Second Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act to Meet Immediate Needs Arising from the Consequences of Hurricane Katrina, 2005
Floor Speech
SECOND EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT TO MEET IMMEDIATE NEEDS ARISING FROM THE CONSEQUENCES OF HURRICANE KATRINA, 2005 -- (House of Representatives - September 08, 2005)
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Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.
Mr. Speaker, hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens in our gulf coast region have been devastated and displaced by the worst natural disaster in our Nation's history. The needs of the survivors and affected communities are great and our willingness to respond must match the challenge. This great Nation must respond in a manner that the American people expect and demand.
I have every expectation that every Member of this House will vote today for this emergency supplemental appropriation because our paramount concern must be to assist the victims of this catastrophe, our brothers and sisters in the gulf States. But it pains me to say, Mr. Speaker, that once again we have abrogated our obligation to conduct real, meaningful, effective legislative oversight of the executive branch. We want to help, but we have an obligation to assure ourselves that the help is going where it is needed.
Ten and one-half billion dollars by unanimous consent; I was for that. Fifty-two billion, plus; I am for that. No hearings, no oversight, no questions. No examination of when and how and where and who will spend the money and who will get it. As I understand it, neither the chairman nor the ranking member of the Committee on Appropriations was consulted in the drafting of this legislation.
The unfortunate truth is, Mr. Speaker, this compliant Congress has acted more like an adjunct to this administration than the co-equal branch that the Constitution demands we be.
Now, more than ever, the American people deserve honest answers to hard questions about the inadequate Federal response to this disaster. For example, why did Federal agencies and officials fail to appreciate the magnitude of this disaster, even as they were being warned by hurricane experts of the potential devastation? We all watched it on television being reported to us. Why was the Federal response too slow and initially too inadequate?
As the columnist David Broder wrote on Sunday, ``The majority of Republicans see themselves first and foremost as Members of the Bush team and do not want to make trouble by asking hard questions.''
I close, Mr. Speaker, by simply saying that, of course, we are going to support this, but, Mr. Speaker, I urge us to have oversight. Fifty-two billion dollars is a lot of money, and we are going to spend whatever is needed, but let us make sure we spend it right and let us make sure the right people get the money.
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