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Washington, DC Today, U.S. Representative William Jefferson (D-LA) submitted two amendments to the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Hurricane Recovery 2006, to provide $2 billion and $1.9 billion, respectively, to the Community Development Block Grant program. Unfortunately, both bills failed on the House floor.
It is unimaginable that this Congress does not see the necessity to add more money to the CDBG funds so that each state on the Gulf Coast is able to meet the needs of its citizens to rebuild and recover from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Jefferson said. I submitted these amendments to ensure that Louisiana would get the full $4.2 billion for our housing program and other states would have their share of the funds as well. Congress is forcing the Gulf States into a food fight over money that the President committed to Louisiana. I urge the President to maintain his commitment and push the Department of Housing and Urban Development to direct those funds to our state.
The first amendment took $2 billion from the FEMA Disaster Fund and added it to the CDBG program. It failed in a roll call vote of 248-174. The second amendment added $1.9 billion to the CDBG program, increasing the total hurricane supplemental package to $21 billion. It failed in a roll call vote of 212-210.
I will continue to fight in Congress for the support that our citizens deserve as AMERICANS, Jefferson said. We are not asking the government to take care of us but to support us in our time of need in the same way that we have done for so many years for Americans from other regions and for foreign nations. Again, I urge the President to stay committed to Louisiana and we will stay committed to our plans for recovery. |
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