[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 171 (Tuesday, October 24, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S6721]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            DISASTER RELIEF

  Mr. SCHUMER. Now, Mr. President, one final word here on wildfires, 
which I know my colleague from California is ready to speak about. She 
has seen the damage and is working so hard to help the people of her 
State.
  So we are going to talk about wildfires, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin 
Islands. First, we can't forget about the 3.5 million American citizens 
in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, who continue to suffer the 
terrible effects of Hurricane Maria, the strongest storm to hit the 
island in a century. It has been more than a month since Maria, and 75 
percent of Puerto Rico is still without electricity, only a third of 
the island's cell sites are functional, and many who have diseases like 
diabetes and other diseases or who are in need of dialysis have been 
unable to receive their specialized treatments and medication.
  One million Americans in Puerto Rico are suffering without access to 
clean water. We have seen the pictures of them drinking sewage and 
water from Superfund sites. I read this report that they have 
accidentally used wells located in one of the most contaminated 
Superfund sites, Dorado, to get water, because they are so desperate.
  I have called on the White House to put a point person in charge of 
the recovery, and I repeat that request today. The administration 
should appoint a CEO for response and recovery for Puerto Rico, someone 
with the ability to bring all the necessary Federal agencies together, 
cut redtape on the public and private side, turn the lights back on, 
get clean water flowing, and help bring recovery. It is a national 
tragedy that deserves the most organized and efficient response. A CEO 
for response and recovery with a direct line to the President in the 
White House would help get the house in order.
  Now, at the same time, we can't forget the devastation brought by 
wildfires out West. A group of Senators will be speaking on the floor 
today--my colleague from California is about to do just that--in 
support of swift passage of disaster aid for those regions, and I 
wholly support the effort.
  As the number of forest fires and the cost of fighting these fires 
has risen dramatically, it has left the Forest Service and the 
Department of the Interior at a severe funding deficit. This has forced 
the Forest Service to take money from other accounts within the agency 
to cover the firefighting deficit, in a process called fire borrowing. 
Fire borrowing prevents the agency from carrying out its other 
missions, including investing in forest fire prevention.
  As we have seen, the terrible forest fires rage across the West, 
hitting so hard the State of California, which my colleague is going to 
address. We must take action and provide the Forest Service with a 
long-term wildfire funding fix.
  Some Members want to bog down this process with environmental and 
forest management riders, but I stand with Secretary of Agriculture 
Perdue and others who have called to simply fix the funding problem, 
without riders, to allow the agency to carry on its mission.
  I yield the floor and ask unanimous consent that my colleague be 
given the time she requires to finish her remarks because I went a 
little over.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Thank you, Mr. President.

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