Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) praised Senate passage today of emergency appropriations for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

“Congress has always acted in a bipartisan manner to help Americans and their communities recover from natural disasters. Congress has never insisted that disaster fund being offset. I am pleased the Senate continued that precedent today with a bipartisan vote 62-37 to approve emergency funding for FEMA in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. Maryland and many other states on the Eastern seaboard are still recovering from the flooding, power outages, and infrastructure damage brought on by these severe storms. Replenishing FEMA’s resources now will help to ensure that the clean up from future disasters won’t bankrupt local communities.

“Working with Maryland state officials and our local governments we can try to restore and rebuild those areas that have been devastated by these natural disasters.”

###