Congressman Rothman Fights to Keep FEMA Funds in the Federal Budget that Will Help New Jersey

Washington, DC – Congressman Steve Rothman (NJ-9), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, released the following statement:

Yesterday, I helped lead the successful fight in committee against a Republican amendment to remove the $14.3 million from the Homeland Security Appropriations bill for FEMA Predisaster Mitigation grants, the only federal program available to protect life and property from a disaster before it occurs. These funds help prevent damage like what was experienced by severe flooding in Bergen, Hudson, and Passaic Counties, specifically in Kearny, Lodi, Lyndhurst, New Milford, Paterson, Saddle Brook, Secaucus, and Wallington.

I saw firsthand how much my constituents suffered from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. The Republican attempt to cut this funding would not have only cost us more in the long run, but would have led to a lot of preventable pain and suffering from future disaster victims.