Water Resources Development Act of 2018

Floor Speech

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Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

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Ms. VELAZQUEZ. I am opposed in its current form.

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Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, this is the final amendment to the bill which will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If adopted, the bill will immediately proceed to final passage, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, as we debate today, Puerto Rico continues to reel from the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, a once-in-a-generation disaster that fueled a humanitarian crisis. Nearly all 3.3 million residents of Puerto Rico lost power following the hurricane. Drinkable water and adequate food supplies became scarce throughout the island. Many have since endured the longest blackout in U.S. history.

We all remember when President Trump went to Puerto Rico last September. While he was there, he said that--based on the then-reported 16 deaths--Maria was not ``a real catastrophe. . . .''

Every day it becomes increasingly clear how out of touch that statement was, and every day the magnitude of this disaster becomes clearer, as does the incompetence of this administration's response.

Just last week, the Harvard School of Public Health released a new estimate suggesting the death toll is staggeringly higher than previously thought. The Harvard study is just an estimate. However, if the number most often cited from that report--4,645--proves accurate, then Maria would rank as the second worst natural disaster in U.S. history. No matter what the President said, that is a real catastrophe.

Now, as Puerto Rico continues struggling as thousands still do not have electricity and as we still do not know the total number of lives lost, we are entering another hurricane season. Yet Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands remain vulnerable should another storm come barreling out of the Atlantic into the Caribbean and make landfall.

We should remember the 2017 hurricane season was not just devastating for the Caribbean. We cannot forget how the Houston area suffered under Hurricane Harvey. Houston's layout and the city's infrastructure also proved vulnerable to the flooding, causing $125 billion in damage. Yet despite 2017 being one of the worst in history for natural disasters and even though we are entering another hurricane season, our public infrastructure systems remain vulnerable.

The motion to recommit is very straightforward. It would ask the Secretary of the Army Corps to work to restore and strengthen the resiliency of public infrastructure in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and in the mainland for areas damaged by Maria, Irma, and Harvey. This is common sense. It will mean we are better prepared for the next major hurricane. It could potentially save lives.

In Puerto Rico, for instance, this would allow needed upgrades to the Guajataca Dam. The 90-year-old dam, located on the northeastern shore of the island and owned by Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, was severely damaged after Maria. While the Corps did good work preventing the collapse of the dam, this was a temporary band-aid. American families living in Puerto Rico still face imminent danger. The Corps should invest in this critical infrastructure project seeking to prevent future damage from another storm.

In other areas throughout Puerto Rico, rivers, lakes, and wetlands serve literally as sinks for water to drain into. To control massive flooding in the next hurricane season, the Corps needs to make the necessary investments for flood control, something else this motion will help advance.

Mr. Speaker, sadly, the administration largely abandoned Puerto Rico after Maria. Now we are learning the death toll from this tragedy will be heartbreakingly high. This Congress has a moral obligation to do everything possible to prevent future deaths and to protect our fellow citizens. That is what this motion to recommit will do.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support this motion to recommit, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

The yeas and nays were ordered.

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