Blue Dog Coalition

BLUE DOG COALITION

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Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Ross), my good friend, who every day is working to represent the constituents of his State.

I share, too, the concerns with the lack of accountability that has taken place over the last 4 years as we have put America's finest men and women in uniform in harm's way, fighting this war on terrorism, but specifically in Iraq and Afghanistan, and only to find that too often we have not done the necessary planning, we have not put the necessary resources in place nor have we taken the time to ensure that their work is focused on in a way that brings results, the kind of results that all Americans as taxpayers want to see when we invest in our Nation's interests.

The Iraq Accountability Act is an important step to try to reinstate credibility through this war effort, and therefore, we are urging our colleagues throughout the House to embrace this effort. This is not a partisan issue. This is all about making sure that when we invest $25 billion in reconstruction, when we need that kind of investment here at home, that it, in fact, is not taken in by sole source contracting single bids; that, in fact, that the work actually takes place at a level of quality so that the Iraqi government or the citizens can, in fact, benefit from that investment of infrastructure.

We just saw recently about the construction of a police station that was so shoddily built with U.S. taxpayers dollars that, in fact, it has been deemed unusable.

So as fellow Blue Dog members, we really urge in a bipartisan basis for us as a House to come together. We are the people's House, after all, and it is important that we put partisan politics at the water's edge. We are in a real mess in Iraq. There is no doubt about that. I have every hope, as do most Americans, that, in fact, we do the right thing in ensuring that this effort takes place in a way that brings our American troops home as safely and as quickly as possible.

However, if this surge is not successful, as I asked Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in the Foreign Affairs Committee just 2 weeks ago, that I think it is absolutely critical that we understand what our backup plan is. I think the American public is getting tired of us pursuing these efforts without the sort of time invested effort that is going to ensure that if this effort is not successful, we have a backup and that we are not simply winging it, because I think too often that has been the history of the recent past in this engagement.

Mr. Speaker, and my colleague, Congressman MIKE ROSS, I would like to shift this effort of accountability and transparency back to our Nation's shores. I was very moved by the comments Congressman MIKE ROSS made when he talked about the devastating impact of those tornados in his district back in Arkansas. I saw the devastation on television shortly after it occurred.

I e-mailed my friend, Congressman MIKE ROSS, and asked him how it was there. He talked about the horrific challenges his constituents were facing, and I felt for him. I felt for him because whether we like it or not, natural disasters occur throughout the country, whether it is in Florida, whether it is Katrina in Louisiana and Mississippi. I know, because just in January we had a similar natural disaster in California, called the freeze.

This devastating freeze has now impacted the State of California over $1.3 billion. Now, when you have a freeze that impacts communities in many counties such as we had in California in January, it doesn't take on the same sort of graphic visuals that a tornado or a hurricane does, but it is the worst freeze we have had in over 10 years. Governor Schwarzenegger immediately declared the State a disaster, an area designated as 31 counties eligible for State aid, and the State has been putting money in there.

We have signed a bipartisan letter to the President asking for Federal support. The estimate is that the freeze has affected not only $1.3 billion in losses, and those numbers are adding up, but over 12,000 farm workers, as well as farmers, have been impacted. The livelihood of these farmers, these farm workers and the communities they live in have threatened the economies of these towns where we have had 50 percent, 70 percent unemployment just in the last 4 to 6 weeks.

I was talking to a good friend of mine, Sarah Reyes, who heads up the community foodbank back in Fresno County. She told me that in the last 6 weeks they have fed over 91,000 families, 91,000 families that don't have jobs, that are out of work. But still, even though we have sent this letter, the Governor made the declaration, 31 counties have been impacted, the administration has yet to declare the freeze a Federal disaster.

So you ask why, why is our Governor, Governor Schwarzenegger's request being ignored? Why is the letter that has been signed by both Democrats and Republicans among the California congressional delegation being disregarded? Why is the administration acting so casually about a situation that puts families out of work and family businesses at risk?

Mr. President, the freeze may not make the sort of pictures that we have seen in Florida or in Arkansas or in Louisiana or in Mississippi; but I can tell you, if you come to those communities and visit and meet with those farm workers who are out of work, you talk to those farmers and their families who have invested their entire lives in their family farm, you will see just as dramatic an impact as any devastation of any other natural disaster. So I think it is time for the administration to focus on the accountability in its efforts in California for those families that have been so impacted by this devastating freeze. Accountability is what people expect their government to do. They expect their government to solve problems.

When the President spoke here in the State of the Union in January and said that folks are less concerned about the partisan squabbling that takes place and they are more concerned about doing the people's business, I agree with the President. In fact, this is part of the people's business, being accountable, being transparent, and making sure that after action that has already taken place, clearly 6 weeks, now going on to 7 weeks, after the initial disaster, that yet we have no response from Washington.

Ladies and gentlemen, folks in California and those 31 counties expect better. My constituents expect better, and I am hopeful that soon the President and the administration will step up to the plate and take FEMA's recommendation and that the Office of Management and Budget will suggest to the President that, in fact, California is deserving of the same sort of support and response and accountability that all of our citizens expect.

I thank the gentleman from Arkansas, my dear friend and colleague, Mr. MIKE ROSS.

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