The fact is that it is reasonable for us to say that there is going to be an emergency that happens in this country that we cannot budget for. Katrina is an example.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
We're facing a natural disaster in the middle of an economic disaster. The federal government has to balance its budget the way our families do.
This emergency spending measure is certainly only the beginning, since we here in Washington will continue to work closely with the president and emergency agencies to ensure they continue receiving the funding they need.
Having said that, I believe we must not compound the natural disaster of Katrina by creating a fiscal disaster in Congress - it is our duty to ensure that we reign in other government spending in any event, and especially in this time of national emergency.
This is a basic function of Congress to keep the government running. And so, what we ought not to do is play politics with those who have been affected by disasters.
We know we cannot underestimate the importance of emergency planning in our region, nor can we assume we'll have ample warning time. If an earthquake or terrorist attack hits, we won't necessarily have advance alerts or opportunities to double- and triple-check our plans.
Great emergencies and crises show us how much greater our vital resources are than we had supposed.
And I think it's a prudent, responsible way, given the scale of the emergency, the scale of the damage still facing America, that we finance these additional support for the unemployed as well as the support for small business. We think there's a good case for doing it now. We want to do it in an overall fiscally responsible way.
I believe the only measure of government response shouldn't be how much we spend on a situation, but rather how well we spend.
Anytime a large, emergency spending bill makes its way through Congress, the potential for mischief is great.
There is something mighty suspicious about declaring an emergency for something that has yet to show itself to be a grand pandemic.