As Congress considers a short-term spending bill to keep the government open past the Sept. 30 funding deadline, US Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) Thursday spoke on the Senate floor on the importance of including disaster aid to support survivors on Maui and across the country. In particular, Schatz stressed the need to provide disaster survivors with flexible, long-term assistance in the form of Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding which will enable them to rebuild their homes and communities as quickly as possible.
“For Lahaina to recover fully, it needs its people,” said Schatz. “And what those people need right now is tangible help. Help with building a home, with finding a job, with rebuilding their small business. The kind of help that will finally provide a reprieve from the constant worrying about what’s next, and hope that a better future awaits them after months of unimaginable suffering.”
Schatz …