Private Flood Insurance Market Development Act of 2017

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 538, I call up the bill (H.R. 3823) to amend title 49, United States Code, to extend authorizations for the airport improvement program, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the funding and expenditure authority of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, to provide disaster tax relief, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill currently under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, Hurricane Irma's direct hit to the lower and middle Keys was devastating to my district. Many lost everything to the storm's 130-mile-an-hour winds and significant storm surge. Some lost their lives.

But fortunately, the Keys' recovery is well underway, and the resiliency and generosity of Conchs and other south Florida residents have been on display before, during, and after the storm.

While facing the prospects of receiving the full force of the storm, Key West police and fire departments decided to remain on the ground, risking their personal safety. They wanted to be there for their neighbors when the storm had passed.

Navy personnel, under the leadership of Captain Bobby Baker, who sacrifice for our country every day, once again answered the call to serve and stayed behind to ensure they would be there to get the runways open and ready to receive aid. Coast Guard Captain Jeff Janszen also stayed to make sure the Port of Key West could open.

Two days after the storm had passed, I visited with both of these leaders. They were working tirelessly to stand up their bases and had not yet checked on the interior of their own homes.

Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay rode out the storm at the Marathon shelter because he felt it was his responsibility to be there to protect his community. Officials from local municipalities from the city of Key West

to Ocean Reef have been working around the clock with their teams to get utilities up and running, roads cleared, and government offices operational.

I am grateful to our first responders and all the public officials and employees who have been working hard to serve the people of the Florida Keys.

I also want to thank my office's Florida Keys director, Nicole Rapanos, who has dedicated long hours to assist our constituents and our neighbors in the Keys so that they can get the resources they need. I am grateful for her dedication to her neighbors and proud to have her on my staff.

Community organizations are also playing an instrumental role in the Keys' recovery. Nonprofit groups like Star of the Sea Outreach, Rotary Club of Key West, and the Florida Keys Outreach Coalition, just to name a few, have been volunteering their time, coordinating donations, and serving direct relief to the community.

Private companies and small businesses have also stepped up to help. Robert Spottswood, whose family owns the Marriott Beachside, opened up the hotel to first responders, Navy personnel, and others who chose to ride out the storm.

Baby's Coffee, which was left with its own damage from the storm, was providing their entire stock to residents of Key West, along with hot meals and coffee.

Ikon Builders and UDT have brought supplies to the food banks and donation distribution centers. The Marathon EOC, which has been operating 24/7 and where approximately one-third of employees had lost their homes, these people continued working to help in recovery and rebuilding, and the list goes on.

On the individual level, people have gone above and beyond to show their true Conch spirit. They have shared their own supplies and taken time to go help neighbors. The outpouring of support from local heroes in the Florida Keys has been so extraordinary, I could be here all day telling the stories of thousands upon thousands of acts of kindness. This powerful sense of community and humanity is one of the many reasons I am proud to represent these local heroes.

Mr. Speaker, clearly the Keys' recovery is well underway. Tourism will be opening up again next week, nearly 3 weeks earlier than anticipated. I have no doubt continued recovery efforts will make the Florida Keys an even greater one-of-its-kind paradise Americans from across the country and people from all over the world have come to love.

But the truth is, the Keys' tourism-based economy has been stalled, and perhaps the greatest devastation is the financial strain on individuals, families, and small entrepreneurs. Many of those facing hardship are themselves working to assist their fellow survivors, putting their personal interests aside. This community is doing its part to help their own, Mr. Speaker.

Now it is time for Congress to do our part to help our fellow Americans in my district and in similar communities throughout my home State of Florida, in Texas, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

When we debated this bill on Monday, I told my colleagues about how the tax credit for wages would allow small business owners like Owen, a crab and lobster fisherman whose traps were destroyed in the storm, to claim a tax credit for 40 percent of employee wages, up to $6,000 per employee, helping him get his team back to work as soon as possible.

This legislation would also allow up to 415,000 hurricane survivors in Miami-Dade and nearly 7,500 in Monroe County keep more of their paycheck by referring to earned income from the immediately preceding year for purposes of determining the earned income tax credit.

We are also making it easier for taxpayers to deduct more of the costs from the extensive property damage these storms left behind and allowing anyone struggling with initial recovery efforts to have immediate access to their retirement savings without penalty.

Lastly, this legislation will encourage more American businesses and individuals to continue generously supporting qualified hurricane relief organizations by lifting caps on charitable giving to these groups.

Mr. Speaker, hardworking Americans in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico need Congress to act. On Monday, this bill was derailed by political games, posturing, and name calling. I hope that will not be the case today because my constituents and those in other communities like my district don't have time to wait. This tax relief package deserves bipartisan support from my colleagues.

I want to thank Chairman Brady and the Ways and Means Committee staff for allowing me to shape this legislation for the benefit of south Florida residents, especially those in Monroe County who were hardest hit by Hurricane Irma. I want to thank Chairman Sessions and the Rules Committee for making in order my amendment that will provide additional benefits that are critical for our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico and the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands. In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, they are facing a terribly difficult uphill battle to rebuild their communities. I stand in complete solidarity with my friends Stacey Plaskett of the U.S. Virgin Islands and Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon of Puerto Rico, and will work to get them everything they need to rebuild their communities. I hope for their sake we can finally get this done today.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Brady), the distinguished chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster), the chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Washington (Mrs. McMorris Rodgers), the distinguished chairman of the House Republican Conference.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Norman).

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I truly deplore the way some colleagues have decided to politicize such a sensitive, urgent, and important issue.

There are people in my community who are suffering, who lost their homes, yet they are still working hard to help their neighbors rebuild. For them to find out that this institution would oppose a measure to help them because some colleagues think it is just not good enough-- now, you heard them. They recognize there is a lot of good in this package, but it is not enough.

I am the Representative of the district that was hit the hardest by Hurricane Irma. Chairman Brady was here. He has been working hard back home to help his community recover while managing his responsibilities here as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. He is calling for passage of this legislation that he sponsored.

Also putting their names on this legislation, Jenniffer Gonzalez- Colon, the Resident Commissioner elected by Puerto Ricans on the island to this Chamber, she has added her name to this legislation.

Also, Stacey Plaskett, a member of the minority who represents the Virgin Islands, she has added her name to the amendment we filed to make this legislation even stronger.

So the Members representing the districts that were hit the hardest, where people are suffering--and the gentlewoman from New York is absolutely correct; the suffering in Puerto Rico cannot be compared to anything else that we are seeing here on the mainland--their representatives want to see this legislation pass, but some of our colleagues say it is just not good enough. So because this is not good enough for them, people should get nothing.

We wonder. We wonder why so many Americans don't trust this institution, why so many Americans are frustrated with the politics in this country: because if it isn't perfect, if it isn't exactly what I want, then I am against it.

Now, fortunately, not all of the Members of the minority agree with this. When we first had this vote on Monday, 26 Democrats voted in favor of the legislation. And I thank them--not just for me, but on behalf of all of my constituents, the people of the Florida Keys, south Florida, and, of course, the people of Texas, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands. I thank my Democratic colleagues and all of my Republican colleagues that supported this package. I invite more Members from both parties to support this package today because this is not the time to play political games.

Now, I understand some people here are frustrated about what may have happened in the past. I wasn't here, and I belong to a new generation of Members of this institution. Quite frankly, I think none of us on either side is interested in relitigating the old fights and the old debates. We want to see the solutions for today and tomorrow.

The people of Florida--Monroe County, the Florida Keys, and Miami- Dade--the people of Texas, Louisiana, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico, they need us now. They need this solution now.

Can we do more later?

Absolutely. Everyone knows that this Chamber and the other will soon consider additional funding for FEMA--much-needed funding. I will support a robust package for FEMA because the agency is strained and it is working hard to help people all over this country and out in the Atlantic.

But to say that this is not good enough, so instead we will do nothing is just unacceptable.

I urge my colleagues to reconsider because I think it is important that we send a message of national unity to help those who are hurting. If we can do more in the future, we will and we should.

So, Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would just thank all of my colleagues that understand how urgent this situation is, how much pain and suffering are being experienced in these communities, and I ask them respectfully to please support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise and want to make comments actually echoing a lot of the comments that were made already.

The gentleman from Massachusetts talked about this needing to be a bipartisan bill, and I agree. The gentleman from New Jersey talked about Hurricane Sandy tax relief, and I agree. The gentleman from Florida talked about the need to ensure that we are responding quickly and appropriately in response to the devastating disasters that have affected his State of Florida and the State of Texas. I also support the gentleman from Pennsylvania's comments regarding a short-term reauthorization to the FAA so we can continue to move forward on reform.

But you may be wondering why, Mr. Speaker, groups like the Association of State Floodplain Managers and the Consumer Federation of America have expressed opposition to this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I include these letters in the Record.

Association of State

Floodplain Managers, Inc.,

September 24, 2017.

Re Private flood insurance in H.R. 3823, Disaster Tax Relief

and Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2017.

Dear Leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives: Early

this week, the House will consider legislation promoting

development of private flood insurance as part of a bill to

reauthorize the FAA for 6 months and provide hurricane tax

relief. The bill is scheduled to be taken up under suspension

this week. ASFPM strongly objects to consideration of private

flood outside the reauthorization of the NFIP. The proposed

bill does not insert HR 2901 from the 114th Congress as

mentioned in press reports, but inserts HR 1422, the Ross-

Castor bill from the 115th Congress as Title 4, with

provisions that as written could substantially weaken and

undermine the critical functioning of the National Flood

Insurance Program,. The NFIP not only provides flood

insurance, but is a comprehensive flood risk management

program.

Although we understand the potential benefits of more flood

insurance options, we point out that the private market has

been readily expanding since Biggert-Waters 2012 was passed

authorizing private flood insurance. ASFPM cannot support

authorization for private flood insurance as written in HR

1422. The temporary extension and reauthorization of the NFIP

expires on 8 Dec 2017, giving Congress ample time to consider

the full scope of the NFIP, into which private flood must

integrate, without causing irreparable damage to the other 3

fundamental elements of this comprehensive flood risk

management program. Those are floodplain mapping,

implementation of local floodplain ordinances to protect new

development, and hazard mitigation grants to reduce damage

and loss of life from flooding.

ASFPM has stated that three modifications of that HR 1422

language must be made to ensure continuity of the

comprehensive flood risk reduction aspects of the NFIP that

exist today. A federal policy fee on all NFIP policies pays

for almost half the cost of floodplain mapping and all of the

costs of floodplain management including technical assistance

to over 22,000 communities that have joined the NFIP. Hazard

mitigation grants are funded by premium income to the

program. None of these functions are provided by private

flood insurance policies.

Yet private insurance companies acknowledge that mapping

(i.e. identification of flood risk areas and areas of

mandatory purchase of flood insurance) and floodplain

management (i.e. reduced risk due to local requirements for

hazard-resistant construction) help them to target their

marketing and to price premiums lower where floodplain

ordinances exist.

First, private policies must also carry the federal policy

user fee to support the mapping and floodplain management

functions. Private flood policy holders, private insurance

companies, as well as the NFIP and its policy holders,

benefit from these functions by identifying at-risk areas,

ensuring building construction standards which facilitate

lower flood insurance premiums, and targeting areas and

structures which could benefit from mitigation actions

leading to lower premiums. As policies migrate to the private

sector, millions of dollars in revenue to support those

floodplain management and mapping functions will be lost

unless there is an equivalent policy user fee on private

policies.

Second, private policies to satisfy the mandatory purchase

requirement for properties in floodplains must only be sold

in communities that participate in the NFIP (meaning

they have adopted floodplain management ordinances to guide

safer development). In smaller communities with only a

handful of properties required to purchase flood insurance,

if that requirement can be met with private policies, those

communities may drop out of the NFIP and no longer maintain

floodplain management ordinances to reduce future losses.

This could result in lack of abililty to reduce future flood

losses and in taxpayers picking up disaster costs.

Third, several provisions of the existing definition of

private flood insurance must be retained. The Biggert-Waters

2012 legislation (42 USC 4012a(b)(7)) defines private flood

insurance, among other things, as providing coverage ``at

least as broad as'' that provided by the NFIP. The language

provides consumer protections to ensure policies would not

have excessive deductibles, exclusions, or eliminate some

essential coverages like Increased Cost of Compliance, which

provides assistance to policyholders to rebuild in a manner

that reduces flood damage in the future. Without these

important provisions in place, policyholders could face

unaffordable deductibles when they have a claim; communities

would find it much harder to help homeowners become eligible

for mitigation funding; and there would be a greater chance

that claim payments would not be applied to building repairs

resulting in increased community blight. ASFPM further notes

that with this language in place, the private market has

already been growing. The private flood insurance bill

strikes this language.

The nation's floodplain managers strongly urge adoption of

these elements if private flood language is added to the

House NFIP reauthorization bill. This would preserve the

flood risk mapping and floodplain management functions that

the NFIP provides and would protect consumers from purchasing

low-cost policies that provide less than adequate coverage

and/or higher deductibles they could not pay. This would not

happen if insureds had an NFIP policy.

The Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) and

its 36 chapters represent more than 17,000 state and local

officials, as well as other professionals engaged in all

aspects of floodplain management and flood hazard mitigation

including management of local floodplain ordinances, flood

risk mapping, engineering, planning, community development,

hydrology, forecasting, emergency response, water resources

development and flood insurance. All ASFPM members are

concerned with reducing our nation's flood-related losses.

Again we urge you to oppose inclusion of these ill-advised

private flood provisions outside of the context of

comprehensive NFIP reauthorization legislation. The

suspension package makes it impossible to properly address

these issues. Thank you for seriously considering these

recommendations from the Association of State Floodplain

Managers.

Very sincerely,

Chad Berginnis,

ASFPM Executive Director.

Mr. Speaker, extraneous provisions on flood insurance that should not be pasted into this legislation were included. These provisions actually undermine the very solvency of the program. They are establishing a private market at a time when the National Flood Insurance Program--the Federal program--is going to need the resources to pay claims. Establishing a private market within 60 days is going to divert resources from the Federal program to private insurers. It is going to divert these dollars to where they don't have the resources to make the payments.

Private insurance companies are already involved in flood insurance, and once we authorize them to step into these markets, they are going to be able to cherry-pick low- and moderate-risk policies, leaving the National Flood Insurance Program with only high-risk policies, leaving them with the burden of flood mapping and leaving them with the burden of a $24.6 billion debt. I don't understand how the program is going to have the resources to pay the claims it underwrites.

Next, Mr. Speaker, one of the other big problems we have is that this shows floods in Texas, floods in Louisiana, and gutting homes in Louisiana here and in Texas there.

These were both 1,000-year flood events. I don't understand the difference on why we choose these folks get tax relief and these don't. We introduced nearly identical legislation to address this.

We shouldn't be discriminating against folks in New Jersey and New York and Louisiana in exchange for the others.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3823) to amend title 49, United States Code, to extend authorizations for the airport improvement program, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the funding and expenditure authority of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, to provide disaster tax relief, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill currently under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, since Hurricane Irma hit south Florida earlier this month, my staff and I have been on the ground in the Florida Keys and South Dade helping our district with immediate recovery efforts and listening to what our constituents need going forward.

In the lower and middle Florida Keys, it is hard to find someone who hasn't been affected financially by this storm's devastation. From restaurant workers who have been without a paycheck to fishermen whose boats or traps were damaged, small businesses and the families that depend on them are really struggling.

In South Dade, crops and agricultural structures critical to daily operations were devastated by wind. Some small farms that were already struggling to make ends meet have now exhausted their cash on hand to pay for cleanup, leaving them little to pay workers or keep up with their planting schedule.

Mr. Speaker, my district and similar communities throughout Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands need relief, and this bill is a great start.

Through the business tax credit for wages, small-business owners like Owen, a lobster and crab fisherman whose traps in the middle Keys were destroyed by Hurricane Irma, will be able to claim a tax credit for 40 percent of employee wages. That is money Owen can use to get his employees back to work as soon as possible.

The bill will also allow taxpayers to refer to earned income from the immediately preceding year for purposes of determining the earned income tax credit. That is over 415,000 hurricane survivors in Miami- Dade, and nearly 7,500 in Monroe County, who will be able to keep more of their paycheck when the time comes to pay taxes next year.

We are also going to make it easier for individuals and businesses, like farmers struggling in South Dade and fishermen in the Keys, to deduct more of the costs from the extensive property damage these storms left behind.

This legislation would also give anyone struggling with initial recovery immediate access to their retirement savings, without penalties, so they can make ends meet and take care of their families.

Lastly, this legislation will lift caps on charitable giving to qualified hurricane relief organizations, encouraging more American businesses and individuals to continue generously supporting their fellow citizens.

Mr. Speaker, Americans in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico need Congress to act. My constituents and those in other communities like my district don't have time to wait. They certainly don't have time to play political games. The Disaster Tax Relief and Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2017 will give them the means to recover faster and rebuild their communities better and stronger than before. This tax relief package we are considering deserves bipartisan support from my colleagues.

I thank Chairman Brady and the Ways and Means Committee for allowing me to shape this legislation for the benefit of south Florida residents, especially those in Monroe County who were hardest hit by Hurricane Irma. I hope we can get this done today.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, briefly, I want to first convey my gratitude to the gentleman from Massachusetts because, indeed, the first day I returned after being back home helping my community recover, the gentleman expressed his disposition to work together. That really meant a lot to me, and I know it meant a lot to all of our colleagues who represent areas that were hit hard by the storm. We should work more closely together. We can always do better. However, let's not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

The bottom line is that there are a lot of provisions in this legislation that are supported by Members of both parties, and there are millions of Americans who are suffering, especially in south Florida and especially in Puerto Rico that was hit hard by Maria just a few days ago, and they are counting on us to deliver something. We can always do more later, but this is a good package that will help people get back up on their feet.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster), the chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Mr. Speaker, no one was laughing at anything that the gentleman said. We were listening intently.

The reason that we are all here is because the people of Florida, the people of Texas, the people of Louisiana, the people of Puerto Rico, and the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands need our help. They were hit in the last few weeks, and they need our help. There are people struggling in all of these communities.

Is this bill perfect?

No. I have never seen one.

Can we do more?

Yes. We must do more, but this is an important first step.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hensarling), the distinguished chairman of the House Financial Services Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Denham).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Brady and the Ways and Means Committee staff for their work on this legislation. It has been a tough couple weeks in the State of Florida, especially down in my community. Again, I want to thank my colleague from Massachusetts, Mr. Neal. As I said earlier, when I came back here, the first conversation we had was about helping south Florida, and he said he was willing and certainly able to do it.

Here today, we are trying to take that first step to help the people of Florida, to help the people of Texas, of Louisiana, of the Virgin Islands, of Puerto Rico. But as often happens in the House, if something isn't perfect, then we get nothing. That is wrong. That is wrong, because there are people out there who need the help, people who don't have a roof, people who don't have a home, people who have been without power.

I visited the Marathon Emergency Operations Center, Mr. Speaker. It was replete with people buzzing, everyone working hard, full of energy, even though they hadn't slept in days. The emergency operations manager there told me that a third of the employees there who were helping their fellow residents, conchs in the Florida Keys, had lost their homes.

This is about them, and we can help improve their lives today, and we can work together to do more later, and we should. But why should the perfect be the enemy of the good? Why, when we have the opportunity to help people, because some think we should be doing even more, we are going to give them absolutely nothing? I think that is a major mistake, and it sends the wrong message.

Throughout this debate, we have seen everything from posturing to name calling, and we wonder why so many Americans reject this institution and are disappointed by it. We have to do better, and we can do better. It would send a strong message if we all voted for this legislation to take this first step to helping the people of the Florida Keys, of south Florida, of Texas, of Louisiana, of the U.S. Virgin Islands, of Puerto Rico, help them get back up on their feet.

Mr. Speaker, this is very important, and on behalf of my community and a lot of people who have, quite frankly, lost their lives, I ask all of my colleagues to join together and to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I stand in opposition to H.R. 3823, the Disaster Tax Relief and Airport and Airway Extension Act, for one simple reason. This is an anemic response to these disasters, whether they occur on the mainland of the United States or within American possessions.

This should have been done on Friday afternoon with the two parties working together. Instead, once again, this was put together by one party, with minimal input from our side. These are all

members of the American family that have been impacted by what has happened with this terrible weather.

The chance here for us to work together to make this an expanded package, where we could be talking about a host of opportunities for these folks who have been put in such a precarious situation, is now being missed. There are 90 Members of this Congress who actually voted against direct aid in the past for relief for members of the American family, where we should have taken the position here, clearly: Let's try to figure out what we can do for a robust tax package, what we can do for immediate aid, and highlight the role that FEMA plays. And I certainly have expressed to Mr. Curbelo time and again I am there on board. I just think this needs to be more, and I think that is the position that we are offering today.

Furthermore, a partisan position had to be taken in terms of many priorities that we should have been consulted on, and even those could have been turned into bipartisan moments. I support the disaster relief that is in this bill, but it is clear that the package is woefully inadequate. I would hope that we could work together on these provisions.

The disaster relief package included in this bill does not provide the comprehensive package of incentives and relief that will drive investment and speed up recovery in the American communities that include Texas, Florida, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Without the fix that we want on this side, the effect of lost revenue is going to mean that money is lost that otherwise would be needed for normal operations and the response effort. It is going to take years to adequately respond to what has happened and the devastation that these folks are up against. We need to be sitting here, both parties working together, to say: They are all members of the American family. Let's get it done.

I consider this a missed opportunity, and I hope that we can do more in the next few days to get back on track to help them bounce back from these, indeed, tragedies. We should be sitting down here in the next 48 hours and putting together a massive package of relief for these States and for these possessions and making sure that they have what is necessary, rather than doing a piecemeal fix on what is sure to be a very tormented time for members of these communities and these States and these possessions.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell), a member of the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).

Mr. Speaker, I think that there is a sufficient opportunity here going forward, as the previous gentlemen has spoken, to discuss the whole issue of flood insurance. I just don't think this is the moment to be discussing the flood insurance initiatives. Instead, I think that ought to be subject to a full-throttled debate in this

institution about getting those things done. This is not, I think, the appropriate forum for accomplishing that.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio), the ranking member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, let me reassure the gentleman from California that when you talk about graduate medical education, believe me, in Massachusetts, we are for graduate medical education. Be assured of that.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, let me say that we all support reauthorization of the FAA. What has happened here again is a breakdown in the conversation that used to meld this institution together.

There was a chance on Friday for Republicans to consult with us in the minority, put together a bipartisan package of many very important provisions that are important to Mr. Curbelo, important to certainly Texas, important to the Virgin Islands. It is certainly important to Puerto Rico.

Let me give you a quick example of how this institution used to work. We used to call this the national principle. The national principle essentially said if there was an earthquake in California, we all rose to the support of California. If there were forest fires in Alabama, which there were, we would all come to the aid of the people of Alabama. If there was a horrific, torrential downpour in Texas, we simply said: We don't ask if it is a red State or a blue State, or if they are Libertarians or Socialists or Democrats or Republicans. We said: They are members of the American family. We said: Do what has to be done and then send us the bill. We believe that there will be ample opportunity to debate and discuss the size of the portionality at that moment.

Instead, where we had this opportunity right here to provide a robust package to the people of the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Florida, and Texas, we decide to come back with an anemic proposal.

We are coming up short on our responsibility. We had a tornado in my hometown 5 years ago. Those Federal employees did a spectacular job everywhere in eight communities, and nobody said: Too much government. They said: Let's fix this for, again, the American family to get this straightened out.

I have said to Mr. Curbelo, and I will repeat it, we will put up 195 Democrats immediately for a bigger package for the people of Florida, Texas, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico, not to piecemeal this together.

By the way, let me use this opportunity, Mr. Speaker, for those of us from the Northeast, the idea that 90 Members of this institution voted against direct relief just a couple of weeks ago looking for a pay-for, I wonder if they are going to use that same application of consistency when we get to the tax proposals that are about to consume our time.

We want to provide adequate relief to these families and the communities that need it. We could do this in the next 48 hours without any problem whatsoever.

Mr. Speaker, at this time, because this is not big enough and not supportive enough of the American family, I am going to urge my colleagues to oppose this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, first I want to acknowledge those individuals that Mr. Curbelo pointed out and congratulate them for their courage and their kindness as they attempt to get southern Florida back on its feet.

But the key phrase here that my friend from Florida mentioned was the following: Now it is time for us to do our part.

``Our part'' calls for a much more vigorous effort, a much more robust investment, and it could, it should, be done now. We don't have to wait to get this done. We don't have to parcel this out in the small amounts that are being suggested.

Now, earlier this week, I rose in opposition to H.R. 3823, the Disaster Tax Relief and Airport and Airway Extension Act, as well. Today, I am disappointed to say that I am not going to support today's updated version of the legislation either, based on the word ``more.''

I take no issue with a clean 6-month extension of the FAA expenditure authority, but today's bill includes an extensive list of extraneous provisions.

If we are to include extraneous measures on this must-pass legislation, then the process of compiling the bill should have been done in a bipartisan manner. Instead, our Republican friends assembled their near-term priorities barely, if at all, consulting the Democratic minority, even though many of these issues are indeed bipartisan.

Worse, rather than work together to solve what is rapidly becoming an American humanitarian crisis, they chose to take most of the day off to unveil the tax cut for the wealthiest people in America.

The priorities at this moment are misguided. As I noted earlier this week, while I support the disaster tax relief in this bill, the package is plainly insufficient. I had hoped that we might work together in a manner on these provisions, but that has not occurred.

Traditionally, in this body, we honored and used to respect what is known as the national principle. It was a code of honor that bound us together when one part of the Nation was beset by disaster. Whether it was an earthquake in California, a hurricane in North Carolina, a tornado in Massachusetts, floods in Missouri, or forest fires in Alabama, we did not ask about gender, race, geography. We simply said the national principle prevails and the Federal Government will offer a robust response.

We are failing in that respect to set the precedent today. Instead, unfortunately, this disaster relief package that we will consider does not provide the comprehensive package of incentives and relief that will drive investment and speed up recovery in American communities in Texas, Florida, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the devastation across Puerto Rico.

These hurricanes left massive devastation in their wake, and the ongoing situation in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico are dire. The situation not only justifies but demands a comprehensive package of incentives and relief to help these communities and their residents get back to their feet.

Republicans will hide behind an amendment they added to the Rules Committee last night. It is really a fig leaf, amounting to $68 per person in tax relief. We can do much more for our American brothers and sisters in the Caribbean, especially given that the administration continues to drag its feet in terms of sending an emergency supplemental request. That should be done forthwith. We can do better, and we must do better.

They are making vague assurances that we will get around to considering a more extensive package later, but delay and uncertainty will make the situation worse, not better.

Today's package should have included other powerful and proven tax incentives that we have extended in the past disaster recovery efforts consistently. I consider this a missed opportunity.

We need to do more to help our fellow Americans recover from these tragedies. Therefore, I intend to oppose this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio), who is the ranking member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from Texas.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Velazquez), and I must tell you that anybody who has witnessed her heartfelt advocacy on behalf of the people of Puerto Rico in the last 24 hours would be moved. I also would say that nobody in this Chamber knows more about what has happened in Puerto Rico right now than the gentlewoman from New York, Nydia Velazquez.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from New York.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, you just heard the eloquent testimony from Ms. Velazquez about what the people of Puerto Rico are facing right now.

I wish that the majority would have approached this process differently. The reauthorization of the FAA could have been a simple, straightforward exercise. It could have and should have been a bipartisan effort. They saddled the FAA with unrelated partisan priorities, incorporated with little input from Democrats, and presented a weak tax package to address the recent major national disasters.

As I said when a version of this bill came up earlier this week, I wish the disaster tax relief section were better designed and more extensive. This updated bill still doesn't provide adequate relief to the affected families and communities who desperately need it. You just heard from Ms. Velazquez on that basis.

While waiving penalties on the withdrawal of retirement savings and expanding EITC and child tax credit provisions are helpful, the majority inexplicably left out some of the most economically powerful tax incentives on the shelf, including those that would be helpful to rebuild devastated infrastructure.

Given this damage and the needs of hard-hit areas, especially the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, I cannot understand why we are not including proven

assistance contained in previous disaster tax packages as we did to our family and friends in places like Texas and Louisiana.

Therefore, I urge my colleagues to oppose this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.