Rep. Jackson Lee: Trump Administration at 1: Failing Our Nation in Disaster Recovery

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 -- Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, issued the following speech, which was published in the Congressional Record on Feb. 2:

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on the need for prompt and effective disaster recovery for the United States.

I consider it a high priority to maintain the efficacy of our country's disaster recovery procedures, to help ensure the safety of the American people.

In 2017, this nation saw a very anemic response to disaster recovery from this Administration.

Four months ago, Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 hurricane, devastated the island of Puerto Rico, destroying infrastructure and leaving the island without power.

Puerto Rico, which produces more pharmaceuticals by dollar value for the nation than any of the 50 states or any foreign country, has been key to the supply of these intravenous (IV) saline bags and solution routinely used in hospitals and clinics.

Hurricane Maria halted production at Baxter International Inc., a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant that produces 43 percent of IV saline fluids for U.S. hospitals.

This year's flu season has been uncharacteristically aggressive, which makes the shortage of medical supplies caused by Hurricane Maria all the more problematic.

The American Hospital Association has urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take "any and all steps possible" to resolve worsening shortages of small-volume saline solutions--sterile suspensions of drugs and lifesaving nutrients administered intravenously.

The FDA has responded by relaxing regulations on the importation of medical saline solutions from other nations.

Saline solutions are fundamental to patient care in hospitals, as over 200 million IVs are administered annually in the United States.

Critical small-volume saline solutions include: (1) Sodium Chloride 0.9 percent a solution that is used to absorb and transport nutrients, maintain electrolyte balance, and maintain blood pressure, and (2) Dextrose 5 percent, a form of glucose injected into a vein through an IV to treat low blood sugar, insulin shock, and dehydration.

Had it not been for our allies allowing IV saline to be sent to the U.S., we could have been in the midst of a public health crisis.

The lack of response by this Administration to Hurricane Maria is another example of how this Administration is failing the American people.

Another example of the shameful disaster recovery response of this Administration is the handling of the Hurricane Harvey, which devastated the nine-county, 9,444 square mile Texas Gulf Coast.

The effects of Hurricane Harvey have long outlasted the storm itself.

This Administration has not risen to the task of producing an effective recovery plan for the largest housing disaster to strike the U.S. in our nation's history.

Hurricane Harvey damaged at least 203,000 homes, of which 12,700 were irreparably destroyed.

There are 18,000 families who were impacted by Hurricane Harvey still living in hotels and motels six months after the crisis, with no resolution in sight.

A staggering 889,425 people, post Hurricane Harvey, have registered for assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The first tranche of emergency funding approved by Congress has yet to be distributed to Texas by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development because the agency has not published in the Federal Register the rules governing how housing funds made available may be allocated between state and local entities.

Each of this President's immediate predecessors has had to navigate our nation through many disasters.

President Bush had September 11th and Hurricane Katrina.

President Obama inherited the near-total collapse of our nation's financial system, but thanks to his exceptional leadership, the Dow Jones is consistently breaking records, the economy continues to expand, and our American families are more financially stable.

Mr. Speaker, a prerequisite of leadership is the ability to solve problems and make critical decisions.

President Trump lacks the ability to inspire the nation and the fortitude to overcome adversity.

As we consider the President's assessment of the State of the Union, one fact has become abundantly clear: this Administration cannot handle disaster recovery.

This Administration's failure to effectively implement proper disaster recovery has left thousands of Americans with no clear path to reclaiming their lives.