DeLauro: Congress Should Come Together To Pass Aid for Sandy Victims

WASHINGTON,DC—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) released the following statement todaycalling on the House of Representatives to come together and pass aid for thevictims of Superstorm Sandy:

"Writingat the time of Katrina, Harvard professor Michael Ignatieff called theConstitution a ‘contract of citizenship' that promises, first and foremost,protection - that government will help ‘citizens to protect their families andpossessions from forces beyond their control.'

"'InAmerica,' he writes, ‘a citizen has a claim of right on the resources of hergovernment when she cannot - simply cannot - help herself.'

"'Whendisasters strike, they test whether the contract is respected in a citizen'shour of need. When the levees broke, the contract of American citizenship failed.'

"Thelevees broke. They broke in Connecticut and New York and in NewJersey.

"Governmentis about helping families recover and rebuild from major disasters likeSuperstorm Sandy. In a shocking display of neglect, this House Majority decidednot to allow a vote on disaster aid funds so desperately needed to recover andrepair from this storm.

"HurricaneSandy was one of the most severe storms to hit Connecticut in our state'shistory. All across our region families' houses were destroyed and liveswere upended.

"Andwhether it is a fire in the west, a tornado in the Midwest, a hurricane in theGulf Coast or a storm in the northeast, this body acted. We didn't sayno. It was a resounding yes to help because it is the centralresponsibility of this institution to act on behalf of the Americanpeople.

"Yethere we are two months since Sandy destroyed tens of thousands of homes andbusinesses, took over 100 lives across this nation and the House Majority saidno on a vote on disaster assistance to help millions of people get back ontheir feet again.

"TheRepublican leadership has broken that contract of citizenship.

"Theyhave said no to my constituents in Stratford, in Milford, in New Haven, EastHaven, West Haven, Branford, North Branford and Guilford. They said no to therest of the town in Connecticut and New York and New Jersey.

"Theybroke the contract of citizenship. They said you are on your own.

"Ourpeople cannot be on their own. We have a central responsibility to act onbehalf of the American people when they are overwhelmed by circumstances theyhad no control over.

"Letus act today to restore that faith and confidence in the American government."