U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-FL, took to the Senate floor Tuesday to urge his colleagues to quickly take up and pass an aid package to help all those affected by the recent hurricanes that hit Florida, Texas, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“We need to act with urgency and purpose to aid Puerto Rico in their time of need,” Nelson said. “In a crisis, all that matters is saving lives and giving people the resources they need to get back on their feet.”
Nelson says the $15 billion that Congress passed recently to help hurricane victims in Florida and Texas is quickly running out.
“The cost of rebuilding is going to be in the billions,” Nelson said. “We have done a temporary measure of $15 billion. That’s running out. We’re going to have to do something in the immediate for the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, but there is going to be a continuing cost in Texas and a huge cost in Florida.”
“I hope that we can work together to get an aid package soon that helps all of those affected by the storms as soon as possible,” Nelson concluded. “Why? Because we are all Americans. We need to act like it. We need to come together and get on the long road to recovery.”
Nelson spoke Monday with officials at the Department of Defense and the administrator of the FAA, urging them to do all they can to help the people of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands in the immediate aftermath of the storm.
Click here to watch video of Nelson’s speech:https://youtu.be/pZZ5awtydrA
