[COMPLETE] Disaster Relief for Texas and Louisiana Act 1981

[OYID]

Andrea Hernández, Socialist Representative from Texas.

Words can hardly describe the pain we, as citizens of the MSA, experience when we see the damage brought upon our people by the seemingly chaotic and unpredictable Force of Nature. Our hearts go out to the friends and the families of our 24 dead brothers in the states of Texas and Louisiana. The Socialist Caucus motions for the President to declare a national day of mourning for the fallen.

We will not forget our brothers, and so we motion for the Federal government to immediately send fifteen credits worth of aid, of all sorts, to the affected areas, so the people of the region can begin rebuilding their lives and not lose their jobs: we also motion that those who lost their livelihoods and homes in the disaster be the first ones hired in the reconstruction, so their lives, and those of their families, are wrecked as little as possible by the disaster, and we can all go on healing.

Solidarity, my people, is sometimes all we have left in our hour of need.

[Coin]

Representative M.J. Carpenter, Republican, Oklahoma
House Minority Leader

I applaud this bill in calling for support for our citizens in Texas and in Louisiana. I am gladdened to see such a bill presented. I and many others across these Mountain States have, I know, prayed for the families of the 24 dead citizens in the recent hurricane.

If Congressman Hernández and my fellow Congressmen from Texas agree, I would also motion an amendment at this stage for the House to help charities and donors from the private sector to contribute. I would also motion for the aid sent to be coordinated with the state legislatures in order to ensure that what we send at a federal level compliments and does not duplicate state-level actions.

However we should be aware of the possibility that these 15 credits may be an excessive amount, and thus we would also propose that money in the end not needed is returned to the treasury. We are fortunate to have these funds in the Treasury thanks to sensible government saving in the past, and I hope that this terrible tragedy may be an opportunity to present the benefits of good fiscal stewardship.

Finally I might add that community and family solidarity is important in such a situation; so too is faith, and I am sure I speak for all the House in praying that the faith of our brothers and sisters in Texas and Louisiana might be strengthened by the Lord in their time of need.

Representative N. Warner, Republican, Oklahoma

I too agree with Congressmen Hernandez and Carpenter. We should however study the amount proposed, for it is more than the amount we spend quarterly on the army. Put another way, it is equivalent to 1.2% of GDP, which is a massive sum. Insurance payments should cover a majority of the damage, and while we must ensure noone unduly suffers due to this terrible tragedy, we must equally be fiscally responsible lest waste or corruption become a danger. Approximately 5c is advised by our analysts as a more suitable sum.

Representative M.J. Carpenter, Republican, Oklahoma
House Minority Leader

Following discussions with Congressman Warner, I would table the following amendment to the bill:

• For the President to declare a national day of mourning for the fallen.
• Sending 5c worth of aid, of all sorts, to the affected areas, so the people of Texas and Louisiana may rebuild their lives and for jobs not to be lost. Preference to be given to those who lost their livelihoods and homes in being hired for reconstruction.
• Encouraging and directing private and charitable donations, as well as State-level relief, to be coordinated with Federal relief, to prevent duplication of funding allocation causing waste.
• An auditor to be appointed to oversee the entire process and to ensure unspent monies are returned to the Treasury.

Should Representative Hernandez have any issues with the amendment, or wish to study the matter further, we would support it moving to the House Appropriations Committee for the details to be worked out.

[Coin]

Representative M.J. Carpenter, Republican, Oklahoma
House Minority Leader

Ladies and gentlemen of this House, public attention has been fixated on the lack of advancement on this particular issue, and I believe it necessary we reach across the aisle to get this through.

I therefore must ask again if Representative Hernandez will support our amendment, that this can swiftly advance.

[OYID]

We support it, tentatively, pending its review by the House Appropriations Committee.

[Gesar]

The bill is hereby moved to the relevant subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee.

[Flamelord]

After careful review, the House Appropriations Committee finds this amended bill acceptable, and we hereby return it to the general House floor for debate and voting.

[Coin]

Representative N. Warner, Republican, Oklahoma

As a point of clarity, would such a bill be to confirm or duplicate the executive order mention in the Presidential address?.

[OYID]

This bill would provide aid additional to that which has been sent as part of an Executive Order. Passing it through Congress will provide Republicans to have input as to just where and how it is spent.

[Coin]

Might we see the full detail of that executive order? We would seem to be doubling the amount of aid for no evident reason, but I am aware the facts are not all public at the moment.

[OYID]

Well, Representative, you do flatter me, but I'm still just a congresswoman, and I don't have access to what hasn't been published yet, all I know is that the President has authorized five credits' worth of aid to go to the most disaster-stricken areas of Texas and Louisiana, seeing as how Congress has failed to pass any amount of aid so far, eliciting a much-deserved reaction from the public.

[Coin]

Then might I suggest the President is actively undermining this bill by not stating where the aid he proposes will go. Precisely what kind of administration drafts an executive order without knowing what will be in it?

I might repeat my earlier comments regarding the cost of relief. We are arguing needlessly because of a President determined to go over Congress for a cheap political and expensive financial point.

[Flamelord]

Fellow Congressman, while we're sitting here debating, the people of my home state are suffering as they try to recover from this disaster. Might I suggest that if the President is unwilling to rescind his Executive Order if the face of passage of this bill by the House, then perhaps we amend the bill itself to simply oversee the application of the funds President Roux-Johnson has allotted, rather than add to the amount that is being used? The more we delay, the more public confidence in the ability of this body to act in a crisis is compromised.

[Coin]

I agree entirely with Congressman Guzman. It appears a sensible solution to the issue here, and the sooner this gets passed, the better - particularly with the Republican amendment on charitable coordination.

May I therefore suggest the following amended bill:

• For the President to declare a national day of mourning for the fallen.
• Supervising the 5c worth of aid sent by Executive Order so the people of Texas and Louisiana may rebuild their lives and for jobs not to be lost. Preference to be given to those who lost their livelihoods and homes in being hired for reconstruction.
• Encouraging and directing private and charitable donations, as well as State-level relief, to be coordinated with Federal relief, to prevent duplication of funding allocation causing waste.
• An auditor to be appointed to oversee the entire process and to ensure unspent monies are returned to the Treasury.

A fine suggestion. I await the answer of the other parties on the matter, but believe there are no outstanding issues raised thus far anyway.

[Snacks]

With the proposed amendment providing satisfactory oversight to the use of the proposed aid funds now guaranteed by the already-discussed Executive Order, I believe any concerns previously raised have now been addressed, unless there are any new objections after all this time. I would like to invite the Speaker to move the bill as currently amended to a final vote.

I second the suggestion, and remind my esteemed friends that the debate in this chamber is for arguing the merits of the bill, not the President of the United States. Please save it for "Meet the Nation."

[Huojin]

I would like to invite the Speaker to move the bill as currently amended to a final vote.

[[Just to say, this isn't necessary, the bill is already open for voting.]]