{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://clayhiggins.house.gov/2021/05/19/higgins-pushes-additional-recovery-resources-house-floor/", "Higgins Pushes for Additional Recovery Resources on House Floor", "2021-05-19", "2021", "2021-05", "Republican", "House", "LA", "Clay Higgins", "H001077", "clayhiggins.house.gov", "clayhiggins", "https://clayhiggins.house.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) delivered a speech today on the House floor calling for additional long-term hurricane recovery resources and urging the Biden administration to issue a supplemental disaster request to Congress. This follows the delivery of an official letter to President Biden earlier this week urging additional long-term recovery resources.\n\nCongressman Higgins\u2019 remarks as delivered are below:\n\n\u201cMadam Speaker, it has been nine months since Hurricanes Laura and Delta devastated Southwest Louisiana.\n\n\u201cOur region has endured natural disaster after natural disaster. This past year has been incredibly challenging. Two very powerful major hurricanes, a crippling ice storm, and this week, ongoing\u2026 a severe rainfall event that is causing homes and businesses to flood.\n\n\u201cMany families will have to again start the difficult process of rebuilding their lives.\n\n\u201cOur people have been resilient in the face of great adversity. A show of incredible strength. But the need for help from the federal government is dire.\n\n\u201cWhile much work has been done, Southwest Louisiana has long-term recovery needs.\n\n\u201cTo date, we\u2019ve worked with our federal partners to deliver well over $1 billion in disaster relief to Louisiana with more on the way.\n\n\u201cWe have worked with both President Trump and President Biden to secure increased federal assistance through cost-share adjustments now at levels of 90 and 100 percent.\n\n\u201cThese resources have supported Southwest Louisiana\u2019s most immediate needs: housing and rental assistance, utility repairs, debris removal, hazard mitigation, and other disaster response costs.\n\n\u201cDue to the COVID-19 pandemic and related bills, these federal disaster accounts have received supplemental funding well beyond normal appropriations and are still available to the people of Southwest Louisiana.\n\n\u201cHowever, our region requires additional support in the form of long-term recovery resources\u2026 primarily through community block-grant funding.\n\n\u201cLouisiana\u2019s Governor issued a formal request to the Biden administration in January of this year. My office has supported our Governor\u2019s request in every way through every channel.\n\n\u201cWe have worked for months to build support in Congress for long-term recovery resources, and our efforts to build that coalition have been successful.\n\n\u201cWhile that support exists broadly, the Biden administration must first respond to our Governor\u2019s official request for supplemental disaster funding. President Biden must formally request specific supplemental disaster relief from Congress. Only then can our brotherhood of support take action here in the House of Representatives. That\u2019s the way it works.\n\n\u201cWe have communicated these extreme needs directly to the Biden administration and House Leadership.\n\n\u201cAdditionally, the State must do more to ensure private insurance companies are treating Louisiana citizens fairly. This has been a significant issue that has frustrated Louisiana citizens and hindered our recovery efforts.\n\n\u201cI will not stop fighting for the citizens of South Louisiana, and I ask that my colleagues here in this body stand with us. I ask that our President stand with the people of Louisiana.\n\n\u201cWe are one nation, and as a Republic of sovereign states, we have never failed to come to each other\u2019s rescue in the wake of natural disaster. Now is one of those moments. This is a time when Americans must stand together as one.\n\n\u201cEvery day, we are working to help Louisiana stand back up.\n\n\u201cThank you Madam Speaker, and I yield the balance of my time.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:49:40Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://clayhiggins.house.gov/2021/05/19/higgins-pushes-additional-recovery-resources-house-floor/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8870717138051987, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}