Welch also calls out USPS leadership for persistent delays in reopening Montpelier Post Office after floods
WASHINGTON, D.C. – This afternoon, Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) took to the Senate Floor to stress the urgent need to pass disaster relief funding for communities devastated by climate-driven natural disasters, a priority of a growing bipartisan coalition of Senators from disaster-impacted states. He highlighted the extreme impacts on transportation and transit infrastructure, and the costs incurred in damages and repairs after disasters hit.
Senator Welch also called out Postmaster General DeJoy’s failure to deliver for rural communities following catastrophic flooding in Vermont, including in Montpelier, which has been without a fully-functioning Post Office for more than 430 days.
Watch the Senator’s full remarks below:
Key quotes from Senator Welch:
Senator Welch on the Growing Bipartisan Coalition Supporting Disaster Funding:
“Madam President, I’ve shared the pain and anguish of Vermont’s homeowners, farms, and businesses. And for over 430 days they’ve waited for Congress to act when it comes to supplemental relief…Vermonters need that help. As do folks in Hawai’i. As do folks in North Carolina. And there’s bipartisan support for this effort because it is obviously a bipartisan crisis. These weather events don’t have any favorites. Whether you’re in a red state or blue state means nothing. It’s the weather, and it’ll do what the weather decides to do.”
Senator Welch on the Costs When a Disaster Hits:
“One critically important program for long-term disaster recovery is through the Department of Transportation’s Disaster Relief program. Senator Sanders and I have seen the damage in Vermont. We’ve suffered brutal damage to our transit system: More than 6,000 tons of debris were removed by the State of Vermont; 409 miles of rail have been closed; 149 miles of rail trail closed; 64 bridges in Vermont closed; and 46 state roads in Vermont closed. As of last fall, Vermont incurred $150 million in damages related to transportation alone. Then, more flooding came.
“Both Senator Sanders and I have traveled across Vermont and talked with community leaders about the financial stress they face right now. We’ve also talked with our colleagues about the needs of our community leaders in their states, and their needs as they rebuild, and recover, and plan for the next climate disaster.
“The reality is: the numbers don’t paint the full picture. But we do need that relief to get people moving ahead. But when your town, and your street, and your home, and your lives; the lives of the people you represent are so devastated—you really can’t articulate a number. It doesn’t capture it.”
Senator Welch on the Extreme Need of Disaster Funding:
“This week, I joined with Senator Brian Schatz of Hawai’i, and our colleagues from Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, California, and Alaska in sending a letter to Senate leadership urging them to quickly pass disaster funding so our states can recover. We’ve got a solid bipartisan group, and regrettably, it’s a growing group. The need is immense. So, we do need more financial support immediately—through FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund. It’s depleted, and it needs to be replenished.”
“We need the Disaster Relief Fund replenished. We need transportation funding to reimburse our state governments for the costs they pay upfront when a disaster hits. We need more money for the highway emergency fund…Our need is extreme. Our states and communities cannot do this alone. And that’s no less true for every other colleague’s state than it is for Vermont.”
Senator Welch on the U.S. Postal Service’s Persistent Failure to Deliver for Montpelier and Rural Vermont:
“The capital city of the State of Vermont has not had a functioning Post Office for over a year. It’s not a distinction we value. The Postal Service has an internal benchmark of restoring retail service within 180 days of a natural disaster. They are now 256 days overdue.
“The United States Postal Service and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy—let me be frank—they’ve really failed to deliver. And it’s shocking to me, but we’ve had instances where Senator Sanders and I, and Congresswoman Balint, have tried to interact with the Postal Service, and he’s silent. Nonresponsive. That’s really an insult to the people of Vermont when they need this and can’t even get an answer about what’s going on.
“This is not your standard, run-of-the-mill management failure of the USPS. No, this is really a dereliction of duty, in my view, by Postmaster General DeJoy. He is choosing to not open a Post Office—a task his agency has done thousands of times, quickly, in their 250-year history.
“And while the Postal Service may be independent, it is not without oversight. It does not have the authority to disregard the input of the public—who so needs the services—or Congressional representatives. And it does not have the authority to act contrary to its statutory obligations.”
Read the Senator’s full remarks.
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