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Last week proved we can do a lot when we work together.
We passed three major pieces of legislation last week
with bipartisan votes.
This week I am hopeful
that we will see the same sort of support for a bill to keep the government running
and avoid the kind of political brinksmanship
that marked this vote
last time around.
Tomorrow when we see the House bill
we’ll amend it with the language that passed here with some sixty three votes in
the Senate,
that deals with FEMA.
I hope this amendment will enjoy the support of my Republic colleagues
as they did last week.
Then a bipartisan group of senators agreed that helping communities
destroyed by natural disasters was too important let politics get in the way.
And I would also just in passing,
indicate that
the ten republicans who voted with us would seem to me
that it would send a very, very
sad message to home
that because of
partisanship they're going to back off of
what is needed. I think many Americans care deeply about this issue. I think they
also understand that the House
Republican approach is
inadequate,
it is unnecessary,
and in large measure,
it is wholly unprecedented. It's inadequate because it only funds FEMA
for six weeks, it leaves the corps of engineers without any money operate
provides no agricultural assistance
whatsoever to the farmers that have been devastated
in these communities.
And it provides no community-development block grant funds which we found
absolutely essential
in the rebuilding of the gulf coast. I want to thank the ten Republican
senators that stood against
their party politics and put their state's first and their communities
first. And I ask them to stand strong
for their communities again.
