Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Hurricane Disasters Assistance Act, 2005

EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR HURRICANE DISASTERS ASSISTANCE ACT, 2005 -- (House of Representatives - October 06, 2004)

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Mr. MORAN of Kansas. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding me this time.

I rise tonight in support of this amendment. I would like to show a photograph from home of what we face in our State. These issues that Florida has encountered as a result of hurricanes create tremendous problems, but 5 years of no rain in western Kansas results in a photograph like this. This is not the 1930s; this is the spring of 2004, and we have Kansas counties that are drier now than in the "Dirty '30s."

This issue is important to us. It is about whether or not our farmers and ranchers can survive and live into the future, whether or not there is hope and opportunity for rural communities, whether or not we have young people in school, whether or not we have people who shop on our main streets. This is about the survival of rural America.

And I am pleased to be here tonight to see the House take action in a responsible way, designed to address the serious needs faced by many rural American communities as a result of weather-related conditions through no fault of their own. This is an opportunity for us to come together as a country and support not only Florida and the southern part of the United States whose sympathy and condolences we have for the disasters they have encountered but also to recognize that all of America is in this battle together.

I thank the gentleman for allowing me the opportunity to speak tonight in favor of this amendment, finally bringing it to the House floor, addressing this issue we seriously face.