[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Pages 20587-20588]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            DISASTER RELIEF

  Mr. CRUZ. Mr. President, as the jet fumes swirl around the Halls of 
Congress and Members get ready to head to the airport to get home for 
the holidays, I rise to remind my colleagues that there are still 
hundreds of thousands of people in Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico who 
are still hurting from Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. They will be 
spending Christmas not in their homes but in a hotel or with family and 
friends or in temporary housing.
  All across these regions, there are houses, businesses, schools, 
churches, and community establishments that still need to be rebuilt. 
They are waiting, counting on our help. It is wrong. Indeed, it is 
maddening to those in the affected regions that the Senate is not 
taking up legislation today to give them what they need to continue to 
rebuild and recover.
  In my home State, there is no doubting that Texas's gulf coast 
communities suffered tremendous losses in Hurricane Harvey, but the 
hurricane also brought out the best in Texas. We saw Texans standing 
together and lifting up each other, first through rescue and response 
and now as we come together and rebuild our communities. The Nation 
witnessed our iconic moments, from the thousands of Texans who went out 
on boats to save their neighbors, to Houstonians of all ages lining up 
to volunteer at disaster recovery centers, embodying the Texas can-do 
spirit.
  Texas has worked diligently since August on cleanup and recovery 
efforts from Hurricane Harvey, but I am sorry to say that the U.S. 
Senate is now leaving town without delivering on its commitment to help 
Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico recover.
  Congress has already passed two disaster relief bills in the wake of 
these hurricanes. In addition, Congress passed a bipartisan disaster 
relief tax bill that I was proud to offer. But there is still much more 
that needs to be done.
  Just hours ago, our colleagues in the House passed a bill to further 
provide for emergency rebuilding efforts. This bill represents 
progress, but much more work needs to be done to make sure that it does 
enough, especially for Texas, which was promised by both

[[Page 20588]]

this Congress and by the administration that Texas would be given 
everything we need to rebuild. Early estimates from the supplemental 
bill that passed the House are that Texas would be eligible for only a 
small percentage of the $81 billion in that legislation. That is 
unacceptable, and the Senate needs to fix it.
  Texas experienced the worst flood event in U.S. history. Hurricane 
Harvey was unlike any other storm we have seen before in Texas--the 
number of people impacted, the scope. It brought 250 miles of 
devastation to our Texas gulf coast as winds obliterated whole 
communities and rain flooded out parts of Texas that have never flooded 
before.
  Due to the level of damage the storm caused to homes, businesses, and 
infrastructure, Hurricane Harvey was the costliest disaster this year 
and may well prove the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. 
According to the Governor of Texas, the damage to our State from the 
hurricane is well over $120 billion and could prove to be closer to 
$180 billion. Any bill to provide disaster funding brought to this 
floor should recognize the unprecedented level of damage wreaked upon 
the State and should provide the level of assistance necessary to help 
Texas rebuild.
  I spoke this afternoon with Governor Greg Abbott, and he expressed 
serious concerns that the supplemental bill coming out of the House 
does not direct nearly enough resources to the State of Texas given the 
magnitude of the damage, the magnitude of the suffering. Disaster 
relief needs to focus where the suffering occurred and where the 
disaster occurred.
  I am hopeful that when this body returns in 2 weeks, we will work 
together in a bipartisan way to ensure that the promises made to the 
State of Texas are fulfilled and that the resources are there to help 
our State rebuild. The emergency response is over, but recovery and 
rebuilding efforts go on. As we keep working to keep our promises, I 
remain determined to keep fighting to ensure that Texas has the Federal 
resources to which the State is entitled under Federal law.
  The spirit of Texas is strong. Some weeks ago, I tweeted out a 
picture that I think captured some of that spirit. It was a picture of 
a man in his living room. The Sheetrock was torn down from all the 
walls--nothing but studs on the walls and no carpet. The flooring was 
taken up. There was no furniture. He had a lawn chair. He had an Igloo 
ice chest as a coffee table and a TV screen, and he was wearing a 
Houston Astros jersey and cheering as the Astros won the World Series. 
The tweet simply said: ``This is why it matters.'' That is the spirit 
of Texas. We need to remember that spirit, and we need to make sure the 
disaster relief responds to the real damage and real suffering that 
Hurricane Harvey visited upon the State of Texas.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues, hopefully from both 
sides of the aisle, to deliver on that commitment that Texans are owed.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Delaware.

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