Washington, DC - Mr. Speaker, I fully support the funding for our troops in this Emergency Supplemental; the men and women serving our country in Iraq and Afghanistan must have equipment to effectively fight insurgents, and the harsh environment has taken its toll on everything from helicopters to tanks to armored vehicles.

 

I am concerned however that we are not addressing the impact of lost equipment and vehicles when our National Guard and Reserve units are forced to leave their equipment in Iraq. 

Some reports state that Guard and Reserve units in the U.S. are only equipped at 30% of pre-war levels.  The FY06 Defense Appropriations bill included $1 billion for re-equipping units here at home, but the Guard needs $20 billion to address the shortage.

 

Money is tight in times of war, but national security is hollow if we leave our homeland unprotected to fight wars overseas.  If we are going to increase the federal debt limit yet again – by nearly $800 billion this time – and extend tax cuts , we should also equip the men and women who protect the homeland from terrorist attacks and natural disasters.

 

This is extremely important for constituents in the district I represent.  In 2001, Tropical Storm Allison, just weeks into the hurricane season, flooded tens of thousands of homes and businesses in Southeast Texas.  The Guard was a critical part of the rescue and recovery effort, using its large trucks and equipment to reach individuals stranded by the high water.  During Katrina and Rita, the Guard again played a major role in rescue and recovery efforts after a natural disaster. 

 

With the start of hurricane season on June 1st – less than three months away – we must ensure Guard units along the Gulf coast have the equipment they need to save lives.

I also want to talk about housing for Katrina and Rita evacuees.  We have 100,000 evacuees in the City of Houston’s emergency housing program, but frankly FEMA and HUD have been very difficult to work with.

 

FEMA told the City to sign 1-year leases for evacuees and promised in writing to reimburse Houston.  First, these reimbursements have been extremely slow, and the our cities and apartments are becoming the bank for FEMA. 

 

I met with Houston apartment owners that have not been paid rent for 90 days – I could not get away with that in my apartment in D.C., but FEMA gets away with it.

Second, these commitments are not being honored.  Instead, they are going to pull the rug out from under probably 30,000 of these evacuees that FEMA says won’t qualify for housing help after March 31.

 

In the coming weeks, 30,000 evacuees in Houston are going to get a letter giving them 30 days notice before eviction, even if they have a 1-year lease that FEMA promised to reimburse back in September.  Many of these evacuees are schoolchildren.

 

FEMA has no plan for where the folks that they decide no longer qualify for housing assistance are going to find housing or where they are going to go.  Rental rates are going to go up due to the influx of evacuees.  Houston’s section 8 housing program is full.

 

30,000 Americans should not end up on the streets of Houston and America should not stand for it.  FEMA made commitments to 1-year leases and they are not abiding by their written commitments.

Mr. Speaker I fully support the hurricane relief funding in this bill and the funding for the men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan, but I believe that there is a tremendous amount of work yet to be done. 

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