Pelosi: Congress Should Hold Special Session This Week to Provide Immediate Assistance to Victims of Hurricane Katrina

Pelosi: Congress Should Hold Special Session This Week to Provide Immediate Assistance to Victims of Hurricane Katrina

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Contact: Brendan Daly/Jennifer Crider, 202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. â€" House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on the need to hold a special session of Congress this week to assist victims of Hurricane Karina:

â€Å"The wrath of Hurricane Katrina has destroyed lives and livelihoods along America’s Gulf Coast. This loss is shared by all of us, and today we all grieve as one family, the American family. Even as we grieve, we must take quick action to stem the crisis and help those in desperate need.

â€Å"That is why I have asked Speaker Hastert for a special session of Congress this week to bring urgently needed relief to the victims of the natural disaster. Given the scope of this disaster, I believe that Congress should return to Washington immediately and pass a bill this week to provide the assistance needed to restore the lives of the families and communities devastated by the deadly hurricane.

â€Å"Americans’ generosity of giving is already evident, and donors have deluged the Red Cross with offers of support. But Congress can do more, we must do more, and we must do it immediately.”