[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 17754]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              SUPERSTORM SANDY DISASTER ASSISTANCE PACKAGE

  (Mr. SIRES asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. SIRES. Madam Speaker, it has been nearly 8 weeks since Superstorm 
Sandy struck our shores and devastated an entire region. It has been 8 
weeks, and Congress has yet to send a disaster assistance package to 
the affected States.
  It is precedent for this body to stand together in the aftermath of a 
natural disaster and to immediately provide the necessary assistance in 
order to help communities recover and rebuild. Two weeks after 
Hurricane Katrina hit the gulf coast, Congress approved more than $62 
billion in Federal aid. One month after Hurricanes Ike and Gustav hit 
Texas, Congress approved more than $20 billion in aid.
  Why can't this Congress come together and approve the $60 billion 
requested by the President to help the victims of Sandy? The damage 
done by Sandy is far beyond the resources and capacity that any single 
State possesses to recover on its own.
  It is my hope that this Chamber can set aside its differences and 
swiftly approve the supplemental funding. Such assistance will aid 
those who have lost everything in the storm, and it will help to 
rebuild our communities stronger than ever. New Jersey, New York, and 
Connecticut have always stood by other regions of this Nation that have 
been faced with difficult circumstances. I trust that my colleagues in 
Congress will now come to our aid.

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