Aderholt Floor Statement: FY12 Continuing Resolution

Aderholt Floor Statement: FY12 Continuing Resolution

(Remarks as Prepared)

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Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this must-pass resolution.

Not only does this CR provide the necessary funds and authority to keep the government operating, it also provides an immediate and substantial infusion of vital funding to both FEMA’s disaster relief efforts and the Corps of Engineers’ Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies account – and it does all of this in a fiscally responsible way.

This resolution before us today complies with the recently enacted Budget Control Act and also provides the Appropriations Committees of the House and Senate ample time to complete our work on the FY12 budget.

And, for hard-hit communities all across the country – including those in my home State of Alabama – who have been so badly devastated by fires, flooding, tornadoes, and hurricanes over the past five months, this CR will sustain FEMA’s disaster relief and recovery efforts and help the Corps with additional funding for emergency flood control projects.

And the duration of this CR will provide the time to review and scrutinize FEMA’s preliminary damage estimates for Hurricane Irene – estimates that are based upon historical projections rather than actual data and claims that are still in the process of being collected.

This oversight will enable the Appropriations Committees the time to properly and responsibly address the Administration’s full supplemental request – a request that was only submitted to Congress less than two weeks ago.

While Congress has an undeniable obligation to thoroughly address our Nation’s disaster relief needs, we can no longer afford to simply throw money at calamities and then ask the hard questions later. We have to get our funding priorities right – and that is exactly what both Chairman Rogers and I have repeatedly said when it come to appropriations for homeland security.

Mr. Speaker, this CR is the right tool at the right time. I urge my colleagues to support this vital resolution and responsibly address our Nation’s most pressing needs.

I thank the distinguished Chairman and yield back the balance of my time.