Katie Britt Applauds Bill That Will Provide Federal Resources To Help The People Of Selma, Alabama

4 months ago

During a Senate Appropriations Committee markup on Thursday, Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) spoke about the FY25 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.

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Transcript

00:00Senator Britt.

00:01Thank you, Chair Murray. I'd like to thank you and Ranking Member Kennedy for your work on this bill.

00:06I was proud to support the FY25 Energy and Water Appropriations Act today, and it includes a number of provisions that are

00:13important to the great state of Alabama,

00:16including that of Selma. So most Americans know about Selma because of its pivotal role in the civil rights movement,

00:23including Bloody Sunday and the Courageous March across the Edmund Pettus Bridge that is commemorated every year at the Jubilee.

00:31Sadly, a mere few feet from that very bridge, history is literally falling into the river.

00:38Due to years of erosion along the bank of the Alabama River, the stability of multiple historic buildings in Selma,

00:46including many of those that have a direct connection to the civil rights movement, are threatened.

00:51I have been proud to work alongside my friend, Congresswoman Terry Sewell, to devote resources to ensure that the U.S.

00:58Army Corps can continue its critical work on the Selma, Alabama Flood Risk Management and River Bank

01:06Stabilization Project. The FY25 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act includes

01:13550,000 in federal funding for the Corps to continue their efforts this year.

01:17Combined with 300,000 included in the FY25

01:21Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Act, the important work to save these historic buildings will be able to continue.

01:29Furthermore, the Energy and Water Bill includes report language directing the Delta Regional Authority to consider disaster recovery projects in

01:37distressed areas included in a disaster declaration as basic public infrastructure or basic public services.

01:45As many on this committee know, an EF2 tornado with top winds of

01:50130 miles per hour barreled through Selma on January 12, 2023.

01:57The devastation to this historic city was tremendous and more than 18 months later,

02:03you can still see the scars carved in the city and the surrounding areas in the Black Belt.

02:10This provision will help direct needed federal resources to help the people of Selma.

02:15I want to thank the efforts of the committee staff, in particular Anna Newton and Maria Calderon,

02:22for working with my team on this important effort.

02:24And I would also like to give a special thank you to my colleagues across the aisle for working so closely with me on this.

02:34Senator Chris Coons from Delaware and Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii,

02:38who serve constituencies miles away from this location,

02:42but they understand that the history of Selma is important not just for the state of Alabama,

02:47it's important for our nation and it's important for the globe. Thank you so much for working with me on this. I greatly appreciate it.

Katie Britt Applauds Bill That Will Provide Federal Resources To Help The People Of Selma, Alabama

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