Washington, DC--Congressman Eliot Engel issued the following statement after testifying in the U.S. Senate about the need for a speedier distribution of emergency funds for New York, and the surrounding region, following the devastation inflicted by Hurricane Sandy.

To view the testimony - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94KDoWohi98&feature=youtu.be

To view an interview on the topic from Rep. Engel’s appearance on the Weather Channel - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7lbyjyBH2g&feature=youtu.be

“Every minute we delay in approving the funds for the Hurricane Sandy victims, is a minute added to their suffering.  I urge my colleagues in Congress to keep politics out of this and reject all calls for offsets to emergency aid. Tragedies such as this one transcend politics.  Democrats and Republicans both sat without power for weeks following the storm.  Storm waters did not stop to check who you voted for before they swept through homes. The prime function of the federal government is to care for the American people, especially in their time of greatest need.  This is one of those times, and we must not delay any further.”

XXX