. The images and stories are heartbreaking 
and deeply troubling, but they are of people we know and they are our 
fellow citizens. Many of us know people who live in New Orleans, might 
have been vacationing there, or were supposed to return to college this 
fall. These are our family members, our friends, and our neighbors, and 
we cannot let them down. My own sister lives in the heart of New 
Orleans and as we meet now she still waits for evacuation--for the 
fifth day without running water or power.
  The essential role of government is to provide for its citizens in 
their time of need. Today, we cannot say that we have done a good job 
in that critical task. Too many of our own people are suffering in 
horrific conditions and there exists a general state of lawlessness in 
a few areas and more concerning is that many feel they have been 
abandoned. If we cannot meet the needs of these clearly desperate 
citizens in the Gulf Coast, we need to seriously reconsider our budget 
priorities and what we value as a society. I am troubled that the pleas 
of regional officials and those from cities like New Orleans for an 
increased Federal commitment to guard against such storms have not been 
heeded over the past few years.
  It is my deep hope that the Federal Government, with the money we are 
providing today, will ensure that order is restored to the affected 
region and that no one anywhere in the Gulf Coast is without food, 
water or shelter. But in the weeks and months ahead we need also to 
ensure that the proper resources are dedicated to guarantee that a 
tragedy like this and its indescribable scale is not repeated again. 
What that means is a commitment by the Federal Government to the people 
of America to meet their domestic needs. For too long this government 
has tried to do more with less, it has tried to provide for our people 
on the cheap. But this week has reminded us that there are too many 
critical tasks and services that only government can provide and that 
we ensure that the Federal Government provides the essential funding 
that these services require.
  This terrible tragedy has also reminded us of the generous and 
compassionate nature of the American people. Already the Red Cross has 
received well over $100 million in donations to the relief effort. 
People all across America are emptying their coin jars and offering 
empty rooms to help in anyway they can.

[[Page H7627]]

I know that this compassion will continue and I encourage all Americans 
to do what ever they can to help our fellow citizens in their most 
desperate time of need. However, I am troubled to see instances of 
greed in this time of desperate need. I have heard already from a 
number of my constituents who saw the price of gas skyrocket. I, along 
with other Members of Congress, will be looking into any instances of 
price gouging. In such a time of despair for so many, price gouging can 
not be tolerated
  Once again, I want to express my condolences to those who have lost 
loved ones in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and to share my prayers of 
hope for those who remain in despair. I know that much remains to be 
done and I am hopeful that the funding we are providing today will go a 
long way to meeting the desperate needs of those in the Gulf Coast. The 
full story of this disaster remains to be told, but I am confident that 
out of dark moments of this tragedy will come beacons of light for 
those affected and a serious discussion about our true national 
priorities.
  Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, our thoughts and prayers are with 
the families and individuals devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Reports 
that displaced residents in New Orleans and other parts of the Gulf 
Coast are unable to receive medical attention and basic supplies are 
truly horrible. This is an unacceptable situation for the wealthiest 
country in the world. The conditions are desperate and the full force 
of the Federal Government must be turned towards helping those in need.
  The Federal Government is prepared to provide an unprecedented level 
of disaster assistance, starting today with a $10.5 billion emergency 
aid package.
  The recovery effort has raised several issues that must be addressed. 
First, once the immediate need for medical assistance, food and other 
resources is met, the massive job of providing housing in different 
communities throughout the country for the thousands of displaced 
victims must be undertaken. This will require an unprecedented level of 
coordination between federal, state and local governments and the 
private sector. Also, decisions must be made in terms of the 
reconstruction of the areas most devastated, in a manner that ensures 
that a tragedy of this magnitude will not repeat itself.
  Second, the alleged unwillingness of the federal personnel assigned 
to the disaster to use the resources available to them in a timely 
fashion must be investigated. The fact that there was one instance of a 
military helicopter being fired upon is not an excuse for helicopters 
not to land or buses not to transport people. Questions with regard to 
class, race and discriminatory attitudes must be addressed in a candid 
and constructive manner.
  Third, the personnel and agencies responsible for responding to this 
disaster are the same as the nation would call on in the event of a 
terrorist attack. Their present response, in the President's words, has 
been unacceptable and inexcusable. We must ensure that future responses 
are dramatically different.
  In the coming days and weeks ahead, I encourage every American to 
consider volunteering to help our fellow citizens in this time of great 
need. My offices have received hundreds of phone calls from 
constituents who are eager to help in anyway possible, and this will 
allow the generosity of the human spirit to prevail.
  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of today, 
the bill is considered read and the previous question is ordered.
  The question is on the engrossment and third reading of the bill.
  The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, was read 
the third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the 
table.

                          ____________________