On Gov. Cuomo’s Visit to Washington

First of all there are many people and offices who deserve praise and thanks for their work helping New Yorkers after Superstorm Sandy.

We thank Gov. Cuomo, for his tremendous leadership during this unprecedented crisis. We thank FEMA, the SBA and other federal agencies, for their quick and thorough response. We thank non-profits like the Red Cross, who are filling the gaps that government can’t fill. And last but not least we thank Americans from around the country, who supported New York after 9/11 and have been so generous after Sandy, too.

The recent election showed us a couple of things.

It showed that people want everyone in Congress – Democrats and Republicans – to work together to solve our nation’s problems.

And it showed that the people believe in the government’s responsibility to respond strongly during times of great need.

And that’s just what we’re here to do today – to send a united, bipartisan message to Congress and the White House that New York thanks you for what you’ve done in the past, and that we need you again now, badly.

And as we have in the past, as with Hurricane Katrina or the floods in the Midwest, we will always be there for the rest of the country as well.

This is who we are as Americans – we help each other in tough times.

And speaking of tough – as New Yorkers, we’re tough. But right now we’re hurting and we need the nation’s help.

As members of Congress from New York we’ll do our part and make the strongest case we can to get the funding we need after Superstorm Sandy.  We hope that the White House and our colleagues in Congress agree with us on the critical needs we have now.

Carolyn McCarthy is the representative of New York’s Fourth Congressional District. She was first elected in 1996.