Support the Funding for Fixing Texas Levees

SUPPORT THE FUNDING FOR FIXING TEXAS LEVEES -- (House of Representatives - March 16, 2006)

(Mr. DOGGETT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)

Mr. DOGGETT. Madam Speaker, the lives and livelihood of tens of thousands of Texans in a major hurricane zone are at risk because of defective federal levees that only the federal government can repair.

I am here to ask that on the third vote this morning, our colleagues support an amendment offered on behalf of myself, Congressman Ortiz, and Congress REYES to prevent another Hurricane Katrina-like disaster. This map shows the area of McAllen, Mission, Hidalgo, and Pharr, Texas--a booming community of hardworking Americans, small businesses, schools, hospitals, and nursing homes.

That is how it looks today. This is how it will look if those federal levees fail, covered not in blue plastic, but in water. Because the federal levees are up to 9 feet deficient in height according to a report of the U.S. State Department.

In order to prevent the destruction of the lives and livelihood of those hardworking Americans, we need the $7.8 million modest appropriation proposed in our amendment. Save lives and prevent a tragedy from occurring by approving emergency appropriations to assist the repair of these important federal levees.

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