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News
Release
Congressman Bob Etheridge
North Carolina
September 8, 2005
Contact:
Joanne Peters
Phone:
(202) 225-4531
Etheridge Urges Improvements to U.S. Disaster Preparedness
Congress Approves $51.8 Billion Hurricane Aid Package
WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Bob
Etheridge (D-Lillington), the only North Carolina member of the U.S. House
of Representatives Homeland Security Committee, released the following
statement today as Congress passed a bill providing $51.8 billion in emergency
appropriations for the Hurricane Katrina recovery. The bill is the second
emergency appropriations bill that Congress has passed since the hurricane.
"North Carolinians are very familiar with the destructive power
of hurricanes, and Congress has a solemn responsibility to assist with
the efforts of relief, recovery and reconstruction.
"The funds appropriated today will assist those who have suffered so egregiously through no fault of their own. Congress also has a serious responsibility to assure accountability in the use of taxpayer money, and the legislative branch must not fail in its constitutional duty to oversee the operations of the executive branch.
"This tragedy has raised urgent questions about the performance of disaster preparedness and emergency response agencies. Congress must work in bipartisan cooperation to correct these deficiencies. As the U.S. Department of Homeland Security continues to work to protect our country during the war against terrorism and in the midst of a very active hurricane season, America cannot afford a failure by Congress to fix the problems Hurricane Katrina has exposed."
North Carolinians can visit Etheridge's website, www.house.gov/etheridge, for information on how they can help with the recovery efforts.
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