[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 19948]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            SECOND KATRINA SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS BILL

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                           HON. BOB ETHERIDGE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 8, 2005

  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3673, the 
second emergency supplemental bill for the victims of Hurricane 
Katrina. We, in North Carolina, are very familiar with the destructive 
power of hurricanes, and Congress has a solemn responsibility to assist 
the efforts for relief, recovery and reconstruction.
  Congress also has a serious responsibility to assure accountability 
in the use of taxpayer money, and the legislative branch must not fail 
in its constitutional duty to oversee the operations of the executive 
branch. There can be no doubt that the Federal agencies charged with 
responding to this disaster were too slow, too confused and too 
ineffectual in discharging their duties in the critical early hours and 
days of Hurricane Katrina. Congress must take effective action to 
ensure that the funds appropriated today will assist those who have 
suffered so egregiously through no fault of their own.
  This tragedy has raised urgent questions about the performance of 
disaster preparedness and emergency response agencies. Congress must 
work in bipartisan cooperation to correct these deficiencies. As the 
U.S. Department of Homeland Security continues to work to protect our 
country during the war against terrorism and in the midst of a very 
active hurricane season, America cannot afford a failure by Congress to 
fix the problems Hurricane Katrina has exposed.

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