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Sen. Cornyn Urges President to Increase Federal Hurricane Recovery Aid to Cameron, Hidalgo & Willacy Counties
Thursday, August 28, 2008
DALLAS—Citing pressing financial burdens in the wake of Hurricane Dolly, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn today sent a letter to President Bush urging him to approve Governor Rick Perry’s request to increase the federal cost share for certain hurricane recovery expenses in Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy Counties from 75% federal share to 100% federal share.
The text of Sens. Cornyn’s letter is below.
August 28, 2008
The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Mr. President:
I request that you give full consideration to the request made by Governor Rick Perry to increase the federal cost share for certain hurricane recovery expenses in Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy Counties from 75% federal share to 100% federal share.
As you know, Hurricane Dolly struck the South Texas coast in July with sustained winds over 100 miles per hour. I appreciate your quick disaster declaration for 15 Texas counties impacted by the storm, allowing the federal government to reimburse these communities for 75% of the costs associated with removing debris and for emergency protective measures designed to safeguard lives and property.
However, over the past two weeks, continuous heavy rains have further beset Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy Counties. This additional burden on the local infrastructure and emergency response personnel is a tremendous strain for these counties, which are among the poorest in Texas and do not have the resources to meet the growing demand for disaster response and social services. Increasing the federal share of Hurricane Dolly recovery costs will allow these counties to meet the many needs of their residents in these difficult circumstances.
I appreciate your consideration of my request, and please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of additional assistance.
Sincerely,
JOHN CORNYN
United States Senator
Sen. Cornyn serves on the Armed Services, Judiciary and Budget Committees. In addition, he is Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Ethics. He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee's Immigration, Border Security and Refugees subcommittee and the Armed Services Committee's Airland subcommittee. He served previously as Texas Attorney General, Texas Supreme Court Justice, and Bexar County District Judge.
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