PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF SENATE AMENDMENT TO H.R. 1370, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY BLUE CAMPAIGN AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2017; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 4667, FURTHER SUPPLEMENTAL...
Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat, TX) \u2014 2017-12-21

I rise to speak on the Rule, and H.R. 4667, one of the two underlying bills made in order. prgtoken H.R. 4667 provides $81 billion in aid to respond to the damage caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, and the wildfires in California. prgtoken I thank the and Rules Committee Chairman Sessions for acting favorably upon my request to bring this emergency disaster supplemental to the floor for debate and vote as a stand-alone measure. prgtoken Ever since the widespread and catastrophic destruction of Hurricane Harvey, I have been working closely with the Texas Governor and the Hurricane Harvey Taskforce to secure the help necessary for the region to rebuild. prgtoken I have witnessed firsthand the pain of storm-weary Houstonians who lost their homes, their belongings, and in many cases their jobs. prgtoken They are struggling and hurting. prgtoken So this is personal to me. prgtoken The amount of funding provided in the disaster relief package is very disappointing because it is not nearly sufficient to ameliorate the suffering still being experienced by the people of the communities in the areas affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. prgtoken Congress has had more than three months to develop an aid package that is commensurate to the challenge faced by the affected states and territories in rebuilding their devastated communities. prgtoken Much of this time has been squandered by the congressional leadership's all-consuming focus on ramming through the Tax Scam legislation that gives 83 percent of its benefits to the top 1 percent, raises taxes on working and middle-class families, takes away health insurance from 13 million Americans, explodes the deficit by $1.5 trillion and the national debt by $1.7 trillion, and will be paid for by 5.4 trillion in cuts to vital programs Americans depend on, including an imminent $25 billion reduction in Medicare funding. prgtoken , on September 6, 2017, ten days after Hurricane Harvey struck and joined by 44 of our colleagues, I introduced H.R. 3686, the ``Hurricane Harvey Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2017,'' which provides $174 billion in disaster relief for the areas affected by Hurricane Harvey, the worst superstorm ever to strike the mainland United States. prgtoken The $174 billion in funding provided by H.R. 3686 represents a comprehensive response commensurate to the challenge; specifically, my legislation provides relief in the following amounts: prgtoken 1. Housing and Community Development Fund: $50 billion prgtoken 2. FEMA Disaster Relief Fund: $35 billion prgtoken 3. Army Corps of Engineers--Construction: $15 billion prgtoken 4. Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies: $13 billion prgtoken 5. Public Transportation Emergency Relief Program: $33 billion prgtoken 6. Small Business Disaster Loans Program: $2 billion prgtoken 7. Emergency Conservation Activities: $650 million prgtoken 8. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: $321 million <|p