Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2019

Floor Speech

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Mr. CASTEN of Illinois. Mr. Chair, I will vote today in support of H.R. 268, the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2019. Americans have a long history of helping each other in times of emergency and this bill, in that American spirit, provides needed funding to help families and businesses recover from natural disasters.

That said, I am concerned that the bill, in many respects, is a stop- gap measure that defers action on bigger problems. Our disaster funding protocols have historically been predicated on the idea that, when American citizens' face a loss of property due to a rare and unpredictable event, we have a moral obligation to help them rebuild. That is a noble and righteous goal and consistent with this bill.

However, we must also begin to face up to the fact that climate change is creating a situation where disasters are no longer rare, nor unpredictable. We know with certainty where flood risk is intensifying in low-lying coastal regions. We know with certainty where the risks of wildfires are growing.

A review by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of $1-billion-plus weather and climate disasters proves the point--such disasters are increasing in frequency and concentrated in very specific regions of the country.

To continue to provide federal funds to encourage rebuilding in those areas is ultimately unsustainable. At some point, those funds will have to be diverted to development on less disaster-prone grounds. That is scary and unfortunate, but we cannot ignore that reality. It is my hope that, as a body, we can begin to develop the strategies to redirect those funds on our terms rather than being compelled to do so by fiscal or natural events.

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