[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 173 (Wednesday, January 2, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H7575]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HURRICANE SANDY RELIEF

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Dold). The Chair recognizes the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks) for 2\1/2\ minutes.
  Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, last night when I came to the floor for the 
first time since I've been in this body, my heart was hurting. I 
understand politics, but this should not be about politics. This should 
be about leadership.
  The first thing I want to do is to say to the Speaker, Come walk with 
me, Mr. Speaker. Come walk with me. Let's walk the beaches of the 
Rockaway Peninsula. You will see a peninsula where every soul, no 
matter whether you were rich or whether you were poor, no matter 
whether you were black or whether you were white, every individual, no 
matter what your religious belief was, every individual was affected by 
this storm, everyone.
  Come walk with me, Mr. Speaker, as Steny Hoyer did, and talk to the 
people, look into their eyes, understand their needs. Come walk with 
me, Mr. Speaker. Maybe then you can have the leadership that is 
necessary to get this bill passed today. Come walk with me, Mr. 
Speaker.
  If you can't walk with me, Mr. Speaker, for any reason, then go walk 
with Michael Grimm. If it is a partisan issue for you--because it's not 
for me--go walk with Michael Grimm on Staten Island, Mr. Speaker. You 
will see the same pain that the people in the Rockaways have. It's the 
same pain because they're the same people. They are the American 
people. This is the United States of America, and this is the people's 
House.
  We make jokes all the time about the Senate. The Senate stood up and 
passed the bill. This is the people's House, Mr. Speaker. We are 
supposed to do the right thing for the American people. I'm proud of 
being on the Foreign Affairs Committee, going all over the world and 
talking about what we've got to do and how we help folks, how we help 
other individuals all over this world.
  We have Americans, Mr. Speaker, who are crying out for help, who are 
saying they don't know where their tomorrow is. We have Americans, Mr. 
Speaker, who are worried to this day right now that we may have another 
northeaster tomorrow. And with the sand gone and the dunes now down, 
we'll have another disaster. They're asking me as their Member, Will 
our government help us? Where are you?
  Mr. Speaker, we need leadership. Come walk with me, Mr. Speaker. Come 
walk with me, and see the American people that are suffering.

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