Voting on Full Sandy Aid Package

On Tuesday I called on her colleagues in the House to immediately pass a full relief package for storm victims.

Earlier in the day, I joined her colleagues Peter King, Steve Israel, Tim Bishop and Gregory Meeks in a bipartisan meeting in Rep. King’s office with County Executive Mangano and Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone to discuss the need for a full Sandy aid package.

Last week I visited a high school in my district about five miles from the ocean, and just a few feet behind a river that overflowed during Super Storm Sandy.

The flooding from the river damaged flooring and wiring and will cost millions to repair before the school can reopen. And it’s not just our schools that are suffering. There are also many homeowners and small business owners whose properties were destroyed.

I would like to thank those from the 4th district of NY who have come to Washington DC to talk about the devastation and the urgency for funding to repair and rebuild Long Island.

After all, natural disasters don’t know if a district is Republican or Democratic.  They destroy homes and businesses and lives without discrimination.

As Americans, we should be there for others no matter what part of the country needs help. This, to me, is what patriotism is. I urge my colleagues to support the full package of aid for victims of Super Storm Sandy.

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