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Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Representative William Jefferson announced that House of Representatives Speaker Dennis Hastert and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi have agreed to send a Congressional Delegation to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region to view, first-hand, the devastation wrought by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Hastert and Pelosi agreed to the trip after Jefferson and the Louisiana and Mississippi delegations sent a letter urging them to lead a bipartisan group to the area so that they may see the magnitude of the disaster.
“I am pleased that House Leadership heeded our call to witness what so many of us have known for the past six months to be the result of the worst natural and man-made disaster in our nation’s history,” Jefferson said. “I have led delegations from the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and the Katrina Select Committee to the area and each time, Members were able to return to Washington with a more enlightened perspective of the challenges we now face.”
The delegation will be in the Gulf region March 2nd-4th and will tour New Orleans and coastal Mississippi. House leadership expects over 100 Members to participate in the tour. They will release further itinerary information as it is confirmed.
“There is so much work to be done and it is greatly important that the Members, and specifically our leadership, see the enormity of this crisis so that they may make the tough decisions about our budget and upcoming hurricane relief supplemental measures with the reality of our efforts in mind,” Jefferson said. “This is a wonderful opportunity for us to show Congress that our housing needs, levee and coastal restoration needs and healthcare and hospital needs are urgent, critical, and ongoing as we rebuild our city and our region.” |
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