WASHINGTON DC – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) spoke on the House Floor today calling on Speaker Boehner to allow a vote on the Superstorm Sandy Recovery Bill before the 112th Congress adjourns. Congressman Pallone’s New Jersey district includes many areas that were devastated by Hurricane Sandy. Below are the video and his remarks:
Click here to watch the video.
“Let me thank Mr. King, my colleague from New York, for his remarks. I really appreciate what he said, that this is not a Republican or Democratic issue. It shouldn't be politicized. Natural disasters and responding to them are what I have seen over my 25 years in Congress are what bring us together to try to help people. And the Speaker should not use this opportunity to tear us apart.
“I was here last night when we got the word through Congressman King that the Speaker was going to pull this bill. And what the message said was, well, we can do this in January. We'll do it sometime later in January, in the new Congress. As Congressman King said, we can't wait.
“My district was devastated by this storm. I would ask that Speaker Boehner come to Sea Bright, New Jersey, drive through Sea Bright, New Jersey. The town that has less than 2,000 people. The business district is totally destroyed. One or two stores have reopened. The rest are still closed. Most of the people still have not been able to return to the town.
“Go to Union Beach, New Jersey, also in my district, where you can see that now everything is exposed. We still have people that do not have a place to stay, that are looking for an apartment or staying in motels or looking for a trailer to be placed next to their home and still don't have it.
“We need to do -- rebuild now. We need to act now. We can't wait for the next Congress or another couple weeks or another couple months.
“What I don't understand, Mr. Speaker, is how is it possible that this has become a political issue? It is clear that we are here today, we can vote on this. The votes are clearly there. We should have an open debate. That's what democracy is all about.
“And all of a sudden because the Tea Party or some conservative element is worried that they have to vote on another spending bill, all of a sudden the Speaker says we can't do this today. This is politicizing a situation that should not be political. And it is another example of what I call the do-nothing Congress. This Congress did very little. It has fewer bills passed in anybody's memory.
“Rather than go out on this negative note about not bringing up an emergency because of the hurricane, one of the devastating natural disasters, why not do something positive on a bipartisan basis, Mr. Speaker? Bring this up. Let us have an open debate. We are still here. And don't let this congress die on this negative note. Let it build on a positive note so when we come in and we’re sworn in on Thursday we can show that we can work on a bipartisan basis. I have never seen anything like it. To me it is just deplorable.”
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RIP Ft Monmouth
This bill is not what causes 1000's to remain homeless, nor does it causes 100's to remain in homes in disreapir, without heat or a means to cook. It is FEMA's demand for house raising, often little more than an unfunded mandate. If someone capable of thought ever answered a phone in one of you offices you'd know this. Sadly none of the scripts deal with it and your aides are lost. Until you address this and work it out so people can have this requirrement waived and their homes deed restricted for future buyers to take on this task the misery will continue for so many, and people will gain greater insight as to your real concern...obtaining your next term. You've often portrayed yourself as the savior of the shore, snap out of the Washington trance and step up for the people living in despair...or step aside.
Next time we ought to line congress up on the beach and blow the storm out to sea...surely there's enough windbags there to do the job.