[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 85 (Tuesday, May 21, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2988-S2989]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                            Disaster Relief

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, next Saturday, June 1, marks the official 
start of the Atlantic hurricane season. It is an important reminder for 
everyone--from individuals and families to businesses and local 
officials--to review preparedness efforts to ensure you are ready for 
anything that Mother Nature may throw at you.
  There are simple steps, of course, that everybody can take, like 
reviewing evacuation routes, signing up for emergency alerts, and 
making a family communications plan. This is also a great time to look 
at your insurance policies to ensure that you have the right coverage. 
This isn't the most fun conversation or topic to talk about at the 
dinner table, but in the event of a disaster, these small steps can 
make a world of difference.
  As we gear up for the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season, I can't help 
but think back on the devastation my State saw in 2017 when Hurricane 
Harvey hit. This storm was the largest rain event in American history, 
and some parts of Texas are still in the recovery mode. Harvey brought 
more than 50 inches of rain to some parts of Houston.
  I am sure that many Americans can remember the TV footage of the 
devastating scenes and the heroism of people who rose to the challenge 
and helped. The roofs of homes were completely torn off and revealed 
knee-deep water and scattered furniture. Streets looked like rivers 
that were filled with small boats that led rescue operations. Folks 
linked arms and made human chains to help save people who were stranded 
in their vehicles.
  It was the second most expensive hurricane in history, only behind 
Hurricane Katrina, with an estimated total cost of $125 billion. While 
we can put a pricetag on the damaged homes, businesses, and 
infrastructure, there is no way we could even begin to quantify the 
impact this storm had on lost loved ones and how much it completely 
upended so many lives.
  With that heartbreak fresh on our minds, it only underscores the 
importance of strengthening our preparedness efforts. Unlike many 
threats we face, either from our adversaries on the ground or in 
cyberspace, there is nothing we can do to stop Mother Nature in her 
tracks. Our only course of action is to be prepared and to build 
resilient communities that can withstand the impact. We need to 
continue to do everything in our power to provide assistance to State 
and local governments so they can protect themselves in the event of 
severe weather.
  One may recall, in the wake of Hurricane Harvey and other natural 
disasters, that Congress worked hard to provide disaster relief to 
Texas and other States that were adversely affected. While there is 
still a lot of work to be done, these dollars have helped my State to 
rebuild and to bring back some semblance of normalcy. I am grateful to 
all of our colleagues here for working with us, as well as with 
Florida, California, Puerto Rico, and the other places that were hit at 
about that same time. I am grateful for the assistance of a bipartisan 
group of Senators and Congressmen and for President Trump who worked 
together to provide disaster relief in the wake of this devastation. 
Yet here is the rub--much of the funding that has been approved for 
Texas still hasn't been untangled from the redtape here in Washington, 
DC.
  In February 2018--15 months ago--Congress appropriated more than $28 
billion in community development block grants for disaster recovery, 
with roughly $12 billion intended specifically for mitigation purposes. 
About $4 billion of that was designated for Texas, and it could still 
be used to do things, like to repair wastewater treatment facilities 
that haven't been fully restored, to carry out important economic 
revitalization in decimated areas, or to relocate or elevate damaged 
facilities in order to prepare for the next storm. Yet we have not seen 
a cent of that $4 billion because it has been tied up at the Office of 
Management and Budget.
  I have said before and will say it again: I look at the Constitution. 
I see what the President's authority is. I see what the House of 
Representatives' authority is. I see what the U.S. Senate's authority 
is. My understanding is, when they all agree on an appropriations bill, 
that it is the law of the land. Yet somehow, this Agency--the Office of 
Management and Budget--has seen fit to usurp that authority and to 
defeat the will of Congress when it comes to getting disaster relief to 
the intended beneficiaries.
  This undue delay, I believe, is unacceptable but is, sadly, not 
unique to my State. Other States are facing this same unnecessary 
holdup in getting desperately needed funds. One of those States is West 
Virginia, which has been waiting more than 3 years to receive funding 
after the devastating floods of June 2016.
  I and my colleague from West Virginia, Senator Manchin, recently 
introduced a bill that would require the Office of Management and 
Budget to ensure that these appropriated funds are promptly disbursed. 
The Bipartisan Disaster Recovery Funding Act would start a timer--a 
shock clock, if you will--on when the OMB must release the money. It 
would give it 60 days to get these dollars untangled from the redtape 
and get them to the communities that desperately need them.
  It is important to note that this change would apply not only to this 
particular block of funding but to any funds appropriated to States 
that are being withheld by OMB.
  As appropriators continue to work on a disaster supplemental this 
week, I hope they will include a provision to ensure that States like 
Texas that have already suffered from a major disaster don't become 
victims of government bureaucracy.
  It has now been 467 days since the President signed a bill that would 
have sent roughly $48 billion to Texas, and it is tough to imagine what 
communities could have accomplished in that time and how much progress 
could have been made if simply Congress's and the executive branch's 
will had been carried out by the Federal bureaucracy.
  With the 2019 hurricane season only a week and half away, it is 
critical we get this money out of Washington and into the hands of 
those who need it so we can begin to work on long-term projects to 
protect the Texas coast and protect against future storms.
  Of course Hurricane Harvey was not the first storm to hit my State, 
and I guarantee it will not be the last. Texans have waited long enough 
for the funding that we were promised and that Congress appropriated 
over the signature of the President, and I hope we can pass something 
soon to improve the resilience in these communities and carry out 
congressional will.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.

[[Page S2989]]

  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in 
morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.