For Immediate Release | Contact: Reid Cherlin | |||
September 12, 2005 | 202-225-5635 | |||
Nadler Statement on Congressional Relief for Katrina Victims |
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Nadler delivered the following remarks on the House floor following passage of the emergency appropriation. “It is with a heavy heart that I rise today in support of the emergency relief bill. I know that all of us have been held rapt by the images and stories coming out of the On top of our grief, there is also outrage. For it is nothing short of outrageous that in this country, where we talk about 9/11 every day, we still haven’t dedicated enough resources to improving our emergency response capabilities. The people of
There will be plenty of time in the future to assess exactly why we were so poorly prepared for this storm, and why it has taken the federal government so long after the levees broke to get effective help to I would like to join Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi in her call for the creation of a Select Hurricane Relief Task Force. I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to make substantive progress in the coming days. Our hearts go out to all those affected, as well as to those who are doing their best to respond to this disaster. Tragically, it is evident that the federal government’s response has been wholly inadequate. Congress must insist on immediate improvement, so that we can put an end to the suffering in And finally, we must learn some lessons. We must never try to save money by not preparing to prevent, or to ameliorate, potential catastrophes. We did not – despite ample warning – properly build up and strengthen We are not buying the loose nuclear material in the former We are not inspecting more than about 6 percent of the millions of shipping containers that enter our ports every year – any one of which could contain a weapon of mass destruction. We are not adequately protecting our chemical and nuclear facilities against sabotage that could kill hundreds of thousands of Americans. We should learn from this disaster. The administration and Congress cut the budget for building up levees, and we are reaping the whirlwind. The administration has acted unbelievably lethargically in bringing relief efforts, and people have died as a result. Let us not continue our negligent disregard until we suffer a nuclear or chemical catastrophe. I am tired, Mr. Speaker, of passing post-catastrophe relief bills. It is time the Administration, and this Congress, act to prevent the next catastrophe.” ### |
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