[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 21333]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           HURRICANE RESPONSE

  (Mr. PRICE of Georgia asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, this month of September 2005 has 
seen our Nation suffer the ravages of the largest natural disaster in 
our history and a second hurricane of remarkable power, Katrina and 
Rita. All Americans extend their hearts and their hands and their hopes 
to those whose lives have been so drastically disrupted.
  In Congress, our responsibility must be to ensure that the money that 
we have provided for the relief efforts is spent only on relief and 
recovery efforts. That is why Congress will send a special team of 
investigators to the Gulf region to monitor disaster expenditures.
  That is why Congress will convene oversight hearings to learn from 
high administration officials, State officials and local folks on the 
status of the relief efforts and where the funds are being expended. 
That is why weekly reports on expenditures are mandated by Congress and 
why ongoing audits and investigations on disaster assistance are being 
conducted.
  Mr. Speaker, recovery efforts will take time and the Federal 
Government will be there to support the local and State leaders, but 
anything we do we must do so in a fiscally responsible way.

                          ____________________