Rep. Al Green on Tuesday said he wants to hear President Donald Trump talk about how Houston will recover after the "epic" flooding, an effort the congressman thinks will cost "in excess of $100 billion" and last more than a decade.
Via a phone interview with C-SPAN from Houston, where Green represents the 9th District, the Democrat said any funding package had better come without "petty politics" being attached — like funding a border wall.
"I wanna hear the president talk about how we're going to recover," Green told C-SPAN.
"Because this is not a matter of weeks, months, years; this may be more than a decade in the making to recover. It's going to be expensive and extensive," Green said. "It will engulf the entire state of Texas . . . this has been an epic event. This is something you just don't see in your lifetime, if you're lucky.
"Unfortunately, we're seeing it."
Trump landed in Texas on Tuesday and began to survey the damage and talking to state leaders about the continued rain being dumped on southeastern Texas from Hurricane Harvey.
And having seen the damage in New Orleans, Green's hometown, after Hurricane Katrina, he thinks Houston's recovery will cost more than $100 billion.
"I'm not talking about being extravagant, I'm not talking about adding things to a bill, such as a border wall," Green told C-SPAN. "I want to see a bill that's gonna be talking about helping people without hurting other people, without getting into petty politics, about some jingle of who's going to pay for a wall.
"That is beyond the pale; this is serious business and we oughta keep it as such," Green said.
Green said his district office in Missouri City was damaged by a tornado.
"We're having to move out; we're looking for an office in a time of crisis," Green told C-SPAN. "When we need the office, we're out searching for an office."
Green said people are still stranded, but that there are more helicopters in service now helping with those rescue efforts.
"People from all over the country are helping us here in Houston and for this we are eternally grateful," Green said.
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