[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 154 (Thursday, October 22, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2604]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




VOTES ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15 AND PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA'S VISIT TO NEW 
                                ORLEANS

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                           HON. STEVE SCALISE

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 22, 2009

  Mr. SCALISE. Madam Speaker, on Thursday, October 15, 2009, I was 
unable to cast votes in Congress due to my attendance at President 
Barack Obama's visit in New Orleans to discuss Hurricane Katrina 
related recovery issues.
  It is critical that President Obama stand firm by his commitment to 
rebuild the Gulf Coast from the destruction caused by Hurricane 
Katrina. There are several top priorities for which I personally 
requested the President's direct assistance including his explicit 
support for Category 5 hurricane protection, including strengthening 
our levees, improving our interior drainage protection, and rebuilding 
our eroding coastline. Category 5 protection is vital to the safety of 
Louisiana's families and to the full recovery of our region. The Corps 
of Engineers must make a full commitment to move forward with the 
safest and strongest plan to provide our communities with comprehensive 
flood and storm protection, and the President's support of the 
Louisiana Congressional delegation's efforts to achieve this goal is 
critical to our successful recovery. Coastal restoration is an 
essential component of our flood protection efforts, as Louisiana loses 
about 25 square miles of coastline each year. These wetlands provide a 
natural buffer to protect us from storm surge, and without them, the 
potential for loss of life and property damage increases significantly 
with each approaching storm. It is important that the Administration 
and Congress work together expeditiously to make significant 
investments in coastal restoration efforts.
  While much has been done since Katrina to help restore the region, 
bureaucratic red tape remains a major hurdle to a successful recovery 
and continues to slow down our recovery and impair the abilities of our 
State and local governments to serve our citizens and respond to future 
disasters. If we have learned anything since Hurricane Katrina, it is 
that we cannot allow the same approach that failed us during Katrina to 
be followed again. FEMA must continue to work with our Congressional 
delegation and officials in Louisiana to expedite our recovery. During 
the town hall meeting, President Obama was asked to resolve the delays 
in our recovery, particularly with regard to Public Assistance projects 
and Community Disaster Loans, and to ensure that other states and 
communities do not have to face these challenges with future disasters.
  There are too many lives and too much taxpayer money at stake to get 
it wrong again. I hope we will be able to continue discussing these 
efforts in the future and that this and future visits will help the 
President understand the very serious issues we are still facing.

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