[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 116 (Thursday, September 15, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1857]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  H.R. 3673, SECOND EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT TO MEET 
  IMMEDIATE NEEDS ARISING FROM THE CONSEQUENCES OF HURRICANE KATRINA, 
                                  2005

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                           HON. JOHN SULLIVAN

                              of oklahoma

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 15, 2005

  Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer my sincerest 
condolences and sympathies to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. With 
the recent devastation of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, our 
Nation has reached a state of emergency. My thoughts and prayers are 
with those who have been tragically uprooted from their communities, or 
have lost loved ones in the path of the destruction. I wholeheartedly 
support the effort to provide food, water, and daily necessities to 
these victims, as well as the long-term effort to rebuild our Gulf 
Coast and house the now-homeless.
  As we move forward with the effort to provide for families and to 
rebuild, it is Congress' job to ensure that federal aid and taxpayer 
dollars are spent appropriately and are reaching the truly needy. Last 
week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency was spending just over 
$500 million a day, an unprecedented rate, and over the weekend 
spending reached $2 billion a day. Over $60 billion in emergency 
appropriations has been allocated, a record for disaster relief, and 
Congress is expected to authorize more funds in the coming weeks.
  I strongly urge that future spending bills for Hurricane Katrina 
include controls on how the money will be spent; that this spending is 
offset with reductions in other programs, just as Congress did 
following the California earthquake and the Oklahoma City bombing; and 
that Federal resources are allocated for rebuilding only where State 
and local governments and the private sector cannot provide the funds.
  Additionally, I encourage accountability and meticulous record 
keeping within the federal organizations funding the emergency and 
rebuilding efforts. I feel it is imperative that the Department of 
Homeland Security and other related agencies help these citizens and 
rebuild these towns, but in a financially responsible manner, ensuring 
every dollar is spent wisely and fairly in an effort to best help the 
victims of this tragedy. In this time of disaster, it is important that 
we do not saddle future generations with unmanageable debt, but rather 
work together to exercise fiscal responsibility.

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