[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 110 (Wednesday, September 7, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1771]
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

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                     HON. LOUISE McINTOSH SLAUGHTER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 2, 2005

  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, our thoughts and prayers go out to all 
those affected by the devastating destruction of Hurricane Katrina. I 
know that the American people are a generous people. I know that the 
men and women of this Nation feel the suffering of their fellow 
citizens, and will continue to stand with them in any way that they 
can.
  We are here today to discuss what our government must do in the wake 
of this disaster. The emergency appropriations bill set to be passed 
this afternoon is a step in the right direction. Everyone in this 
chamber realizes that more money--much more--will be needed in the days 
and months ahead. I'm confident that this Congress won't think twice 
about doing everything necessary to meet the critical needs of the 
desperate citizens in the affected regions of our country.
  The shock and grief which has rightly motivated this degree of 
Federal support is, however, already giving way to anger. Over the past 
4 years, a great portion of our national discourse has focused on 
preparedness. Members of Congress have created new government entities, 
spent billions upon billions of dollars on them, and spoken at great 
length about the need for our country to be perpetually vigilant and 
always ready to respond to any disaster which could befall it.
  It is therefore not surprising that the loss of life produced by this 
hurricane--perhaps four times as great as the human cost of September 
11, 2001--has incensed our citizens and shocked observers around the 
world. It has revealed that we are still unable to respond to homeland 
disasters in the fast and aggressive manner required.
  But as is often the case, what has happened in the Gulf States has 
also revealed what can only be described as a skewed set of national 
priorities. Simply put, this was a tragedy which didn't have to happen. 
People at all levels of government have known for years that New 
Orleans was a greatly vulnerable city. In fact, in 2001, the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency produced a list of the worst disasters 
which could confront our country. A hurricane striking New Orleans was 
at the top of that list.
  And so, it would be reasonable to expect that during the years 
leading up to this past week, local, State, and Federal Governments 
would have been doing everything within their power to prepare a 
complete and carefully planned strategy for how to deal with the 
aftermath of such an event.
  They didn't. It was obvious that we still are not ready to evacuate a 
large number of people from their homes to safety quickly and 
effectively. This failing is a danger to all Americans, and must be 
corrected immediately.
  But what is worse, our government spent the last few years actually 
undermining our readiness for disaster prevention in New Orleans and 
the surrounding region. Federal funds for flood control projects in 
that city have faced massive recent budget cuts. To cite but one 
example: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which has so valiantly 
struggled against the rising floodwaters this week, had to struggle 
previously against an 80 percent cut of its funding for New Orleans in 
2004. Predictably, one of the major motivators of cuts like these was 
the spiraling costs of American military operations in Iraq, which 
continue to siphon off tens of billions of dollars from domestic 
programs.
  The natural defenses of New Orleans faced an assault as well. In 
2003, the current Administration reversed a previous commitment to 
defending coastal wetlands which would have helped to mitigate the 
effect of storms on the Gulf coast. Instead, the areas were opened up 
for rapid development.
  Nor were the people of the region given the tools they needed for 
survival. Poverty in America has been increasing year after year. Now, 
12.7 percent of our population lives in poverty--that's four million 
more people than in 2001. As is overwhelmingly obvious, those damaged 
the most by Hurricane Katrina were some of our country's poorest 
citizens. Before the storm hit, they were out of direct communication 
with authorities. They had no means to evacuate themselves or their 
families. And during the critical hours when wealthier residents were 
fleeing, the poorest were left alone to fend for themselves.
  It is true that the devastation vested upon New Orleans and the Gulf 
region was the product of an act of nature. But its severity was 
greatly exacerbated by a combination of a lack of vision by our leaders 
and a failure to properly prioritize our Nation's energies and 
resources. Despite all the talk to the contrary, our government has 
viewed elective foreign wars as more important than having a real 
system in place here at home which can respond to any contingency. It 
hasn't seriously worked to address the poverty which makes millions of 
people all the more vulnerable to disasters. And it has seen commercial 
activity as simply being more valuable than defending the naturally 
existent barriers to disaster which we should be perfectly willing to 
save.
  If anything positive can come from this, I hope it's a wake up call. 
This week, our failures had horrific consequences for millions of 
people, and they were especially devastating for just those men and 
women our society should be focused on the most: the poor, the elderly, 
the sick, the needy, the displaced, and the homeless. We must meet 
these serious problems head on and work to solve them. Our errors 
should not be covered up with political grand standing and slaps on the 
back. This failure must not be swept under the rug. If we don't learn 
from this horrible, horrible mistake, I fear we will repeat it, at a 
new point in time, and at a new place on the map.
  This Congress must do what is right for the people of this Nation. 
They will be watching.

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