Promise that no later than the 15th of this month, some 11 days from today, that we will make a full contribution to those people. I yield back the balance of my time. The gentleman from new jersey. I yield to the gentleman from new jersey who also recognizes that there have been absolutely no victims of delay when it comes to the Flood Insurance program because their payments have been made continuously because that program has been funded and we continue to fund it. The gentleman from new jersey. I thank my colleague for yielding. It has been 70 days and the residents of the northeast many have been living in misery and heartache. Im pleased that we are taking this step to support the national Flood Insurance program, which has met the needs of americans across our nation when theres been flooding crises. We in the northeast have been facing this craves now for 70 days. Im glad this essential program is going to be supported. There are about 125,000, from what i understand, sandyrelated claims that could be met by raising this cap. And i think it is good that we are about to do that. This, as others have said, is the first step of what we need to do to rebuild lives to put aside the misery that so many families and businesses have been suffering for this length of time. It is the right step on january 15 and we will be considering a much larger supplemental. A total of 60 billion, which will meet the needs, not all the needs of,connecticut, new jersey and new york and the region, there are considerable needs. But the national Flood Insurance program is a good program and this is a good support. Lets get about it and do it in a bipartisan manner. The gentleman from new york. I yield one minute to the Ranking Member and fighter for Small Businesses throughout america the lady from. I ask for unanimous consent to put in my remarks. Sandy has devastated new york and thousands of my constituents lost their homes and businesses. And it is a shame, an embarrassment for this institution that the House Republican leadership continues playing games with this essential assistance more than two months after the storm struck. It is indefensible that as americans continue to suffer from sandys impact that the House Majority could not get their act together to bring the aid package to a vote. This is also the case with todays legislation. While i fully support providing fema with additional funding, it is just another sign of the majoritys dysfunction. With fema just days away from being unable to pay flood claims the republicans argue among themselves about what to do. That is sad. It is a sad situation. So today we are taking 10 morning seconds. By Flood Insurance. What about Small Businesses . They are getting nothing. We as an Institution Come together when there is National Disaster across this nation. My sits deserve nothing less. Thank you and i yield back. The gentleman from new jersey. Please i yield two minutes from the gentleman from new york who led the efforts on the ground putting his shoulder to the grindstone to help restore some peoples homes. The gentleman is recognized for two minutes. Thank you. First, madam chair, i would like to take 15 seconds to tell chairman garrett that as much as i appreciate him bringing this bill to the floor today, he came to my district with his wife, came to midland beach, was in one of the homes, several of the homes that were completely devastated, pulling out moldy sheetrock and bringing a little hope to people in complete despair and for that i will be eternally grateful and i do thank my chairman for that compassion and letting the people even outside of his own district know that he is there and cares about them. I would also like to share with you, i called someone this morning from Staten Island that lives in new york beach and they have a teenage son named dillon and they have not been back in their home since the storm. I asked how are your two sons doing. He said they are great but dillon hasnt gone back to the house to help with the construction because he gets choked up. It is that that i want to emphasize here. These are human beings. Children that have been completely displaced. It is up to us to get them back on their feet. Today is one of those steps that im proud to be part of and tell dillon that he is going to be ok, we will get him become in his house. I would ask as we go forward with the other parts of sandy relief that my colleagues will stand with me and tell dillon that he will be ok. With that again i want to thank all of my colleagues across the aisle. It has been a pleasure to work with you. I want to thank chairman garrett one last time. I yield back. The gentleman from new york. I yield two minutes to the distinguished Ranking Member from the Appropriations Committee and hard fighter. The gentlemen woman from new york is recognized. I thank the distinguished Ranking Member for your eloquence. Madam speaker, i rise in strong support of this legislation and i would like to thank chairman garrett for introducing it and efforts to bring it to the floor. The national Flood Insurance program has hit its limit. Without increased Borrowing Authority it couldnt pay for himself as early as next week. That means 120,000 payments will be delayed all of which nearly due to Hurricane Sandy. But this is not enough. In december the Senate Passed an Emergency Assistance package to aid in the Sandy Recovery which included this legislation. Earlier this week i expected as did my colleagues that the house would vote on a complete Emergency Assistance package to aid those in connecticut, new jersey, new york, who have lost homes, businesses, their livelihood. Sadly the 112th congress ended without action and now we are starting over on an important legislation which is critical to help stormaffected areas that should have and could have we know that there is no reason it was not signed in 2012. However, we have now been promised a vote on the sandy Emergency Assistance package by january 15. Families in my district and throughout the region are looking to congress and asking, why are you making it so difficult for us it rebuild . Why are you making us wait to rebuild . Todays legislation is a start, only a first step toward providing relief to those who suffered as a result of Hurricane Sandy. We dont know a piecemeal approach. That is not the way the congress acts. We need a comprehensive Sandy Recovery bill passed today. We hold you to your commitment january 15, not a day later. We need this complete bill. Thank you. The gentleman from new jersey. At this time im pleased to yield one minute to the gentleman from new jersey who has seen the devastation. Thank you, madam speaker. It has been 68 days since Hurricane Sandy devastated the northeast and over two months of suffering for my constituents. While it is unfortunately long overdue im pleased we are finally here acting to help the people of new jersey recover. This hurricane has caused billions of dollars of damage uprooting individuals and families from their homes, forcing businesses it close, and resulting in job loss and revenue loss. My constituents need help now to recover. I have witnessed firsthand the devastation in places lake seaside heights, and i can say that these places look like war zones after the storm. Whole communities have been wiped out. Governor christie estimated the damage in new jersey to be over 36 billion. I applaud his swift action on Sandy Recovery and join him with all local and state federal leaders in new jersey to ensure all relief funds get to new jersey and families and busy as quickly as possible. This includes Adequate Funding for a program we are voting on today and i urge passage of this essential legislation. The gentleman from new york. At this time i yield one minute to the gentleman from jersey the member of the ways and means committee. It is like we are having a Sadie Hawkins dance. The real sponsor of this legislation are the people that are hurt. It took only 10 days after trepb until president bush signed 60 billion in katrina aid passed by the congress. How dare you come to this floor and make people think everything is ok . In fact one of the gentlemen from new jersey said we have not waited at all. The insurance runs out in one week. What are we going to do . Wait one week and act . We would not be here. Who the heck are you kidding. So we all come together very nicely this morning for breakfast and eggs and we know what has happened over the last 10 days. This is a total, total disaster in helping those people that we are saying today we are helping them. Isnt that wonderful . That is our job. We are not doing anybody any favors. That is why we were sent here. Try it once in a while, democracy. You may like it. The gentleman from new jersey mr. Garrett. At this point i yield two minutes to the gentleman it realize it is not just what we do on the floor but the volunteering and dedication to help these people. I want to thank the chairman for recognizing me and i just want to say that i support this bill not because i support the increased borrowing that were doing for our Flood Insurance program of 9. 7 billion, but it is a contractual agreement that we owe to these policyholders to pay these claims. It is not their fault that we in the government do not, are not good managers of our money. In 1968 when this policy and this program feels put into place was put into place it had a Borrowing Authority of 1. 5 billion. It was not until katrina that we raised that Borrowing Authority to 20 billion. We still owe 20 billion. We are now raising the Borrowing Authority to 30 billion. In 2017, which is 4 1 2 years away, the Borrowing Authority goes back to 1. 5 billion. Im sure we will address that at 11 59 on september 30 of 2017. I would like to ask on both sides of the aisle lets start working on that now. This cost to the government is the 1,763 for every policyholder that has Flood Insurance. The average premium is about 600. We have paid people 10 and 20 and 30 times for claims that lived in the same house in the same flood plain. I had an amendment to the Flood Insurance bill that said if you had that claims due to floods and you did not take the payout then you would have to pay a rate based premium. It didnt pass. Weve got to get into reality what this Flood Insurance program is for. It is mandatory. If you have a government backed honor and you live in a flood plain that is likely to flood in 100 years you have to have the insurance. But we need to make sure i yield to the gentleman an additional 15 seconds. We need to make sure what we are doing is something that can manage itself and us not continually having to raise the Borrowing Authority. With that i do support the bill and it is an obligation we have to the policyholders and i ask everyone support it. The gentleman from new york. At this time i would like to bring up the Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs committee. For how much time . For one minute. The gentleman from new york is recognized one minute. I thank my friend from new york and rise in strong support of this legislation but i must say tuesday night when i found out we were not taking this legislation up in the Previous Congress was the angriest i have been since i have been a member of congress. In the last 20 years this is the longest people affected by Natural Disasters have waited for congress to provide relief. It is not acceptable. I voted for aid for all areas of the country wherever theres been a Natural Disaster and the northeast deserves the same. New york has been a donor state and we give more to the federal government than we take back. Now we need help and politics shouldnt be played with the help we need. We should be supporting the entire package. Im sorry we are not voting for the entire panel today. We now have to wait for the senate to pass whatever we pass. This could have been gone and done on tuesday night and the aid would have been speeding to the people. This is not acceptable and i hope that theres no further delay. My sits are suffering. The people of new york, new jersey and new york are suffering. Congress needs to get out of the way and send not only this 9. 7 billion insurance but the entire package. I yield become. The gentleman from new jersey. Just to set the record straight with regard to the legislation before us a Flood Insurance program the aid under this program is going and has been going to the recipients in the effected area because there was funding in this program before. What we are doing now is make sure that aid will continue to go to those people who have contracts for insurance. With that i yield two minutes to the gentleman from new york who also is very familiar with the devastation. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise in strong support of the legislation. As intimated in the summer of 2011 my district was struck by hurricanes. We came together to support my constituents. With that assistance we are in the process of rebuilding. Now we come together in the wake of this devastating Natural Disaster and my state with our neighboring states were struck again. Making certain that our communities have the resources has brought me here to advocate for new york families, businesses and farms. Todays vote is a step forward. The national Flood Insurance program exists for circumstances like this. But more remains. We must come together at the outset of this session to address both the immediate recovery needs and longerterm rebuilding efforts. Im committed to this effort. Im produce of the bipartisan work we have achieved. We need to continue that. I want to thank the gentleman from pneumonia new jersey and i urge my colleagues to support it. Can the clerk identify the time remaining . The gentleman from new jersey has 4 45 and the gentleman from new york has 6 45. I yield one minute to the gentleman from new jersey. Without objection. The delay is on excusable and unjust. It is equally obvious the time has come to do what we can to help solve the problem. That is why i am for the passage of this bill today. It will help Flood Insurance claims be honored and paid so people can go about the work of rebuilding their homes. We heard about the january 15 vote coming. I think we should not be holding out false hope because here is the reality. I am certain we will vote on a january 15. The constitution says the other body has to vote, too. Then the president has to sign the bill. It is my strong hope the leadership between now and june were 15 will reach out to the leadership of the other body and try to pre negotiate a bill that the senate will take up so we can solve this problem. The house taking a vote january 15 is lovely and also meaningless if the other body does not act. I yield back the balance of my time. Gentleman, time has expired. Gentleman from new jersey. At this time i would like to yield two minutes from a gentleman from a state which is not immune from national and Natural Disasters, gentleman from california is recognized. Gentleman from california is recognized for two minutes. Thank you, madam speaker. Today were doing the important thing, the critical thing. I wish today this has been what wed voted on in the previous session, to recharge the Flood Insurance that needs to be there so that men and women in connecticut, new jersey, new york and the like will not question whether or not their country can provide them with the resources that are expected to be there in the time of a National Disaster like that. But madam speaker, i rise to say that january 15 is critical and as the previous speaker said, we do need to prenegotiate with the senate. We need to get the pork out. Now, none of that pork were talking about is in new york, new jersey or connecticut. In fact, its as far away as alaska. The bill that we will not vote on today, im speaking the pork that we will not vote on today is, in fact, the pork that was in this bill from the senate and my hope is that we will see january 15 a negotiated, clean bill that only deals with the men and women and families on the eastern seaboard that need to be taken care of. I think it is our responsibility to make the supplementals only about the emergency. For people on the eastern seaboard that are suffering, time is running out and all of our leader need to make sure the next vote, the vote on january 15, as the previous speaker said, will be a vote that in fact will be prenegotiated that will run through the senate and that in fact will deal only with the people suffering on the eastern seaboard. I yield to the gentleman. Thank you to the gentleman for yielding. Its important to point out that the house bill never contained any of those extraneous provisions. When the bill came over here, our leadership, we agreed to all that was taken out so there was nothing about any other state other tha