[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 12914]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FOR ECONOMIC DISASTER ON OREGON AND CALIFORNIA 
                                 COAST

  (Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, Members of the House, 
later today, Mr. Thompson and Mr. DeFazio will offer an amendment 
seeking emergency assistance for an economic disaster that the Bush 
administration is creating on the Oregon and California coast, and that 
disaster is about to strike hundreds of small independent businessmen 
who fish for a living. These individuals are going to lose the economic 
support for their families. They are going to probably lose the ability 
to keep their boats so they can fish if the recovery takes place, and 
they are going to end up deep in debt.
  It is just unfair that this would happen, especially when this is a 
disaster that was created by the Bush administration. They ought to 
take responsibility. They ought to be held accountable for their 
actions, and they ought to provide relief to these hardworking families 
who are so much a part of our community and our culture and our 
economy. And they ought to do it now.
  The Congress can correct this matter later today by passing the 
amendment. Unfortunately, we have been put on notice that that won't 
happen, so we are going to put you on notice. We are not going to 
relent on this effort until some relief is forthcoming from the 
administration, as has been asked by the Governor of California, the 
Governor of Oregon, the delegations in the Senate, but nothing from the 
administration except obstruction and an economic disaster for these 
families from the coast.

                          ____________________