Various shots of Commonwealth delegates sightseeing on the seaway under construction. Shots of delegates in chartered bus, of bus driver, of road directly ahead and on sides. Shots from front of bus of traffic, buildings beside road, of short vehicular tunnel. HALS of bus driving onto construction site.

Twenty-Four Hours of Progress

NOTES: COL PRINT LOCATION: SUEZ, EGYPT TITLE: SUEZ CANAL TUNNEL SERVICED DATE: 05/05/80 NO: LNC 20315 DATE SHOT: 04/30/80 LENGTH: 53 FT SECONDS: 1.25 SOUND: MUTE DATE OF ARRIVAL: EGYPTIAN LEADER PRESIDENT SADAT ARRIVED AT THE SUEZ CANAL TO OPEN OFFICIAL CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW TUNNEL BEING BUILT TO CONNECT THE SINAI TERRITORY WITH MAINLAND EGYPT. FILM SHOWS: SUEZ CANAL, TUNNEL ENTRANCE, PRES. SADAT, PRESSING BUTTON, DRILLING AND CONSTRUCTION. STORYLINE: EGYPT'S PRESIDENT ANWAR AL SADAT PRESSED A BUTTON AT SUEZ ON WEDNESDAY (30 APRIL) TO SIGNAL THE OFFICIAL COMMENCEMENT OF WORK ON A NEW TUNNEL UNDER THE CANAL, THUS LINKING THE SINAI REGION RETURNED BY ISRAEL WITH MAINLAND EGYPT. THE NEW TUNNEL, OVER 1600 METRES IN LENGTH AND RUNNING SOME 42 METRES UNDER THE WATERWAY, WILL PROVIDE TWO-WAY TRAFFIC FACILITIES FOR NEARLY 2000 CARS PER HOUR. ALSO TO BE BUILT INTO THE TUNNEL SYSTEM WILL BE CONDUITS FOR DRINKING WATER, ELECTRICAL, AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES BETWEEN THE TWO EGYPTIAN TERRITORIES. FEET R/SECS GV SUEZ 3 0.05 MS TUNNEL ENTRANCE, PICTURE OF SADAT 10 0.16 MCU TUNNEL 18 0.29 MCU PRES. SADAT PRESSING BUTTON 26 0.42 MS TUNNEL OPERATING 29 0.46 CU PRES. SADAT 37 0.59 GV TUNNEL ENTRANCE 38 1.01 MLS DRILLING 48 1.17 LS FLAGS AND BUNTING 53 1.25

A dramatic river rescue today in Los Angeles. Two construction workers were rescued by helicopter after a flash flood trapped them in a concrete tunnel. Firefighters rescued two other workers in a different part of the river when the water caught them as well. The tunnel went from dry to five feet of water in less than a minute.

Several shots from various angles of "dipper" dredge in operation on Saint Lawrence River in Lachine, near Montreal. Several shots from various angles of canal and lock construction operations, location unknown. LSs at site of Côte Sainte-Catherine Lock in winter, snow in evidence. LSs of Beauharnois lock construction, in winter, snow in evidence. Several shots from various angles of canal digging operations. Several shots from various angles of construction operations at Grass River Lock. MLSs of tunnel under the old Cornwall Canal. HALSs of Niagara Falls from Canadian side showing both horseshoe and American falls. MLSs of Woodlands Cemetery on shore of Saint Lawrence River. ML PAN and MLS of Saint Lawrence Valley Union Cemetery. HAS of sailboat moving past camera under motor power, sails down. (06/09/1955)

1230 WH DOT ROUNDTABLE FS33 73 PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP AT THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ROUNDTABLE SPEAKING ABOUT HIS BUDGET TO REBUILD AMERICA'S INFRASTRUCTURE. TRUMP: Thank you, Secretary Chao. Thank you, everybody. This is very nice, by the way. Beautiful. I want to really thank you. You have been so amazing as the leader of this department, and the progress is being made so quickly. But leaders and officials, gathered here from across the country, have all praised the work that the Secretary is doing to create a safe, modern and reliable transportation system for the United States and for its great, great, great people. I also want to thank Secretary Zinke for the fantastic job he's doing at the Department of the Interior to clear the way for new infrastructure and economic development. Both Secretary Chao and Zinke joined us at the White House yesterday for a meeting with State and local leaders to develop plans to replace America's decaying infrastructure and construct new roads, rails, pipelines, tunnels, and bridges all across our Nation. We are here today to focus on solving one of the biggest obstacles to creating this new and desperately needed infrastructure, and that is the painfully slow, costly, and time-consuming process of getting permits and approvals to build. And I also knew that from the private sector. It is a long, slow, unnecessarily burdensome process. My administration is committed to ending these terrible delays once and for all. The excruciating wait time for permitting has inflicted enormous financial pain to cities and States all throughout our Nation and has blocked many important projects from ever getting off the ground. Many, many projects are long gone because they couldn't get permits, and there was no reason for it. We've already taken historic steps to speed up the approvals, including the approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline, which was very quickly approved. They were sitting there for a long time saying, well, that project is dead. Then, I came into office and, all of the sudden, a miracle. And I guarantee you, the consultants went over to the heads of the company and told them what a great job they did. [Laughter] They asked for a lot of money, most likely. But we got it approved. And we got it approved fast. I'm also very proud to say that the Dakota Access Pipeline is now officially open for business. It was dead 120 days ago, and now it officially just opened for business. Very proud of that. Hi, Bill. We're also excited to be joined by representatives from our labor unions, including the North America Building Trades Union, which I know well, and the Laborers International Union of North America. You will play a-go ahead, fellas, take a little credit. Come on, fellas. You will play a central role in rebuilding America. Very important. We're also joined, as well, by many distinguished Members of Congress who share our total passion and desire to repair and restore America's highways, railways, and waterways. In the audience is a man that I've gotten to know well and who is doing some job-and it's not easy, but it's going to get a lot easier-Chairman Bill Shuster of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Stand up, Bill. Thank you, Bill, great job-who is working very closely with us, including on our proposal to dramatically reduce airport delays by reforming air traffic control. We have an obsolete system. And I have to say, before Elaine got here, they had spent close to $7 billion on the system. Boom, a waste. All wasted. But we're going to have a great system-great new system, the top of the line-it will be the best in the world. Right now we're at the lowest part of the pack. It will be the best in the world, for a lot less money than they've been wasting for years. For too long, America has poured trillions and trillions of dollars into rebuilding foreign countries while allowing our own country-the country that we love-and its infrastructure to fall into a state of total disrepair. We have structurally deficient bridges, clogged roads, crumbling dams and locks. Our rivers are in trouble. Our railways are aging. And chronic traffic that slows commerce and diminishes our citizens' quality of life. Other than that, we're doing very well. [Laughter] Instead of rebuilding our country, Washington has spent decades building a dense thicket of rules, regulations, and red tape. It took only 4 years to build the Golden Gate Bridge and 5 years to build the Hoover Dam and less than 1 year to build the Empire State Building. People don't believe that. It took less than 1 year. But today, it can take 10 years and far more than that just to get the approvals and permits needed to build a major infrastructure project. These charts beside me are actually a simplified version of our highway permitting process. It includes 16 different approvals involving 10 different Federal agencies being governed by 26 different statutes. As one example-and this happened just 30 minutes ago-I was sitting with a great group of people responsible for their State's economic development and roadways. All of you are in the room now. And one gentleman from Maryland was talking about a 18-mile road. And he brought with him some of the approvals that they've gotten and paid for. They spent $29 million for an environmental report, weighing 70 pounds and costing $24,000 per page. And I said, do me a favor. I'm going to make a speech in a little while. Do you mind if I take that and show it? So I'm going to show it. [At this point, the President walked to a table with a stack of three large binders on it and flipped through the top one, displaying it for the audience.] Here it is: phase one. Look at this. Okay. [Laughter] [The President dropped the first binder to the floor and held up the second binder, flipping through the pages for the audience.] Phase two. Here's two. Nobody is going to read it. [Laughter] Except for the consultants who get a fortune for this. And they fight us all the way, but they don't have the impact. Here, look at this. Okay, that's phase two. [The President dropped the second binder to the floor.] Here is another one. They don't even know what this is. They just-[laughter]. [The President flipped through the pages of the third binder.] So this cost-I'd better make sure I move it. I don't want to trip on the way out. That would be a big story. [Laughter] [The President kicked the two binders on the floor to the side and walked back to the podium.] Especially to trip over that. So they spent millions and millions of dollars. When I said, how long has this short roadway been talked about, the gentleman said, well, if you say 20 years, you're safe. I said, yes, don't say anymore because I have to be-you know, I have to be exactly accurate with these people back there. [Laughter] If I was off by, like, 2 months, it's a major front page story. But these binders on the stage could be replaced by just a few simple pages, and it would be just as good. It was actually be much better. Because these binders also make you do unnecessary things that cost billions and billions of dollars, and they actually make it worse. As another example, the 23-if you look at it, in Ohio, the Ohio River Bridge-$2.3 billion. The project amassed a 150,000-page administrative record; 150,000 pages is a five-story-tall building. Think of it. If you put the paper together, it's a five-story building. How can a country prosper under this kind of nonsense? And I know it. I know it so well, being in the private sector. But you know, in the private sector, you move, and you wheel, and you deal, and you hope, and you pray. And maybe it goes a little faster, but it's a horrible thing in the private sector also. And we're talking about reducing that for the private sector likewise. Why should we continue to accept what is so clearly unacceptable? Oftentimes, for consultants-that are making a fortune because you can't doing anything without hiring them, paying them a tremendous amount of money, having them write up this nonsense-you can't get approvals. And they're in, in the case of New York, Albany-they go to Albany, the State capital. Or here, they go to Washington for Federal. And they want to make it really tough because that way, you have to hire them. It's a terrible thing. It's a group of people-probably nobody has ever heard anybody talk about it, because-I know it because I'm a business guy; I understand it. They work really hard to make it difficult. And some are believers, but most aren't. Most want to make a lot of money. So they make a very, very simple roadway or whatever you want to be building a very complicated subject, and they make it very much more expensive, and they make it worse. It's not as good as it would have been. I was not elected to continue a failed system. I was elected to change it. All of us in government service were elected to solve the problems that have plagued our Nation. We are here to think big, to act boldly, and to rise above the petty partisan squabbling of Washington, DC. We are here to take action. It's time to start building our country, with American workers and with American iron and aluminum and steel. It's time to put up soaring new infrastructure that inspires pride in our people and our towns. When I approved the Keystone Pipeline, I said, where was the pipe made? Unfortunately, they had purchased a lot of it, but I put a little clause at the bottom: You want to build a pipeline in this country, buy American steel, and let it be fabricated here. Very simple little clause written in hand, but it does the trick. It is time, at last, to put America first. Americans deserve the best infrastructure anywhere in the world. They deserve roads and bridges that are safe to travel and pipes that deliver clean water into their homes, not like what happened in Flint, Michigan. They deserve lanes of commerce that get people and products where they need to go on time. Most of all, Americans deserve a system of infrastructure that is looked upon not with pity-the world, in many cases, is so far advanced that they look at our infrastructure as being sad. We want them to look at us with envy, a system worthy of our magnificent country. No longer can we allow these rules and regulations to tie down our economy, chain up our prosperity, and sap our great American spirit. That is why we will lift these restrictions and unleash the full potential of the United States of America. To all of our State and local leaders, I appreciate your being here today. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Bill. I want you to know that help is finally-after many, many decades-on its way. We are giving control back to the cities and the States. You know best how to plan your communities, analyze your projects, and protect your local environment. We will get rid of the redundancy and duplication that wastes your time and your money. Our goal is to give you one point of contact to deliver one decision, yes or no, for the entire Federal Government and to deliver that decision quickly, whether it's a road, whether it's a highway, a bridge, a dam. To do this, we are setting up a new Council to help project managers navigate the bureaucratic maze. This Council will also improve transparency by creating a new online dashboard allowing everyone to easily track major projects through every stage of the approval process. This council will make sure that every Federal agency that is consistently delaying projects by missing deadlines will face tough, new penalties. I know it won't happen with these two. We don't have to worry about them. We will hold the bureaucracy accountable. We are also creating a new office in the Council of Environmental Quality to root out inefficiency, clarify lines of authority, and streamline Federal and State, local procedures so that communities can modernize their aging infrastructure without fear of outdated Federal rules getting in their way. This massive permit reform-and that's what it is; it's a permit reform-doesn't sound glamorous. They won't write stories about it. They won't even talk about it. But it's so important. But it's only the first step in renewing America's roads, rails, runways, and rivers. As I discussed in Ohio recently, my new vision for American infrastructure will generate $1 trillion in infrastructure investment, which we desperately need. We've spent, as of a few months ago, $6 trillion in the Middle East-think of it-$6 trillion in the Middle East. And it's worse than it was 15 years ago by a factor of 10. And yet if you want to build a little road in one of your communities in Pennsylvania or Ohio or in Iowa or in North Carolina or in Florida, you can't get the money. State and local leaders will have more power to decide which projects get built, when they start and how they are funded. And investors will have a much more predictable environment that encourages them to invest billions of dollars in capital that is currently stuck on the sidelines. Together, we will build projects to inspire our youth, employ our workers, and create true prosperity for our people. We will pour new concrete, lay new brick, and watch new sparks light our factories as we forge metal from the furnaces of our Rust Belt and our beloved heartland, which has been forgotten, but's not forgotten anymore. We will put new American steel into the spine of our country. American workers will construct gleaming new lanes of commerce across our landscape. They will build these monuments from coast to coast and from city to city. And with these new roads, bridges, airports, and seaports, we will embark on a wonderful new journey into a bright and glorious future. We will build again. We will grow again. We will thrive again. And we will make America great again. Thank you. God bless you. I appreciate it. Thank you very much. Thank you.

American Engineer

President Trump delivers remarks on infrastructure at DOT D.C. Slug: 1130 WH TRUMP REMARKS DOT FS33 73 AR: 16x9 NYRS: WASH-3/4523/5593 11:45:54 TRUMP: Thank you, Secretary Chao. Thank you, everybody. TRUMP: This is very nice, by the way. Beautiful. I want to really thank you. You have been so amazing as the leader of this department. And the progress is being made so quickly. But -- leaders and officials gathered here from across the country have all praised the work that the secretary is doing to create a safe, modern and reliable transportation system for the United States and for it's great, great, great people. I also want to thank Secretary Zinke for the fantastic job he's doing at the Department of the Interior to clear the way for new infrastructure and economic development. Both Secretary Chao and Zinke joined us at the White House yesterday for a meeting with state and local leaders to develop plans to replace America's decaying infrastructure and construct new roads, rails, pipelines, tunnels and bridges all across our nation. 11:47:03 We are here today to focus on solving one of the biggest obstacles to creating this new and desperately needed infrastructure, and that is the painfully slow, costly and time-consuming process of getting permits and approvals to build. And I also knew that from the private sector, it is a long, slow, unnecessarily burdensome process. My administration is committed to ending these terrible delays once and for all. The excruciating wait time for permitting has inflicted enormous financial pain to cities and states all throughout our nation and has blocked many important projects from ever getting off the ground. Many, many projects are long gone because they couldn't get permits and there was no reason for it. 11:48:01 We've already taken historic steps to speed up the approvals, including the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, which was very quickly approved. It was sitting there for a long time saying, well, that project is dead. And then I came into office and all of a sudden a miracle. And I guarantee you, the consultants went over to the heads of the company and told them what a great job they did. They asked for a lot of money, most likely. But we got it approved and we got it approved fast. I'm also very proud to say that the Dakota Access Pipeline is now officially open for business. It was dead 120 days ago and now it officially just opened for business. (APPLAUSE) Very proud of that. Hi, Bill. We're also excited to be joined by representatives from our labor unions, including the North American Building Trades Union, which I know well, and the Laborers' International Union of North America. 11:49:10 You will play -- go ahead, fellas, take a little credit. C'mon, fellas. (APPLAUSE) You will play a central role in rebuilding America. Very important. We're also joined, as well, by many distinguished members of Congress who share our total passion and desire to repair and restore America's highways, railways and waterways. In the audience is a man that I've gotten to know well who's doing some job -- it's not easy but it's going to get a lot easier, Chairman Bill Shuster of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Stand up, Bill. (APPLAUSE) TRUMP: Thank you, Bill. Great job. Who is working very closely with us, including on our proposal to dramatically reduce airport delays by reforming air traffic control. We have an obsolete system. And I have to say, before Elaine got here, they had spent close to $7 billion on the system. Boom, a waste. All wasted. But we're going to have a great system -- great new system. The top of the line. It'll be the best in the world. Right now, we're at the lowest part of the pack. It'll be the best in the world, for a lot less money than they've been wasting for years. For too long, America has poured trillions and trillions of dollars into rebuilding foreign countries while allowing our own country, the country that we love, and its infrastructure to fall into a state of total disrepair. We have structurally deficient bridges, clogged roads, crumbling dams and locks. Our rivers are in trouble, our railways are aging -- and chronic traffic that slows commerce and diminishes our citizens' quality of life. 11:51:17 Other than that, we're doing very well. Instead of rebuilding our country, Washington has spent decades building a dense thicket of rules, regulations and red tape. It took only four years to build the Golden Gate Bridge, and five years to build the Hoover Dam, and less than one year to build the Empire State Building. People don't believe that. Took less than one year. But today, it can take 10 years and far more than that just to get the approvals and permits needed to build a major infrastructure project. These charts beside me are actually a simplified version of our highway permitting process. It includes 16 different approvals, involving 10 different federal agencies, being governed by 26 different statutes. 11:52:19 As one example, and this happened just 30 minutes ago, I was sitting with a great group of people responsible for their states' (ph) economic development and roadways. All of you are in the room now. And one gentleman from Maryland was talking about a 18-mile road. And he brought with him some of the approvals that they've gotten and paid for. They spent $29 million for an environmental report weighing 70 pounds, and costing $24,000 per page. 11:53:03 And I said, do me a favor -- I'm going to make a speech in a little while. Do you mind if I take that and show it? So, I'm going to show it. (OFF-MIKE) Page one. Look (ph) at this. OK. (LAUGHTER) (APPLAUSE) Page two. Nobody's going to read it. (LAUGHTER) Definitely the consultants will get a fortune for this. (LAUGHTER) And they fight us all the way. They don't have the impact (ph). Just look at this. (OFF-MIKE) So, that -- that's page two (ph). Here's another one. They don't even know what this is. It's just (OFF-MIKE). (LAUGHTER) So, this clause (ph) -- I'm going to make sure I move it. I don't want to trip on the way out. That would be a big story (ph). (LAUGHTER) Especially to trip over that. (LAUGHTER) So, they spent millions and millions and dollars. And when I said, "How long has this short roadway been talked about?" The gentleman said, "Well, if you say 20 years, you're safe." I said, "Yeah, don't say any more, because I have to be -- you know, I have to be exactly accurate with these people back there." I was off by, like, two months. It's a major front-page story. (LAUGHTER) But these binders on the stage could be replaced by just a few simple pages, and it'll be just as good. It would actually be much better because these binders also make you do unnecessary things that cost billions and billions of dollars, and they actually make it worse. TRUMP: As another example, the 23 -- if you look at it, in Ohio, the Ohio River Bridge, $2.3 billion. A (ph) project amassed a 150,000-page administrative record. 11:55:12 One hundred and fifty thousand pages is a five-story-tall building. Think of it. If you put the paper together, it's a five-story building. How can a country prosper under this kind of nonsense? And I know it. I know it's the well-being in (ph) the private sector, but you know, in the private sector, you move and you wheel and you deal and you hope and you pray, and maybe it goes a little faster, but it's a horrible thing in the private sector also. And we're talking about reducing that for the private sector, likewise. Why should we continue to accept what is so clearly unacceptable, oftentimes for consultants that are making a fortune because you can't do anything without hiring them, paying them a tremendous amount of money, having them write up this nonsense? You can't get approvals. And there -- in the case of New York, Albany -- they go to Albany, the state capital -- or here, they go to Washington, for federal. And they want to make it really tough because that way you have to hire them. 11:56:24 It's a terrible thing. It's a group of people -- probably nobody's ever heard anybody talk about it, because I know -- because I'm a business guy, I understand it. They work really hard to make it difficult. And some are believers, but most aren't. Most want to make a lot of money. So they make a very, very simple roadway, or whatever you want to be building, a very complicated subject, and they make it very much more expensive and they make it worse. It's not as good as it would have been. I was not elected to continue a failed system. I was elected to change it. All of us in government service were elected to solve the problems that have plagued our nation. We're here to think big, to act boldly and to rise above the petty, partisan squabbling of Washington, D.C. We're here to take action. 11:57:20 It's time to start building our country with American workers and with American iron and aluminum and steel. It's time to put up soaring new infrastructure that inspires pride in our people and our towns. When I approved the Keystone Pipeline, I said, "Where was the pipe made?" Unfortunately, they had purchased a lot of it. But I put a little clause at the bottom -- you want to build a pipeline in this country, buy American steel and let it be fabricated here. (APPLAUSE) Very simple little clause, written in hand, but it does the trick. 11:58:12 It is time at last to put America first. Americans deserve the best infrastructure anywhere in the world. They deserve roads and bridges that are safe to travel and pipes that deliver clean water into their homes -- not like what happened in Flint, Michigan. They deserve lanes of commerce that get people and products where they need to go on time. Most of all, Americans deserve a system of infrastructure that is looked upon not with pity. The world, in many cases, is so far advanced that they look at our infrastructure as being sad. 11:59:03 We want them to look at us with envy, a system worthy of our magnificent country. No longer can we allow these rules and regulations to tie down our economy, chain up our prosperity and sap our great American spirit. That is why we will lift these restrictions and unleash the full potential of the United States of America. To all of our state and local leaders, I appreciate your being here today. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Bill. I want you to know that help is finally, after many, many decades, on its way. We're giving control back to the cities and the states. You know best how to plan your communities, analyze your projects and protect your local environment. We will get rid of the redundancy and duplication that wastes your time and your money. TRUMP: Our goal is to give you one point of contact to deliver one decision, yes or no, for the entire federal government, and to deliver that decision quickly, whether it's a road, whether it's a highway, a bridge, a dam. 12:00:24 To do this, we are setting up a new council to help project managers navigate the bureaucratic maze. This council will also improve transparency by creating a new online dashboard allowing everyone to easily track major projects through every stage of the approval process. This council will make sure that every federal agency that is consistently delaying projects by missing deadlines will face tough new penalties. I know it won't happen with these two. We don't have to worry about them. We will hold the bureaucracy accountable. 12:01:10 We're also creating a new office in the Council of Environmental Quality to root out inefficiency, clarify lines of authority, and streamline federal and state local procedures so that communities can modernize their aging infrastructure without fear of outdated federal rules getting in their way. This massive permit reform -- and that's what it is, it's a permit reform -- doesn't sound glamorous, they won't write stories about it, they won't even talk about it, but it's so important. But it's only the first step in renewing America's roads, rails, runways and rivers. As I discussed in Ohio recently, my new vision for American infrastructure will generate $1 trillion in infrastructure investment, which we desperately need. We've spent as of a few months ago $6 trillion in the Middle East. Think of it, $6 trillion in the Middle East. And it's worse than it was 15 years ago by a factor of 10. And yet, if you want to build a little road in one of your communities in Pennsylvania or Ohio or in Iowa or in North Carolina or in Florida, you can't get the money. 12:02:42 State and local leaders will have more power to decide which projects get built, when they start and how they are funded. And investors will have a much more predictable environment, that encourages them to invest billions of dollars in capital that is currently stuck on the sidelines. Together, we will build projects to inspire our youth, employ our workers and create true prosperity for our people. We will pour new concrete, lay new brick and watch new sparks light our factories as we forge metal from the furnaces of our Rust Belt and our beloved heartland, which has been forgotten. It's not forgotten anymore. We will put new American steel into the spine of our country. American workers will construct gleaming new lanes of commerce across our landscape. They will build these monuments from coast to coast and from city to city. 12:03:55 And with these new roads, bridges, airports and seaports, we will embark on a wonderful new journey into a bright and glorious future. We will build again, we will grow again, we will thrive again and we will make America great again. Thank you. God bless you. I appreciate it. Thank you very much. Thank you. (APPLAUSE) END

EXT BROLL NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR CHRIS CHRISTIE HURRICANE SANDY ANNIVERSARY REMARKS AT MOONACHIE NJ USA 11.30.10 GOOD MORNING EVERYOINE THE QUESTION ON EVERBODYS MIND ON THIS FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF HURRICANE SANDY OBVIOUSLY IS "ARE WE BETTER PREPARED FOR STORMS LIKE SANDY NOW THEN WE WERE A YEAR AGO?" AND I THINK THE ANSWER IS UNCONDITIONALLY YES. YOU CAN NEVER DO TOO MUCH BUT WE VE MADE AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF PROGRESS. IF ANOTHER STORM LIKE SANDY EVER APPROACHES OUR SHORES IT WILL FIND A FAR DIFFERENT CITY FROM THE ONE SANDY LEFT BEHIND. A CITY MUCH MORE ABLE TO WITHSTAND THE KIND FO SYRGING SEAWATERS AND PUNISHING WINDS THAT SANDY BROUGHT. 11.30.43 WE ARE BUILDING NEW YORK CITY BACK STRONGER AND SMARTER SO THAT WE'LL BE RESILIENT TO A BROAD RANGE OF EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS IN THE FUTURE, INCLUDING BIG COASTAL STORMS. AND TODAY RIGHT HERE WE ARE SEEING EVIDENCE OF THAT. ON STATEN ISLANDS CRESCENT WE SAW WHAT OUR PARKS DEPARTMENT IS DOING THEY ARE BUILDIN G UP SAND DUNES THAT WILL BE SEATED WITH BEACH GRASS TO CREATE BUFFERS AGAINST STORM SURGES. ON JAMAICA BAY IN THE ORCKAWAYS WHERE EVEN BEFORE SANDY WE WERE RECONSTRUCTING THE BAYSIDE BULKHEADS NOW AS PART OF THAT PROJECT AS YOU'VE SEEN WE ARE ALSO INSTALLING TIED GATES AND THEY'LL PREVENT FLOOD WATER FROM BACKING INTO STROM SSWERES AND DRAINS AND INUNDATING STREETS AND HOMES AS HAPPENED LAST OCTOBER 29. AND HERE ALONG CONEY ISLAND CREEK WHICH WAS FAR AND AWAY THE MOST SIGNIFICANT ENTRY WAY FOR SANDY'S FLOOD WATERS IN THE AREA. 11.31.33 WE ARE MOVING AHEAD WITH A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO RAISE BULKHEADS CREATE OR EXPAND WETLANDS TO CONSTRUCT A TIDAL BARRIER IN THE CREEK'S MOUTH. NOW ALL OF THESE PROJECTS THAT'S WE'VE SEEN TODAY WERE INCLUDED IN THE RESILIENCY REPORT THAT WE ISSUED FOUR MONTHS AGO. THEY ARE AMONG THE 257 INITIATIVE REPORTS DESCRIBED ALL DESIGNED TO ADAPT NEW YORK TO THE CLIMATE CHANGE THAT SCIENTISTS TELL S IS ALREADY TAKING PLACE. IT IS A COMPREHENSIVE 20 BILLION DOLALR PLAN. WE'VE ALREADY DONE WORK ON MUCH OF THAT PLAN INCLUDING WHAT YOU'VE SEEN TODAY IN FACT WE'VE SET OUT 59 RESILIENCY MILESTONES REACHED BY THE END OF THIS YEAR. AND AT THIS POINT WE'VE PASSED OR ARE CLOSE TO PASSING 73 % OF THOSE 59PERCENT WHICH ARE PART OF THE 257% IF YOU CAN KEEP THE NUMBRS STRAIGHT. 11.32.20 AND HELPING PEOPLE MOST IMMEDIATELY IMPACTED BY SANDY REMAINS OUR FIRST PRIORITY AND THAT IS WHY IF YOU REMEMBER THAT IS WHY WE LAUNCHED OUR INOVATIVE ??? PROGRAM WHICH RESTORED HEAT AND POWER TO 54, 00 THOUSAND NEW YORKERS WHO GOT BACK INTO THEIR HOMES AND NOW ALMOST 24,000 NEW YORKERS HAVE SIGNED UP WITH THE CITY BUILD IT BACK INITAITVE THAT WILL HELP THEM WIUTH EVEN MORE EXTENSIVE HOME REPAIRS BUT THAT'S THE NEXT STE.P. THE FIRST PROJECT WE DECIDED TO DO IS TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE COULD GET BACK INTO THEIR HOMES. PEOPLE LIKE TO LIVE IN THEIR HOMES AND NOT IN SOMEBODY ELSE'S HOME OR IN PUBLIC HOSUING OR IN A HOTEL OR ANY OTHER PLACE WE COULD FIND. IT WAS A VERY SUCCESSFULPROJECT, ?? HALLOWAY, OUR DEPUTY MAYOR FOR OPERATIONS AND ALL TH EPEOPLE AT EDC-AT UH EDP WORKED WITH HIM AND IT WAS REALLLY QUITE AMAZING HOW MUCH THEY GOT DONE. 11.33.09I THINK ITS FAIR TO SAY NO OTHER PLACE HAS ATTEMPTED MUCH LESS PRODUCED THAT KIND OF RESULTS THAT QUICKLY. UM THE BUILD IT BACK INITATIVE IS THE NEXT STEP AND ITS VERY GOOD NEWS THAT OUR ADMINISTRATION HAS URGED MEMBERS OF BOTH PARTIES OF THE US HOUSE TODAY TO-AND ARE EXPECTED TODAY-TO INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO DELAY CHANGES IN THE FEDERAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM AND KEEP HOMEOWNERS FROM BEING SWAMPED BY STEEP INSURANCE COST INCREASES. AS YOU KNOW DELAYING THOSE CHANGES WOULD NOW PERMIT US TO WORK WITH FEDERAL OFFICIALS TO MAKE FLOOD INSURANCE AFFORDABLE FOR THE PEOPLE THAT NEED IT THE MOST. 11..33.45 WHATS HAPPENED HERE IS IF YOU HAVE A FAIRLY? INSURED MORTGAGE YOU HAVE TO HAVE FLOOD INSURANCE., AND AWFUL LOT OF PEOPLE DIDN'T PAY ATTENTION TO THAT BOTH ON THE BUY SIDE AND THE SELL SIDE OF MORTGAGES AND THEN NOW THAT THE FLOOD PLAIN HAS BEEN DRAMATICALLY INCREASED THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO WOULD BE SUBJECT OT THAT REQUIREMENT IS MUCH GREATER AND FLOOD INSURANCE IS VERY EXPENSIVE AND A LOT OF PEOPLE CANT AFFORD5 OR 10 THOUSAND A YEAR OF FLOOD INSURANCE-THEY JUST DON'T MAKE THAT KIND OF MONEY. SO WE'VE GOT A FIND A SOLUTION TO THAT PROBLEM. 11.34.14 THE MAYORS FUND TO ADVANCE NEW YORK CITY HAS ALSO ALLOCATED MORE THAN 60 MILLION DOLLARS RAISED FROM VERY GENEROUS PRIVATE PHILANTHROPISTS TO A VARIETY OF SANDY EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND RESTORATION EFFORTS AND THAT HAS INCLUDED PARTNERING WITH OTHERS TO PROVIDE MORE THAN 650 BUSINESSES WITH SOME 20 MILLION IN RECOVERY LOANS AND GRANTS. WE'VE SIGNED INTO LAW 6 RESILIENCY BILLS UPGRADING OUR BUILDING CODE TO ADRESS PROBLEMS SANDY EXPOSED. 16 MORE BILLS ARE BEFORE THE CITY COUNCIL INCLUDING 7 THAT ARE TO BE VOTED ON TOMORROW. IN THE PAST FEW WEEKS WE'VE ALSO BEGUN OR COMPLETED MORE THAN A BILLION DOLALRS WORTH OF SANDY RECOVERY PROJECTS. WE'VE REPAIRED AND REOPENED SCHOOLS, PUBLIC HOUSING AND HOSPITALS. WE'VE WORKED WITH CON ED TO ACCELRATE STORM HARDENING AND MICROGRID INVESTMENTS 11.35. 02 AND FOR THE FIRST TIME TO RETHINK THEIR CAPITAL PLANNING TO ACCOUNT FOR CLIMATE CHANGE AND WORK LIKE THAT NEEDS TO CONTINUE. AND TODAY WE'RE ALSO RELEASING A STUDY DETAILING SOME 315 MILLION DOLALRS IN UPGRADES THAT ARE NEEDED TO SAFEGUARD THE CITY'S WASTE WATER FACIULITIES AGAINST FUTURE COASTAL STORMS. NOW NEW YORK IS A GREAT COASTAL CITY AND THIS MORNIGNS TOUR IS A REMINDER OF THAT. WATERWAYS ENHANCE- EMBRACE THE FIVE BOROUGHS WITH 520 MILES IN SHORELINE UH THAT DEFINE NEW YORK'S BOUNDARIES AND DEFINE OUR IDENTITY. AND IN THE FACE OF RISING SEA LEVELS AND THE MORE DESTRUCTIVE COASTAL STORMS SCIENTISTS TELL US WE SHOULDEXPECT AS THE WORLD'S CLIMATE CHANGES. THE CHALLENGE WE FACE I S PROTECTINGTHE HOMES, BUSINESSES, AND MSOT IIMPORTANTLY THE LIVES OF NEW YORKERS. AND THAT IS A CHALLENGE WE ACCEPT. 11.35.52 MOST NEW YORKERS ARE I SUSPECT STRUGGLING WITH SOMBER MEMORIES TODAY AND THAT IS ONLY NATURAL. A YEAR AGO WE ENDURED THE WORSE NATURAL DISASTER EVER TO STRIKE OUR CITY. SANDY SUBMERGED OUR COMMUNITIES IN SEAWATER, SHE DISPLACED THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE FROM THEIR HOMES. CLOSE TO 2 MILLION PEOPLE LOST POWER AND 44 NYERS TRAGICALLY LOST THEIR LIVES. WE REMEMBER ALL THAT SORROW JUST AS WE REMEMBER WITH PRIDE THE HEROISM AND THE COMPASSION THAT SO MANY NEW YORKERS SHOWED DURING THOSE DESPERATE HOURS AND THE DAYS AND WEEKS THAT FOLLOWED 11.36.25 THIS IS A CITY THAT HAS EXPERIENCED GREAT CATASTROPHES BEFORE AND EVERYTIME WE'VE COME BACK STRONGER THAN EVER AND I THINK ITS SAFE TO SAY WE'RE DOING THAT TODAY ONE YEAR AFTER SANDY. ON THAT NOTE-OFFICIAL WHO HAS MOST DIRECTLY OVERSEEN OUR SANDY RESPONSE AND RECOVERY-DEUPTY MAYOR FOR OPERATIONS CAZ HOLLOWAY CAZ HALLOWAY (SP??) 11.36.53 I HAVE CERTAINLY BEEN FORTUNATE TO BE INVOVLED IN THE CITY'S RESPONSE TO SANYD'S UNPRECEDENTED IMPACT ON NEW YORK CITY. AND I THINK ITS NO EXAGGERATION TO SAY THAT THE RESPONSE AND THE RESULTS QWE SEE A YEAR LATER HAVE BEEN UNPRECEDENTED AS WELL. AND THOSE RESULTS ARE DUE TO THOUSANDS OF NEW YORK CITY EMPLOYEES AND CONTRACTORS AND VOLUNTEERS WHO ANSWERED THE CITYS CALL. YESTERDAY AND TODAY MY THOUGHTS HAVE REPEATEDLY GONE BACK TO THE DAYS IMNMEDIATELY AFTE R THE STORM AND THE TREMENDOUS ACTS OF DEDICATION AND HEROISM THAT OUR FIRST RESPONDERS AND ALL CITY AGENTS DISPLAYED 11.37.23 FROM THE BUILDINGS DEPARTMENT, WHO RUSHED TO 57TH ST, TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, WHO AT THE 60TH PRECINCT IN CONEY ISLAND DEALT WITH INUNDATION. TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WHO BRAVELY FOUGHT THE BATTLE IN BREEZY POINT.AT EVACUATION CENTERS THROGUHOUT THE 5 BOROUGHS CITY WORKERS AND VOLUNTEERS HELPED EVACUEES FOR WEEKS. SANITATION AND DOT WORKERS TRAVLED THOUSANDS OF MILES IN THE HARDEST HIT NEIGHBORHOODS PICKING UP DEBRI, HAULING IT AWAY, AND OCMING RIGHT BACK TO DO IT AGAIN AND AGAIN. 11.37.51 ?? EMPLOYEES AND HUNDREDS OF CONTRACTORS RESTORED HEATLIGHT AND POWER TO 200 DAMAGED BUILDINGS WITHIN A FEW WEEKS BY LITERALLY REBUILDING ELECTRIC INFRASTRUCTURE FROM SCRATCH. AND OF COURSE OEM PLAYED A CRITICAL ROLE COORDINATING ALL THESE EFFORTS 24HRS A DAY AND WITH OUR PARTNERS IN THE STATE AND FEDERAL GVT. THESE EFFORTS MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR THE CITY TO MOVE QUICKLY TO PHASE TWO. GETITNG AS MANY PEOPLE POSSIBLE BACK INTO THEIR HOMES. WE RECRUITED BRAD GEHRTHE DIRECTOR OF HOUSING RECOVERY OPERATIONS, AND ON NOVEMBER 9TH WE ANNOUNCED RAPID REPAIRS, AN EXPERIMENT BASED ON THE IDEA THAT ITS BETTER TO GET PEOPLE BACK IN THEIR HOMES RATHER THAN INVEST HEAVIULY IN TEMPORARY HOUSING. AND THAT WAS THE MAYOR'S MOST IMP[ORTANT DIRECTION TO ME AND THE TEAM 11.38.35 UH TODAY WE CAN SEE THAT WE ARE TRULY ADVANCING THE WORK OF PREPARING NEW YORK CITY FOR THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE OVER THE LONG TERM. BUT THAT IS NOT TO SUGGEST THAT THE RECOVERY, THE WORK OF RECOVERY IS DONE-FAR FROM IT. NOR DOES IT MEAN THAT THE CITY'S RESPONSE WAS PERFECT. IT WAS NOT-WE KNOW FROM OUR OWN REVIEW OF OUR BRESPONSE TO SANDY THAT WE AN MAKE OUR RESPONSE CAPACITY STRONGER. WE CAN BE BETTER PREPARED FOR LONGER DISPLACEMENTS OF PEOPLE. WE CAN HAVE MORE ASSETS AND RESOURCES IN PLACE. IN FACTTHE 60TH PRECINCT TODAY COMMISSIONER KELLY IS SHOWING THE ZODIAC BOATS AND NEW LIGHT TOWERS THAT WE'VE PURCHASED FOR EMERGENCIES IN THE FUTURE. SO WHEN THE MAYOR SAYS WE'RE BETTER PREPARED THEN WE WERE UH FOR SANDY-HE EMANS NOT ONLY IN THE LONG TERM WITH THE PROJECTS THAT WE'VE DETAILED TODAY BUT WE'RE MORE PREPARED IF SOMETHING HAPPENS NOW. 113925 AND WE HAVE THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES HALPING TO BUILD IT BACK TO BUILD A NEW HOME OR COMPLETE REPARIS TO THE HOME THYYRE LIVING IN. FOR THE FAMILIES AND BUSINESSES WHO WERE OST IMPACTED THE DAILY WORK OF RECOVERY CONTINUES AND WE ARE RIGHT THERE DOING IT WITH THEM AND WE WILL BE UNTILTHE WORK IS DONE AND OF COURSE THE SIGHTS WESAW TODAY ARE ABOUT THE LONG TERM AND AS YOU CAN SEEWE ARE MAKING REAL TANGIBLE PROGRESS.SO WE'RE GONNA FINISH SOON A ND GET BACK TO WORK BLOOMBERG; CAZ HALLOWAY ONCE AGAIN CONGRATS TO YOU LET ME NEXT INTRODUCE BROOKLYN BOROUGH PRESIDENT MARKY MARKOWITZ FOR HIS THOGUHTS ABOUT PROGRESS MARTY MARKOWITZ 11.40.13 THANKS GOOD MORNING IF OU THINK BACK JUST ONE YEAR AGO WHAT THE SKY LOOKED LIKE ON THAT TERIBLE DAY YOU REALIZE HOW GOOD A MORNING TODAY TRULY IS. THANK YOU MAYOR BLOOMBERGG FOR THE TIRELESS WORK THAT YOU PUT IN OVER THE LAST YEAR IN HELPING BROOKLYN COMMUNITIES AND OTHER IMPACTED AREAS LIKE CONEY ISLAND BEGIN TO RECOVER FROM HURRICANE SANDY. TRUE RECOVERY FOR TOO MANY RESIDENTS IS STILL AWAYS AWAY. BUT WE'RE ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY BECAUSE OF YOUR INCREDIBLE LEADERSHIP. AND YOUR-THE TEAM AROUND YOU, I MUST TELL YOU-CAZ HALLOWAY AS DEPUTY MAYOR HE IS ONE OF THE MOSTGIFTED ADMINISTRATORS EXECUTIVES AND PUBLIC SERVANTS THAT IVE MET IN MY ENTIRE CAREER, AND VERONIC WHITE AS PARKS COMISSIONER HAS REALLY ADDED SO MUCH TO THE GREAT ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE DPT OF PARKS IN NYC. 11.41.06 NOW, LET ME STOP THERE FOR ONE MOMENT AND SAY THAT BOTH OF THEM ARE BROOKLYNITES. ONE WHO LIVES IN BROOKLYN AND ONE WHO'S FAMILY LIVES IN BROOKLYN AND SHE'S FROM BROOKLYN. AND OF COURSE DAN ZERELLI-NOW, I HAVE TO SAY THAT HE LIVES IN STATEN IS, BUT FROM WHAT I HEAR HE'S A BKLYN WANNA BE. SO UH THERES NO QUESTION THAT THE STORMS EFFECTS-SO MANY ASPECTS OPF CITY LIFE AND IT TOOK ALL OUR HANDS ON DECK TO GET US BACK AND RUNNING AND THANK GOODNESS FOR THOSE HANDS AND ESPECIALLY THE CREATIVE PROGRAM CAST (??) THAT YOU AND YOUR GROUP CAME UP WITH TO GET IMMEDIATE REPAIRS TO THOSE HOMES AND APPARTMENTS. 114142 AND OF COURSE CONEY IS WOULDN'T BE WHERE IT IS TODAY WITHOUT MR. CONEY ISLAND.. COUNCIL MEMBER DOMINIC REKYA. DOMINIC EXEMPLIFIED NO QUESTION WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A PUBLIC SERVANT IN THOSE DAYS AND WEEKS FOLLOWING SANDY CONSTANTLY ON THE MOVE TO HELP TO HELP HIS CONSITUTENTS WHENEVER HE COULD. HE HAS BEEN A TIRELESS VOICE OF THE COMMUNITY NEEVR ALLOWING US TO STRAY AWAY FROM THE FOCUS OF THE RESIDENTS OF CONEY ISLAND'S SMALL BUSINESSES THAT NEED ATTENTION. BY THE WAY THE COMMUNITY BOARD IS HERE WE WANT TO COMMEND THEM SO VERY MUCH THEY PU IN DAYS AND NIGHTS AND SO MANYFOLKS THAT ARE AROUND EHRE, THAT GAVE UP THEIR LIVES FRO WEEKS JUST VOLUNTEERING THEIR TIME DAY AND NIGHT, UNBELIEVABLE. 114225 BUT AS BROOKLYNITES WHEN WE GET KNOCKED DOWN WE GET RIGHT BACK UP AND WE PROMISED NEW WOULD REBUILD, REBOUND AND RECOVER, BETTER NAD STRONGER THAN EVER. AFTER A LONG YEAR THERE ARE NOW GLIMMERS OF HOPE THAT RESOURCES WILL REACH EVERY SIONGLE ONE OF THOSE HOMES AND SMALL BUSINESSES DIRECTLY IMPACTED BY SANDY BUT I MIGHT ADD WE IN CITY AND STATE GVT NEED TO BE MORE VIGILANT TO ADRESS THE INSURANCE ISSUE FACING THESE COMMUNITIES. THE GOVERNOR AND ATTORNEY GENERAL NEED TO HAVE A THOROUGH REVIEW OF THE INSURANCE COMPANIES AND TO PUT OUT A REPORT CARD ON HOW THE INSURANCE THAT COVER HOME OWNERS-HWO THEY DO. WHO ARE RESPONSIVE AND WHO ARE TRYING TO DUCK THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES. AND THAT IT WILL GUIDE FUTURE HOME OWNERS AND TENANTS AS TO WHAT COMPANIES THEY USE FOR THEIR INSURANCE. ALSO I HOPE THAT THE STATE LEGISLATURE RAISES PENALTIES ON THOSE THAT USE THESE FUNDS FOR FRAUDULENT PURPOSES. 114319 WHEREVER POSSIBLE THE LAST THING WE WANT IS FRAUD TO BE ANY PART OF THE FUNDS THAT WERE ALLOCATED BY CONGRESS. IN ORDER FOR NYC TO BE AT ITS BEST WE NEED TO KEEP AN EYE ON OUR CITYS FUTURE AND UNFORTUNATELY THAT FUTURE AS THE MAYOR HAS SAID INCLUDES CLIMATE CHANGE. ITS SAD THAT WE HAVE TO DEBATE EVEN THESE DAYS CLIMATE CHANGE IN SOME CIRCLES BUT BECAUSE MAYOR BLOOMBERG-HE NOT ONLY GETS IT, HE'S LEADING THE WAY FOR US TO PREPARE FOR CLIMATE CHANGE WILL LEAD TO UNPREDICTABLE WEATHER EVENTS AND MAKE NO MISTAKE IT WILL IMPACT UNFORTUNATELY NYC IN THE FUTURE. ALL FIVE OF OUR BOROUGHS ARE SURROUNDED BY WATER. SIGNIFICANT STORMS WILL CONTINUE TO ?? BEACHES LOWLYING COMMUNITIES AND ESSENTIAL INFRASTRUCTURE UNLESS WE BUILD BACK STRONGER AND SMARTER. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT CAZ HALLOWAY AND THOSE WORKING WITH HIM AND THE MAYOR ARE DOING. 114409 THERE ARE KEY STEPS ALREADY IN PROGRESS TO HELP PROTECT COASTALK NEIGHBORHOODSFROM FUTURE DEVASTATION INCLUDING RIGHT HERE ON CONEY ISLAND. LAST WEEK AS YOU KNOW WE REOPENED THE CONEY ISLAND LIBRARY BRANCH?? ON MERMAID AVENUE WHICH WAS RENOVATED TO BE MORE RESILIENT. THIS IS THE LATEST OF REOPENINGS WE'VE GONE TO CELBRATE INCLUSING THE RENOVATED STEEPLE CHASE?? LAST MONTH. ADDITIONALLY WITH THE HELP OF THE ARMY CORE?? OF ENGINEERS AND THE CITY'S RESILIENCY TEAM WE HAVE SEEN GREAT STRIDES IN SAND REPLENISHMENT AND DUNE CONSTRUCTION. BEACHES LSOT 270,000 CUBIC YARDS OF SAND BUT NOW WE'VE GAINED 600,00 CUBIC YARDS OF SAND TO REPLACE IT. 114445 A LOT OF IMPORTANT WORK HAS BEEN DONE IN THE PAST YEAR THANKS TO THE THOUSANDS OF GENROUS VOLUNTEERS AND DONORS WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE BROOKLYN RECOVERY FUND AND ESPECIALLY THE MAYORS FUNDS TO ADVANCE NEW YORK CITY AND NEW YORK RISING, THERE'S STILL A LON G ROAD AHEAD BUT MEASURES ARE ALREADY BEING TAKEN TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ACHIEVE SORM RESILIENCY FOR BROOKLYN ALL OF NEW YOKR CITY. NOW THOUGH THE MAYOR AND I AND DOMINIC WILL BE MOVING ON TO THE NEXT CHAPTER IN OUR LIVES I THINK WE FEEL VERY STRONGLY THAT AT LEAST WE KNOW THAT WE'RE LEAVING OUR COMMUNITIESA LIKE CONEY ISLAND BETTER PREPARED IN THE DAYS TO COME. SHOULD A STORM LIKE THIS EVER VISIT US AGAIN. BLOOMBERG; THANKS MARTY. NOW DOMINIC REKYA OF CONEY ISLAND: 1145 35 HTANKS MR MAYOR AND ON BEHALF OF THE WHOLE CONEY ISLAND COMMUNITIY WE'D LIKE TO THANK YOU MR MAYOR It's been one-year since one of the deadliest and most destructive storms to hit the Eastern Seaboard. Superstorm Sandy made landfall last Oct. 29, around 7:30pm, sending massive floodwaters pouring across the densely populated barrier islands of Long Island and the New Jersey shore. In New York City the storm surge hit nearly 14 feet, flooding the city's subway system and road tunnels and knocking out power to tens of thousands in lower Manhattan. Officially, 181 deaths are linked to Sandy in the U.S., and property damages are estimated at 65-billion. People are still rebuilding in the hard-hit Breezy Point section of Queens and on Staten Island. Yesterday, the federal officials announced 1.34-billion in new grants to New York City, part of $5 billion being paid out in the latest allocation to Sandy victims, but, so far, none of that cash has reached the people who need it.

EXT BROLL NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR CHRIS CHRISTIE HURRICANE SANDY ANNIVERSARY REMARKS AT MOONACHIE NJ USA 11.30.10 GOOD MORNING EVERYOINE THE QUESTION ON EVERBODYS MIND ON THIS FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF HURRICANE SANDY OBVIOUSLY IS "ARE WE BETTER PREPARED FOR STORMS LIKE SANDY NOW THEN WE WERE A YEAR AGO?" AND I THINK THE ANSWER IS UNCONDITIONALLY YES. YOU CAN NEVER DO TOO MUCH BUT WE VE MADE AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF PROGRESS. IF ANOTHER STORM LIKE SANDY EVER APPROACHES OUR SHORES IT WILL FIND A FAR DIFFERENT CITY FROM THE ONE SANDY LEFT BEHIND. A CITY MUCH MORE ABLE TO WITHSTAND THE KIND FO SYRGING SEAWATERS AND PUNISHING WINDS THAT SANDY BROUGHT. 11.30.43 WE ARE BUILDING NEW YORK CITY BACK STRONGER AND SMARTER SO THAT WE'LL BE RESILIENT TO A BROAD RANGE OF EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS IN THE FUTURE, INCLUDING BIG COASTAL STORMS. AND TODAY RIGHT HERE WE ARE SEEING EVIDENCE OF THAT. ON STATEN ISLANDS CRESCENT WE SAW WHAT OUR PARKS DEPARTMENT IS DOING THEY ARE BUILDIN G UP SAND DUNES THAT WILL BE SEATED WITH BEACH GRASS TO CREATE BUFFERS AGAINST STORM SURGES. ON JAMAICA BAY IN THE ORCKAWAYS WHERE EVEN BEFORE SANDY WE WERE RECONSTRUCTING THE BAYSIDE BULKHEADS NOW AS PART OF THAT PROJECT AS YOU'VE SEEN WE ARE ALSO INSTALLING TIED GATES AND THEY'LL PREVENT FLOOD WATER FROM BACKING INTO STROM SSWERES AND DRAINS AND INUNDATING STREETS AND HOMES AS HAPPENED LAST OCTOBER 29. AND HERE ALONG CONEY ISLAND CREEK WHICH WAS FAR AND AWAY THE MOST SIGNIFICANT ENTRY WAY FOR SANDY'S FLOOD WATERS IN THE AREA. 11.31.33 WE ARE MOVING AHEAD WITH A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO RAISE BULKHEADS CREATE OR EXPAND WETLANDS TO CONSTRUCT A TIDAL BARRIER IN THE CREEK'S MOUTH. NOW ALL OF THESE PROJECTS THAT'S WE'VE SEEN TODAY WERE INCLUDED IN THE RESILIENCY REPORT THAT WE ISSUED FOUR MONTHS AGO. THEY ARE AMONG THE 257 INITIATIVE REPORTS DESCRIBED ALL DESIGNED TO ADAPT NEW YORK TO THE CLIMATE CHANGE THAT SCIENTISTS TELL S IS ALREADY TAKING PLACE. IT IS A COMPREHENSIVE 20 BILLION DOLALR PLAN. WE'VE ALREADY DONE WORK ON MUCH OF THAT PLAN INCLUDING WHAT YOU'VE SEEN TODAY IN FACT WE'VE SET OUT 59 RESILIENCY MILESTONES REACHED BY THE END OF THIS YEAR. AND AT THIS POINT WE'VE PASSED OR ARE CLOSE TO PASSING 73 % OF THOSE 59PERCENT WHICH ARE PART OF THE 257% IF YOU CAN KEEP THE NUMBRS STRAIGHT. 11.32.20 AND HELPING PEOPLE MOST IMMEDIATELY IMPACTED BY SANDY REMAINS OUR FIRST PRIORITY AND THAT IS WHY IF YOU REMEMBER THAT IS WHY WE LAUNCHED OUR INOVATIVE ??? PROGRAM WHICH RESTORED HEAT AND POWER TO 54, 00 THOUSAND NEW YORKERS WHO GOT BACK INTO THEIR HOMES AND NOW ALMOST 24,000 NEW YORKERS HAVE SIGNED UP WITH THE CITY BUILD IT BACK INITAITVE THAT WILL HELP THEM WIUTH EVEN MORE EXTENSIVE HOME REPAIRS BUT THAT'S THE NEXT STE.P. THE FIRST PROJECT WE DECIDED TO DO IS TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE COULD GET BACK INTO THEIR HOMES. PEOPLE LIKE TO LIVE IN THEIR HOMES AND NOT IN SOMEBODY ELSE'S HOME OR IN PUBLIC HOSUING OR IN A HOTEL OR ANY OTHER PLACE WE COULD FIND. IT WAS A VERY SUCCESSFULPROJECT, ?? HALLOWAY, OUR DEPUTY MAYOR FOR OPERATIONS AND ALL TH EPEOPLE AT EDC-AT UH EDP WORKED WITH HIM AND IT WAS REALLLY QUITE AMAZING HOW MUCH THEY GOT DONE. 11.33.09I THINK ITS FAIR TO SAY NO OTHER PLACE HAS ATTEMPTED MUCH LESS PRODUCED THAT KIND OF RESULTS THAT QUICKLY. UM THE BUILD IT BACK INITATIVE IS THE NEXT STEP AND ITS VERY GOOD NEWS THAT OUR ADMINISTRATION HAS URGED MEMBERS OF BOTH PARTIES OF THE US HOUSE TODAY TO-AND ARE EXPECTED TODAY-TO INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO DELAY CHANGES IN THE FEDERAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM AND KEEP HOMEOWNERS FROM BEING SWAMPED BY STEEP INSURANCE COST INCREASES. AS YOU KNOW DELAYING THOSE CHANGES WOULD NOW PERMIT US TO WORK WITH FEDERAL OFFICIALS TO MAKE FLOOD INSURANCE AFFORDABLE FOR THE PEOPLE THAT NEED IT THE MOST. 11..33.45 WHATS HAPPENED HERE IS IF YOU HAVE A FAIRLY? INSURED MORTGAGE YOU HAVE TO HAVE FLOOD INSURANCE., AND AWFUL LOT OF PEOPLE DIDN'T PAY ATTENTION TO THAT BOTH ON THE BUY SIDE AND THE SELL SIDE OF MORTGAGES AND THEN NOW THAT THE FLOOD PLAIN HAS BEEN DRAMATICALLY INCREASED THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO WOULD BE SUBJECT OT THAT REQUIREMENT IS MUCH GREATER AND FLOOD INSURANCE IS VERY EXPENSIVE AND A LOT OF PEOPLE CANT AFFORD5 OR 10 THOUSAND A YEAR OF FLOOD INSURANCE-THEY JUST DON'T MAKE THAT KIND OF MONEY. SO WE'VE GOT A FIND A SOLUTION TO THAT PROBLEM. 11.34.14 THE MAYORS FUND TO ADVANCE NEW YORK CITY HAS ALSO ALLOCATED MORE THAN 60 MILLION DOLLARS RAISED FROM VERY GENEROUS PRIVATE PHILANTHROPISTS TO A VARIETY OF SANDY EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND RESTORATION EFFORTS AND THAT HAS INCLUDED PARTNERING WITH OTHERS TO PROVIDE MORE THAN 650 BUSINESSES WITH SOME 20 MILLION IN RECOVERY LOANS AND GRANTS. WE'VE SIGNED INTO LAW 6 RESILIENCY BILLS UPGRADING OUR BUILDING CODE TO ADRESS PROBLEMS SANDY EXPOSED. 16 MORE BILLS ARE BEFORE THE CITY COUNCIL INCLUDING 7 THAT ARE TO BE VOTED ON TOMORROW. IN THE PAST FEW WEEKS WE'VE ALSO BEGUN OR COMPLETED MORE THAN A BILLION DOLALRS WORTH OF SANDY RECOVERY PROJECTS. WE'VE REPAIRED AND REOPENED SCHOOLS, PUBLIC HOUSING AND HOSPITALS. WE'VE WORKED WITH CON ED TO ACCELRATE STORM HARDENING AND MICROGRID INVESTMENTS 11.35. 02 AND FOR THE FIRST TIME TO RETHINK THEIR CAPITAL PLANNING TO ACCOUNT FOR CLIMATE CHANGE AND WORK LIKE THAT NEEDS TO CONTINUE. AND TODAY WE'RE ALSO RELEASING A STUDY DETAILING SOME 315 MILLION DOLALRS IN UPGRADES THAT ARE NEEDED TO SAFEGUARD THE CITY'S WASTE WATER FACIULITIES AGAINST FUTURE COASTAL STORMS. NOW NEW YORK IS A GREAT COASTAL CITY AND THIS MORNIGNS TOUR IS A REMINDER OF THAT. WATERWAYS ENHANCE- EMBRACE THE FIVE BOROUGHS WITH 520 MILES IN SHORELINE UH THAT DEFINE NEW YORK'S BOUNDARIES AND DEFINE OUR IDENTITY. AND IN THE FACE OF RISING SEA LEVELS AND THE MORE DESTRUCTIVE COASTAL STORMS SCIENTISTS TELL US WE SHOULDEXPECT AS THE WORLD'S CLIMATE CHANGES. THE CHALLENGE WE FACE I S PROTECTINGTHE HOMES, BUSINESSES, AND MSOT IIMPORTANTLY THE LIVES OF NEW YORKERS. AND THAT IS A CHALLENGE WE ACCEPT. 11.35.52 MOST NEW YORKERS ARE I SUSPECT STRUGGLING WITH SOMBER MEMORIES TODAY AND THAT IS ONLY NATURAL. A YEAR AGO WE ENDURED THE WORSE NATURAL DISASTER EVER TO STRIKE OUR CITY. SANDY SUBMERGED OUR COMMUNITIES IN SEAWATER, SHE DISPLACED THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE FROM THEIR HOMES. CLOSE TO 2 MILLION PEOPLE LOST POWER AND 44 NYERS TRAGICALLY LOST THEIR LIVES. WE REMEMBER ALL THAT SORROW JUST AS WE REMEMBER WITH PRIDE THE HEROISM AND THE COMPASSION THAT SO MANY NEW YORKERS SHOWED DURING THOSE DESPERATE HOURS AND THE DAYS AND WEEKS THAT FOLLOWED 11.36.25 THIS IS A CITY THAT HAS EXPERIENCED GREAT CATASTROPHES BEFORE AND EVERYTIME WE'VE COME BACK STRONGER THAN EVER AND I THINK ITS SAFE TO SAY WE'RE DOING THAT TODAY ONE YEAR AFTER SANDY. ON THAT NOTE-OFFICIAL WHO HAS MOST DIRECTLY OVERSEEN OUR SANDY RESPONSE AND RECOVERY-DEUPTY MAYOR FOR OPERATIONS CAZ HOLLOWAY CAZ HALLOWAY (SP??) 11.36.53 I HAVE CERTAINLY BEEN FORTUNATE TO BE INVOVLED IN THE CITY'S RESPONSE TO SANYD'S UNPRECEDENTED IMPACT ON NEW YORK CITY. AND I THINK ITS NO EXAGGERATION TO SAY THAT THE RESPONSE AND THE RESULTS QWE SEE A YEAR LATER HAVE BEEN UNPRECEDENTED AS WELL. AND THOSE RESULTS ARE DUE TO THOUSANDS OF NEW YORK CITY EMPLOYEES AND CONTRACTORS AND VOLUNTEERS WHO ANSWERED THE CITYS CALL. YESTERDAY AND TODAY MY THOUGHTS HAVE REPEATEDLY GONE BACK TO THE DAYS IMNMEDIATELY AFTE R THE STORM AND THE TREMENDOUS ACTS OF DEDICATION AND HEROISM THAT OUR FIRST RESPONDERS AND ALL CITY AGENTS DISPLAYED 11.37.23 FROM THE BUILDINGS DEPARTMENT, WHO RUSHED TO 57TH ST, TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, WHO AT THE 60TH PRECINCT IN CONEY ISLAND DEALT WITH INUNDATION. TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WHO BRAVELY FOUGHT THE BATTLE IN BREEZY POINT.AT EVACUATION CENTERS THROGUHOUT THE 5 BOROUGHS CITY WORKERS AND VOLUNTEERS HELPED EVACUEES FOR WEEKS. SANITATION AND DOT WORKERS TRAVLED THOUSANDS OF MILES IN THE HARDEST HIT NEIGHBORHOODS PICKING UP DEBRI, HAULING IT AWAY, AND OCMING RIGHT BACK TO DO IT AGAIN AND AGAIN. 11.37.51 ?? EMPLOYEES AND HUNDREDS OF CONTRACTORS RESTORED HEATLIGHT AND POWER TO 200 DAMAGED BUILDINGS WITHIN A FEW WEEKS BY LITERALLY REBUILDING ELECTRIC INFRASTRUCTURE FROM SCRATCH. AND OF COURSE OEM PLAYED A CRITICAL ROLE COORDINATING ALL THESE EFFORTS 24HRS A DAY AND WITH OUR PARTNERS IN THE STATE AND FEDERAL GVT. THESE EFFORTS MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR THE CITY TO MOVE QUICKLY TO PHASE TWO. GETITNG AS MANY PEOPLE POSSIBLE BACK INTO THEIR HOMES. WE RECRUITED BRAD GEHRTHE DIRECTOR OF HOUSING RECOVERY OPERATIONS, AND ON NOVEMBER 9TH WE ANNOUNCED RAPID REPAIRS, AN EXPERIMENT BASED ON THE IDEA THAT ITS BETTER TO GET PEOPLE BACK IN THEIR HOMES RATHER THAN INVEST HEAVIULY IN TEMPORARY HOUSING. AND THAT WAS THE MAYOR'S MOST IMP[ORTANT DIRECTION TO ME AND THE TEAM 11.38.35 UH TODAY WE CAN SEE THAT WE ARE TRULY ADVANCING THE WORK OF PREPARING NEW YORK CITY FOR THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE OVER THE LONG TERM. BUT THAT IS NOT TO SUGGEST THAT THE RECOVERY, THE WORK OF RECOVERY IS DONE-FAR FROM IT. NOR DOES IT MEAN THAT THE CITY'S RESPONSE WAS PERFECT. IT WAS NOT-WE KNOW FROM OUR OWN REVIEW OF OUR BRESPONSE TO SANDY THAT WE AN MAKE OUR RESPONSE CAPACITY STRONGER. WE CAN BE BETTER PREPARED FOR LONGER DISPLACEMENTS OF PEOPLE. WE CAN HAVE MORE ASSETS AND RESOURCES IN PLACE. IN FACTTHE 60TH PRECINCT TODAY COMMISSIONER KELLY IS SHOWING THE ZODIAC BOATS AND NEW LIGHT TOWERS THAT WE'VE PURCHASED FOR EMERGENCIES IN THE FUTURE. SO WHEN THE MAYOR SAYS WE'RE BETTER PREPARED THEN WE WERE UH FOR SANDY-HE EMANS NOT ONLY IN THE LONG TERM WITH THE PROJECTS THAT WE'VE DETAILED TODAY BUT WE'RE MORE PREPARED IF SOMETHING HAPPENS NOW. 113925 AND WE HAVE THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES HALPING TO BUILD IT BACK TO BUILD A NEW HOME OR COMPLETE REPARIS TO THE HOME THYYRE LIVING IN. FOR THE FAMILIES AND BUSINESSES WHO WERE OST IMPACTED THE DAILY WORK OF RECOVERY CONTINUES AND WE ARE RIGHT THERE DOING IT WITH THEM AND WE WILL BE UNTILTHE WORK IS DONE AND OF COURSE THE SIGHTS WESAW TODAY ARE ABOUT THE LONG TERM AND AS YOU CAN SEEWE ARE MAKING REAL TANGIBLE PROGRESS.SO WE'RE GONNA FINISH SOON A ND GET BACK TO WORK BLOOMBERG; CAZ HALLOWAY ONCE AGAIN CONGRATS TO YOU LET ME NEXT INTRODUCE BROOKLYN BOROUGH PRESIDENT MARKY MARKOWITZ FOR HIS THOGUHTS ABOUT PROGRESS MARTY MARKOWITZ 11.40.13 THANKS GOOD MORNING IF OU THINK BACK JUST ONE YEAR AGO WHAT THE SKY LOOKED LIKE ON THAT TERIBLE DAY YOU REALIZE HOW GOOD A MORNING TODAY TRULY IS. THANK YOU MAYOR BLOOMBERGG FOR THE TIRELESS WORK THAT YOU PUT IN OVER THE LAST YEAR IN HELPING BROOKLYN COMMUNITIES AND OTHER IMPACTED AREAS LIKE CONEY ISLAND BEGIN TO RECOVER FROM HURRICANE SANDY. TRUE RECOVERY FOR TOO MANY RESIDENTS IS STILL AWAYS AWAY. BUT WE'RE ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY BECAUSE OF YOUR INCREDIBLE LEADERSHIP. AND YOUR-THE TEAM AROUND YOU, I MUST TELL YOU-CAZ HALLOWAY AS DEPUTY MAYOR HE IS ONE OF THE MOSTGIFTED ADMINISTRATORS EXECUTIVES AND PUBLIC SERVANTS THAT IVE MET IN MY ENTIRE CAREER, AND VERONIC WHITE AS PARKS COMISSIONER HAS REALLY ADDED SO MUCH TO THE GREAT ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE DPT OF PARKS IN NYC. 11.41.06 NOW, LET ME STOP THERE FOR ONE MOMENT AND SAY THAT BOTH OF THEM ARE BROOKLYNITES. ONE WHO LIVES IN BROOKLYN AND ONE WHO'S FAMILY LIVES IN BROOKLYN AND SHE'S FROM BROOKLYN. AND OF COURSE DAN ZERELLI-NOW, I HAVE TO SAY THAT HE LIVES IN STATEN IS, BUT FROM WHAT I HEAR HE'S A BKLYN WANNA BE. SO UH THERES NO QUESTION THAT THE STORMS EFFECTS-SO MANY ASPECTS OPF CITY LIFE AND IT TOOK ALL OUR HANDS ON DECK TO GET US BACK AND RUNNING AND THANK GOODNESS FOR THOSE HANDS AND ESPECIALLY THE CREATIVE PROGRAM CAST (??) THAT YOU AND YOUR GROUP CAME UP WITH TO GET IMMEDIATE REPAIRS TO THOSE HOMES AND APPARTMENTS. 114142 AND OF COURSE CONEY IS WOULDN'T BE WHERE IT IS TODAY WITHOUT MR. CONEY ISLAND.. COUNCIL MEMBER DOMINIC REKYA. DOMINIC EXEMPLIFIED NO QUESTION WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A PUBLIC SERVANT IN THOSE DAYS AND WEEKS FOLLOWING SANDY CONSTANTLY ON THE MOVE TO HELP TO HELP HIS CONSITUTENTS WHENEVER HE COULD. HE HAS BEEN A TIRELESS VOICE OF THE COMMUNITY NEEVR ALLOWING US TO STRAY AWAY FROM THE FOCUS OF THE RESIDENTS OF CONEY ISLAND'S SMALL BUSINESSES THAT NEED ATTENTION. BY THE WAY THE COMMUNITY BOARD IS HERE WE WANT TO COMMEND THEM SO VERY MUCH THEY PU IN DAYS AND NIGHTS AND SO MANYFOLKS THAT ARE AROUND EHRE, THAT GAVE UP THEIR LIVES FRO WEEKS JUST VOLUNTEERING THEIR TIME DAY AND NIGHT, UNBELIEVABLE. 114225 BUT AS BROOKLYNITES WHEN WE GET KNOCKED DOWN WE GET RIGHT BACK UP AND WE PROMISED NEW WOULD REBUILD, REBOUND AND RECOVER, BETTER NAD STRONGER THAN EVER. AFTER A LONG YEAR THERE ARE NOW GLIMMERS OF HOPE THAT RESOURCES WILL REACH EVERY SIONGLE ONE OF THOSE HOMES AND SMALL BUSINESSES DIRECTLY IMPACTED BY SANDY BUT I MIGHT ADD WE IN CITY AND STATE GVT NEED TO BE MORE VIGILANT TO ADRESS THE INSURANCE ISSUE FACING THESE COMMUNITIES. THE GOVERNOR AND ATTORNEY GENERAL NEED TO HAVE A THOROUGH REVIEW OF THE INSURANCE COMPANIES AND TO PUT OUT A REPORT CARD ON HOW THE INSURANCE THAT COVER HOME OWNERS-HWO THEY DO. WHO ARE RESPONSIVE AND WHO ARE TRYING TO DUCK THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES. AND THAT IT WILL GUIDE FUTURE HOME OWNERS AND TENANTS AS TO WHAT COMPANIES THEY USE FOR THEIR INSURANCE. ALSO I HOPE THAT THE STATE LEGISLATURE RAISES PENALTIES ON THOSE THAT USE THESE FUNDS FOR FRAUDULENT PURPOSES. 114319 WHEREVER POSSIBLE THE LAST THING WE WANT IS FRAUD TO BE ANY PART OF THE FUNDS THAT WERE ALLOCATED BY CONGRESS. IN ORDER FOR NYC TO BE AT ITS BEST WE NEED TO KEEP AN EYE ON OUR CITYS FUTURE AND UNFORTUNATELY THAT FUTURE AS THE MAYOR HAS SAID INCLUDES CLIMATE CHANGE. ITS SAD THAT WE HAVE TO DEBATE EVEN THESE DAYS CLIMATE CHANGE IN SOME CIRCLES BUT BECAUSE MAYOR BLOOMBERG-HE NOT ONLY GETS IT, HE'S LEADING THE WAY FOR US TO PREPARE FOR CLIMATE CHANGE WILL LEAD TO UNPREDICTABLE WEATHER EVENTS AND MAKE NO MISTAKE IT WILL IMPACT UNFORTUNATELY NYC IN THE FUTURE. ALL FIVE OF OUR BOROUGHS ARE SURROUNDED BY WATER. SIGNIFICANT STORMS WILL CONTINUE TO ?? BEACHES LOWLYING COMMUNITIES AND ESSENTIAL INFRASTRUCTURE UNLESS WE BUILD BACK STRONGER AND SMARTER. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT CAZ HALLOWAY AND THOSE WORKING WITH HIM AND THE MAYOR ARE DOING. 114409 THERE ARE KEY STEPS ALREADY IN PROGRESS TO HELP PROTECT COASTALK NEIGHBORHOODSFROM FUTURE DEVASTATION INCLUDING RIGHT HERE ON CONEY ISLAND. LAST WEEK AS YOU KNOW WE REOPENED THE CONEY ISLAND LIBRARY BRANCH?? ON MERMAID AVENUE WHICH WAS RENOVATED TO BE MORE RESILIENT. THIS IS THE LATEST OF REOPENINGS WE'VE GONE TO CELBRATE INCLUSING THE RENOVATED STEEPLE CHASE?? LAST MONTH. ADDITIONALLY WITH THE HELP OF THE ARMY CORE?? OF ENGINEERS AND THE CITY'S RESILIENCY TEAM WE HAVE SEEN GREAT STRIDES IN SAND REPLENISHMENT AND DUNE CONSTRUCTION. BEACHES LSOT 270,000 CUBIC YARDS OF SAND BUT NOW WE'VE GAINED 600,00 CUBIC YARDS OF SAND TO REPLACE IT. 114445 A LOT OF IMPORTANT WORK HAS BEEN DONE IN THE PAST YEAR THANKS TO THE THOUSANDS OF GENROUS VOLUNTEERS AND DONORS WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE BROOKLYN RECOVERY FUND AND ESPECIALLY THE MAYORS FUNDS TO ADVANCE NEW YORK CITY AND NEW YORK RISING, THERE'S STILL A LON G ROAD AHEAD BUT MEASURES ARE ALREADY BEING TAKEN TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ACHIEVE SORM RESILIENCY FOR BROOKLYN ALL OF NEW YOKR CITY. NOW THOUGH THE MAYOR AND I AND DOMINIC WILL BE MOVING ON TO THE NEXT CHAPTER IN OUR LIVES I THINK WE FEEL VERY STRONGLY THAT AT LEAST WE KNOW THAT WE'RE LEAVING OUR COMMUNITIESA LIKE CONEY ISLAND BETTER PREPARED IN THE DAYS TO COME. SHOULD A STORM LIKE THIS EVER VISIT US AGAIN. BLOOMBERG; THANKS MARTY. NOW DOMINIC REKYA OF CONEY ISLAND: 1145 35 HTANKS MR MAYOR AND ON BEHALF OF THE WHOLE CONEY ISLAND COMMUNITIY WE'D LIKE TO THANK YOU MR MAYOR It's been one-year since one of the deadliest and most destructive storms to hit the Eastern Seaboard. Superstorm Sandy made landfall last Oct. 29, around 7:30pm, sending massive floodwaters pouring across the densely populated barrier islands of Long Island and the New Jersey shore. In New York City the storm surge hit nearly 14 feet, flooding the city's subway system and road tunnels and knocking out power to tens of thousands in lower Manhattan. Officially, 181 deaths are linked to Sandy in the U.S., and property damages are estimated at 65-billion. People are still rebuilding in the hard-hit Breezy Point section of Queens and on Staten Island. Yesterday, the federal officials announced 1.34-billion in new grants to New York City, part of $5 billion being paid out in the latest allocation to Sandy victims, but, so far, none of that cash has reached the people who need it.

President Barack Obama delivers remarks to the Department of Transportation Stix X83/RS-20 Slugged: 0945 WH OBAMA DOT X83 NYRS: 5114 DISK#: 253 AR: 4X3 09:54:13 Extreme WS of Ray LaHood, Joe Biden and Barack Obama walking out LAHOOD: All right, we got work to do. Welcome, everyone. Welcome, President Obama, Vice President Biden. Thank you for coming to the Department of Transportation to mark this historic occasion. This is the first time that the president and vice president have paid a joint visit to our department. What an honor. (APPLAUSE) 09:54:53 The occasion is a fitting one for today. We are charting a new course for America. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will enable our nation to rebuild, retool and revitalize the vast network of roads, tunnels, bridges, rail systems, airports and waterways that we have long depended on to keep the economy moving and growing. Our transportation infrastructure is critically important to our nation's economic health. We need to protect, preserve and invest in it to make sure it can meet the demands we all place on it now and in the future. Above all, we must keep these assets safe for all travelers. Where public safety is concerned, there is no room for compromise. As President Harry Truman once said, America was built on courage, imagination and 09:56:02 09:56:02 unbeatable determination to do the job at hand. With the funds provided by this landmark legislation, we're going to get the job done. I'm very -- absolutely, we are. (APPLAUSE) I am very proud of the team we've assembled here at DOT. 09:56:27 And, Mr. President and Mr. Vice President, you honor their work by your presence here today. LAHOOD: This team is led by Admiral (sic) Tom Barrett, Joel Szabat, Lana Hurdle, and the entire Tiger Team. (APPLAUSE) We pledge to you, Mr. President, and Mr. Vice President that the hard-working men and women in this department are doing everything in their power to put these funds into the hands of the states so that work can begin. And there will be total transparency. We know that you require that. Recovery.gov -- any taxpayer, any day, any minute, can click into recovery.gov and find out where their hard-earned dollars are being spent. No earmarks. No boondoggles. Taxpayer money being spent to put people to work. And I'm happy to announce... (APPLAUSE) 09:57:47 And I am happy to announce that the work begins today in Montgomery County, Maryland, where a work crew is starting on a project to resurface Maryland State Highway 650, a very busy road that has -- that has not been fully repaired in 17 years. The contract for which this first project is being awarded is to American Infrastructure, a family-owned business. This will support 60 good jobs. And that's how we're going to get the country back on its feet. I want to thank Maryland Transportation Secretary John Porcari and State Highway Administrator Neil Pedersen for their efforts to make this project ready and for all their hard work to support transportation in America. In the coming days and weeks, men and women around the United States will go to work in good-paying jobs rebuilding America. Thank you, Mr. President and Mr. Vice President, for your leadership in rededicating America's 09:58:39 investment in our future. And now, it is my great privilege to introduce the vice president of the United States, Joe Biden. (APPLAUSE) BIDEN: Do not stand for me. 09:59:06 Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Mr. Secretary, thank you very much. BIDEN: And we're counting on you. We're counting on all of you in a way I don't think we've ever looked to the department before. We're counting on you. It's that simple, it's that straightforward. And I want to thank all of you in the Department of Transportation for your dedication and for the long hours that you help -- you put in to make this announcement possible. But the long hours you're going to be putting in. Mr. President, when you signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law, you 09:59:39 made it absolutely clear that the American people could not wait; could not wait for us to get started, and that they had a duty -- we had -- you have -- the Department of Transportation, all of the federal government -- a duty and a responsibility to put to work the resources in the economic recovery package at a record speed and with record transparency. Now, Mr. President, just two weeks after signing that legislation, we're about to start the biggest investment on our nation's roads, bridges, highways and tunnels since we built the Interstate Highway System over 50 years ago. It's a big deal. The work is beginning now with hundreds more projects getting under way in the next few months. Some projects will start this month; some won't get going until the summer. We're going to do everything we can to get them moving as quickly as possible. But America didn't get in this mess overnight. And unfortunately -- unfortunately -- it's going to 10:00:41 take some time for us to get out of this. Mr. President, you also made it clear that we have an obligation to the taxpayers of this nation to make sure their money is being used wisely: to make it accountable and transparent. Folks, we're going to ask of you a sense of diligence and transparency and responsibility as has not been asked before, because we've never made this kind of investment before. This is a big deal. Never before in the history of this country have the people been more able to see with such complete transparency how we're going to put their money to work, not just in this agency, but particularly here. Our Web site, recovery.gov, is an unprecedented resource for the people to see how their 10:01:27 money's being spent. And more than ever -- more than ever -- people can be our eyes and our ears. They can let us know what's happening -- and maybe, just as importantly, what isn't happening in their communities. BIDEN: I've always believed that the toughest moments present the biggest opportunities. And, clearly, the president of the United States feels that way, as well. With this recovery package, we'll be creating jobs, saving jobs, and putting money in people's pockets. That's what this is about -- getting America moving again. And with the resources being allocated today, we won't only rebuild the roads and highways and bridges, we're going to rebuild this nation. This is the first step in rebuilding America. And the man who is the chief architect of that rebuilding project, I'd like to introduce to you now. Ladies and gentlemen, your president and mine, the president of the United States of America, Barack Obama. OBAMA: Thank you. Thank you. 10:02:24 Thank you, DOT. (APPLAUSE) Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. (APPLAUSE) Please have a seat. Thank you. Vice President Biden, Secretary LaHood, our co-chairs of the Tiger Team, Lana Hurdle and Joe (sic) Szabat, thank you all for the extraordinary work that you guys are doing each and every day. I want to begin with some plain talk. The economy's performance in the last quarter of 2008 was the worst in over 25 years. And, frankly, the first quarter of this year holds out little promise for better returns. From Wall Street to Main Street, to kitchen tables all across America, our economic challenge is clear. And now it is up to us to meet it. 10:03:32 One of the challenges is to jump-start lending so businesses and families can finance the purchases of everything from inventory and payroll, to a home, a car, or a college education. We have to jump- start the credit markets, and get private lending going again. OBAMA: No matter how good of a job we do here, that's going to be critical. And that's why the Treasury and the Federal Reserve are launching today the Consumer and Business Lending Initiative, which, when fully implemented, will generate up to a trillion dollars of new lending for the American people. And this will help unlock our frozen credit markets, which is absolutely essential for economic recovery. But we also know that there cannot be a sustained recovery unless and until we put Americans back to work and put money in their pockets. Two weeks ago, I signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the most 10:04:30 sweeping economic recovery plan in history, and already its impact is being felt across this nation. Hardworking families can now worry a little less about next month's bills because of the tax cut they'll soon find in the mail. Renewable energy companies that were once downsizing are now finding ways to expand. And transportation projects that were once on hold are now starting up again, as part of the largest new investment in America's infrastructure since President Eisenhower built the Interstate Highway System. Of the 3.5 million jobs that will be created and saved over the next two years as a result of this recovery plan, 400,000 will be jobs rebuilding our crumbling roads, bridges and schools, repairing our faulty levees and dams, connecting nearly every American to broadband, and upgrading the 10:05:23 buses and trains that commuters take every day. OBAMA: Many of these projects will be coordinated by Secretary LaHood and all of you at the Department of Transportation. And I want you to know that the American public is grateful to public servants like you, men and women whose work isn't always recognized but whose jobs are critical to our nation's safety, security and prosperity. You have never been more important than you are right now, and for that we are all grateful. (APPLAUSE) 10:06:04 Now, in the coming days and weeks, my administration will be announcing more details about the kinds of transportation projects that will be launched as part of the recovery plan. But today I want to speak about an investment we are making in one part of our infrastructure. Through the Recovery Act, we will be investing $28 billion in our highways, money that every one of our 50 states can start using immediately to put people back to work. It's an investment being made at an unprecedented pace, thanks in large part to Joe Biden, who's leading the effort to get the money out the door quickly. Because of Joe, and because of all the governors and mayors, county and city officials who are helping implement this plan, I can say that 14 days after I signed our Recovery Act into law, we are seeing shovels hit the ground. As Secretary LaHood noted, the first contract will be awarded to American Infrastructure, a family business in Pennsylvania, that will be resurfacing a road in Maryland. More then 100 other people will begin receiving funds today as well. Over the next few weeks, we will launch more then 200 construction projects across this country, fueling growth in an industry that's been hard hit by our economic crisis. All together, this investment in highways will create or save 150,000 jobs by the end of next year, most of them in the private sector. (APPLAUSE) And just to give you a sense of perspective, that's more jobs being created or saved in one year than G.M., Ford and Chrysler have lost in manufacturing over the past three years combined. And the jobs that we're creating are good jobs, that pay more than average, jobs grinding asphalt 10:08:04 and paving roads, filling potholes, making street signs, repairing stoplights, replacing guardrails. OBAMA: But what makes this investment so important is not simply that we will jump-start job creation or reduce the congestion that costs us nearly $80 billion a year, or rebuild the aging roads that cost drivers billions more a year in upkeep. What makes is so important is that by investing in roads that have earned a grade of D-minus by America's leading civil engineers, roads that should have been rebuilt long ago, we can save some 14,000 men and women who lose their lives each year due to bad roads and driving conditions. Like a broken levee or a bridge with a shaky foundation, poor roads are a public hazard, and we have a responsibility to fix them. Now, we have another responsibility. Having inherited a trillion-dollar deficit that we're working to cut in half, we also need to ensure that tax dollars aren't wasted on projects that don't deliver results. And that's why, as part of his duty, Joe will keep an eye on how precious tax dollars are being spent. 10:09:16 To you, he's Mr. Vice President, but around the White House we call him "The Sheriff"... (LAUGHTER) ... because if you're misusing taxpayer money, you'll have to answer to him. And to help him, I've appointed a proven and aggressive inspector general to root out waste and fraud. And I'm also deputizing every single American to visit a new Web site called recovery.gov so you can see where your tax dollars are going and hold us accountable for results. We're also making it easier for Americans to see what projects are being funded with their money as part of our recovery. So in the weeks to come, the signs denoting these projects are going to bear the new emblem of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. OBAMA: That's it right there. Transportation projects will be stamped with another emblem as well. These emblems are symbols of our commitment to you, the American people. A commitment to investing your tax dollars wisely to put Americans to work, doing the work that needs to be done. When you see them on projects that your tax dollars made possible, let it be a reminder that our 10:10:15 government -- your government -- is doing its part to put the economy back on the road of recovery. And so in the days and years ahead, as you're driving on new roads or roads that are newly paved, I hope it will give you some measure of satisfaction to know that it was all done by putting your fellow citizens to work. I hope it will give you a sense of pride to know that even as we pursued our economic recovery, we renewed our American landscape. Throughout our history, there have been times when a generation of Americans seized the chance to remake the face of this nation. It's what we did in the midst of civil war by connecting our coast with a transcontinental railroad. It's what we did in the midst of depression by putting up a golden bridge in San Francisco and a electrifying rural America and completing a great dam in the southwest. It's what we're doing once more by building a 21st century infrastructure that will make America's economy stronger and America's people safer. That's the reason we're here today. That's the purpose of our recovery plan. That's the cause of my presidency. And I need it to be your cause as well. 10:11:29 Each and every one of you have a role to play. (APPLAUSE) There are -- there are those out there who say this can't be done, it can't be done efficiently, it can't be done effectively. We've gone through a lot of years where we were told what government cannot do. Government can't do anything by itself. We've got to have the private sector involved. But there are critical things that government can do. Right here at the Department of Transportation, each and every one of you have a critical role to play... (APPLAUSE) ... and if you do your work, if you do your job as well as you can do, if you feel as inspired as I do about the work that lies ahead, I'm absolutely confident that we're going to look back on this time and say to ourselves, this was a moment where we really made a difference. What extraordinary opportunity that is. I hope all of you seize it. Thank you, everybody. God bless you. (APPLAUSE) END .ETX 10:12:30 hand shake with Biden and LaHood 10:12:40 MS of Obama walking out 10:12:51 Wide MS of Obama glad handing

1230 WH OHIO REMARKS FS23 73 1430 WH OHIO REMARKS FS23 77 CNN POOL HEADON PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SPEECH IN RICHFIELD, OHIO ON INFRASTRUCTURE. STIX. 14:05:31 IVANKA TRUMP STANDING WITH GROUP OF MEN INCLUDING REINCE PRIEBUS, ELAINE CHAO AND TIFFANY TRUMP. 14:07:26 DONALD TRUMP WALKS OUT ON STAGE. TRUMP: What a group. Remember, you can't win unless you win the state of Ohio, right? You can't. (APPLAUSE) I'm thrilled to be back in Ohio, and I'm proud to be here with the incredible carpenters, laborers, all of the members of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 18, I appreciate all of you. Your support has been amazing. Your support has been so great... (APPLAUSE) 14:08:27... right from the beginning. And each of you is living proof that American workers are truly the best in the world, right? The best. (APPLAUSE) Rick Dalton and Mike Totman, thank you very much for hosting this. Where are you guys? Where are they? Where are you? Thank you, fellas. Nice looking guys. Nice looking guys. (APPLAUSE) We're also pleased to be joined by two members of my Cabinet, Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao and Secretary of Labor Alex Acosta. (APPLAUSE) They've done a fantastic job. 14:09:11 We're especially happy to have some of our great Ohio leaders with us today: Lieutenant Governor Mary Taylor. Mary? (APPLAUSE) State Auditor Dave Yost. (APPLAUSE) Thank you. Congressmen Bob Gibbs, Bill Johnson and Jim Renacci. Good, great people. (APPLAUSE) Thank you. Good, great people. They're tough congressmen, I will tell you that, but they're -- they're for the workers, right? They're for the workers. They're for the country, I'll tell you that. They are for the country. 14:09:59 Joined by our friends here in Ohio, my administration is fighting every day to protect and defend and grow American jobs. And you see what's happening all over the country -- it's in Ohio, but it's all over the country -- pouring back, plants and factories, pouring back into our country. They can't come back fast enough. Even if you look, Apple could invest $350 billion. When I heard $350 billion, I said, "You must mean $350 million." That's still a big plant. But they're going to be investing $350 billion. So many others coming back with massive amounts of money. They all want to be back in the USA. A lot of them left. They're coming back. We've eliminated a record number of job-killing regulations. That's one of the reasons they're coming back. (APPLAUSE) 14:10:55 And we're not finished yet. In some cases, you have statutory limitations, where you have to go 30 days and wait, and then you have to go 90 days and wait, and then you have to go 15 days and wait, and then you go 90 days again, and then, you know what happens? We killed the regulation. And it's a thing of beauty. And we have filled out every form, every legal application, and we still actually have a long way to go on regulation. TRUMP: And we're going to have regulations. You need regulations for safety and for the environment, but not where you couldn't do anything, you couldn't move. So I think that's been a big, big success and a reason for our success. And we've made history by massively reducing job-killing taxes. (APPLAUSE) And we didn't have one Democrat who voted for that. They want to raise your taxes. And they want people to come in from the border. And they want, I guess want -- I can't imagine they want -- but certainly drugs are flowing across borders. We need walls. We started building our wall, I'm so proud of it. We started -- we started... (APPLAUSE) We have $1.6 billion. 14:12:17 And we've already started -- you saw the pictures yesterday, I said what a thing of beauty. And on September 28th, we go further and we're getting that sucker built. And you think that's easy? People said has, "Oh, has he given up on the" -- no, I never give up. We have $1.6 billion toward the wall. And we've done the planning, and you saw those beautiful pictures. And the wall looks good. It's properly designed. That's what I do, is I build. 14:12:45 I was always very good at building. It was always my best thing. I think better than being president, I was maybe good at building, like you people. You're good at building. (APPLAUSE) I think maybe we'll be better at president, David (ph), that would be -- that would be good. But we are building a -- a really state-of-the-art, very, very efficient -- have to be able to see through; makes a lot of sense. You have to be able to see who's on the other side. No -- nobody would even think of it. We've done prototypes all over and we have something special happening. We've reversed the dangerous defense cuts, and we're giving our warfighters the tools, funding and equipment they need to fight and to win. (APPLAUSE) We have -- we have really -- we're building up our military to the highest level it's ever been, and it was not in good shape. But it's now going to be very soon the highest level it's ever been. And by the way, that means jobs, too. That's -- defense, always number one. Defense is number one. (APPLAUSE) Even you job folks would say defense is number one. 14:14:04 But it's a lot of jobs, millions of jobs. We've unleashed American energy independence. Energy exports are at a record high, and foreign imports are at their lowest level in much more than a decade. 14:14:22 We've stood up for the American workers by finally cracking down on unfair trade that steals our jobs and plunders our wealth. They've stolen our wealth. They've stolen our jobs. They've stolen our plants and factories. No more. We're not letting other countries take advantage of us. Even our friends took advantage -- our friends are friends, they're wonderful people. But we said, "You can't do that anymore. Those days are over." 14:14:50 Frankly, our friends did more damage to us than our enemies. Because we didn't deal with our enemies, we dealt with our friends, and we dealt incompetently. Because we're now finally putting America first. America first. (APPLAUSE) TRUMP: Right? Just this week, we secured a wonderful deal with South Korea. We were in a deal that was a horror show. It was going to produce 200,000 jobs. And it did -- for them. (LAUGHTER) That was a Hillary Clinton special, I hate to say. "This will produce 200,000 jobs." She was right. But it was for them, it wasn't for us. So we've redone it, and that's going to level the playing field on steel and cars and trucks coming into this country. (APPLAUSE) 14:15:53 And I may hold it up 'til after a deal is made with North Korea. Does everybody understand that? You know why, right? You know why? Because it's a very strong card. And I want to make sure everyone is treated fairly. And we're moving along very nicely with North Korea. We'll see what happens. Certainly, the rhetoric has calmed down just a little bit, wouldn't you say? (APPLAUSE) Wouldn't you say? (APPLAUSE) And we'll see how it all turns out. Maybe it'll be good and maybe it won't. And if it's no good, we're walking. And if it's good, we will embrace it. But it's going to be very interesting over the next period of time. And South Korea has been wonderful. But we'll probably hold that deal up for a little while, see how it all plays out. We're keeping our promises and the results are in: 14:16:52 3 million new jobs since Election Day. (APPLAUSE) Three million. (APPLAUSE) And if I would have said that to you during the campaign, where we had tremendous support in this great state -- the state of Ohio -- if I would have said, "Three million jobs," they would have said -- the fake news -- "He's exaggerating." (LAUGHTER) Oh, they're fake. Unemployment claims are at their lowest level in 45 years. Lowest level. Forty-five years. (APPLAUSE) African-American unemployment has reached the lowest levels ever recorded. Remember? (APPLAUSE) Remember? I said, "What do you have to lose? What do you have to lose?" And I'm so happy about that. Hispanic-American unemployment rate has also reached the lowest levels ever recorded. (APPLAUSE) And wages are rising at the fastest level in more than a decade. You're -- finally. Nineteen years, 21 years. People were making -- last year, were making less money than they made 20 years ago. Now wages are rising because more jobs are happening. And very important, just like we're going to have choice at the V.A., we're going to have choice for these great people, you could also have choice with jobs. You're going to have choice with jobs. (APPLAUSE) Our veterans are going to have choice. And you're going to have choice with jobs. (APPLAUSE) 14:18:51 And now, with our friends in Ohio, we're launching the next phase of America's economic comeback. We're going to rebuild America's crumbling infrastructure. Now, we're going to probably... (APPLAUSE) 14:19:11 TRUMP: We have a very important election coming up, and they don't like the wins we've been getting. They don't like that the economy -- the Democrats -- they don't like that the economy is so strong. They don't like that they don't have one vote on the tax cuts. Not one vote. And they're all now saying, "You know, those tax cuts are tough." What they're saying to each other is not pretty, if you're a Democrat. And we should do well. History says that when you win the presidency, that party doesn't do so well in the midterms because people get complacent. They get complacent. We cannot be complacent. We've got the greatest economy maybe ever, maybe in history. We have the greatest economy we've ever had. You know the expression, from -- I guess, it was Bill Clinton -- it's the economy, stupid. Well, it is the economy. If we have produced in a short period of time -- because, believe me, if our party -- if we, all together -- it's "we" -- if we didn't win, this economy would be a wreck. They would have added more regulations. You wouldn't have 3 million jobs, you'd probably go negative. 14:20:21 Your 3.2 GDPs and 3, and 2.9 would have down -- would have been below -- in my opinion, would have been below 1. This country was headed in the wrong direction. We can't lose that by getting hurt in the midterms. So we can't be complacent. There's never been an economy like this. Everyone says it's the most important thing. And I don't know that it is or that it isn't, but politically they always say it's the most important thing. We cannot let anything happen to stop what we're doing and where we're going. And all of the workers and all of the jobs, we want to keep them. And we want to protect our Second Amendment. You saw the other day, where a very important... (APPLAUSE) 14:21:15 ... Where a very important and respected, in some circles, Democrat said we want to get rid -- we should get rid of our Second Amendment. In other words, get rid of it. That's really -- it's... AUDIENCE: Tyranny! TRUMP: It's tyranny (ph) -- could be right about that. So, we're going to protect our Second Amendment. That's not going to happen. We have the best judges. We put on a tremendous amount of great federal district court judges. We'll be setting records -- we are setting records, appeals court judges. A supreme court judge -- fantastic -- Justice Gorsuch. (LAUGHTER) But your Second Amendment will always be your Second Amendment. We're not doing anything to that. (APPLAUSE) Not doing anything. We will breathe new life into your very run-down highways, railways and waterways. We'll transform our roads and bridges from a source of endless frustration into a source of absolutely incredible pride. And we're going to do it all under budget and ahead of schedule. You ever hear those words in the public world? (APPLAUSE) Under budget and ahead of schedule. And, you know, one of the things -- and I just want to go on a little detour for a second. One of the things that wasn't mentioned by the folks in the back that we got recently in the bill was school safety. And we've got -- we -- the STOP School Violence Act was passed. That's the Sandy Hook people, the great people of Sandy Hook. They wanted it so badly. That was done. We fixed, very strongly, the background checks. TRUMP: We got rid of the bump stocks. The bump stocks, now, are under very strict control, which -- I think everybody agrees it's fine. And we really did a job -- nobody reported it -- doesn't get reported. If somebody else does it, it's like a big story. But it didn't. And, you know, fixing the background checks was so important, and it's a very, very strong fix of background checks. So I wanted to add that, while we talk about infrastructure, while we talk about school safety -- so important. But, while we talk about all these other things, that was part of what we got approved. And another part, so important for Ohio, because I know you have a -- a bigger problem than most, is opioids and drugs. We got $6 billion that nobody talked about, $6 billion -- $6 billion to fight the opioid problem and the drug problem, so it's another thing. (APPLAUSE) 14:24:14 And we got the down payment -- $1.6 billion on the wall, and we got a lot of other things. Frankly, if we had more Republican votes, we wouldn't have had to give away what we gave away, which many of the people in this room, including me, don't like, because it was a waste in many cases. But the Democrats want things. They don't want to focus on crime and borders, people pouring into our country, many of whom are not the people we want to come in. We want a merit-based immigration system. We want people to come in on merit, not based on a lottery, you pick a ticket. (APPLAUSE) 14:24:57 So there's no better place to begin the campaign of infrastructure than right here in Ohio, at the state-of-the-art training site -- they've done a fantastic job right in this building -- where the awesome skills of the American worker... (APPLAUSE) ... are forged and refined. It's true. I've been in construction and building all my life. I love it. I love the smell of a construction site, right? There's just something about it. 14:25:29 And, you know, we didn't always get -- although, in this case, we did nicely -- but we didn't always get the union leadership of the big unions. But we got the workers. We got the workers. And some of those leaders had big problems because the workers were with Trump. Because they know I hired the Teamsters, thousands of Teamsters. And I hired all of the carpenters and electricians and all of the people that built a lot of buildings in Manhattan and all over the place. And they got it. The workers got it. And now I think the leadership is actually getting it. I really believe that. I think the leadership is getting it. (APPLAUSE) Because you're going to have a great friend, and now I've proven. You know, before, I used to say, "You're going to have a friend," 14:26:09 but now I've proven you've got a friend in the White House. That's why we're building all of these projects. (APPLAUSE) So many of these projects, which were just dead, dead projects, like the Keystone Pipeline -- it was dead. It wasn't going anywhere. Hillary wasn't going to approve it. Nobody was -- it was a dead project. I got in almost, like -- right at the beginning, I approved that Keystone XL Pipeline. And I approved the Dakota Access Pipeline -- both of them: 48,000 jobs, environmentally great -- this is like -- it was nothing. It was quick. It was easy. And it was done, and it was done properly. And they'll be flowing in, and that's better than trucking over the roads. That's better than any other way. And it wasn't going to get approved. There was so many jobs like that. You know those two because they were getting a lot of attention. You know the amazing thing? I approved them. I thought -- would have, like, some commotion, right? 14:27:14 TRUMP: Some commotion, like some protest -- nobody. I approved it. The pickets -- they picked up their stuff, and they left, and it was the end of it. They left a mess, I have to tell you. You know about the mess. (APPLAUSE) Became an environmental wasteland, what they left. You know about that. But I approved it, and they left. We did that on a lot of things, whether it's Jerusalem, where we approved Jerusalem -- that was a big thing. (APPLAUSE) Every politician was in support, and then they became president, and guess what? All of a sudden, it was, "Jerusalem? I don't know anything about Jerusalem." They didn't want to know about it. Well, I fulfilled my campaign promises. And I have to tell you, I believe -- and a couple of people have said it, and it's very early yet. You know, we're only into about 15 months, but I think I've approved much more than I've promised, and no politician -- I -- really, I have gotten done much more than I promised. I promised certain things. We've done a lot of things that I didn't even promise, because I figured it couldn't happen. 14:28:25 And now, with so many of our great secretaries and leaders, we're doing incredible things on health care, because Obamacare is a disaster. We got rid of the -- as you know, the individual mandate, which forced you to spend money for the privilege of not having to pay for health insurance, OK? You figure that one out. It's gone, folks. It's gone. (APPLAUSE) 14:28:56 Gone. And Alex Acosta, secretary of labor, is doing an incredible -- credible plan for co-ops and for various different elements where you go in and you get together as a group and you're going to get incredible health care, highly bid -- highly bid. You're going to get so many different bids from -- and you're going to have great health care at a very, very low price. It's going to be a lot of people signing up, and that's going to be out over the next couple of months, Alex, right? You've been working on it, and it's going to come out. Nobody even thought of it. Co-ops and all sorts of people -- they're going to get together and they're going to buy their health care together and it's going to be so inexpensive. It's a thing of beauty. That's going to be a big percentage of Obamacare -- a big percentage. (APPLAUSE) And we have other things. We have other things. 14:29:49 Nearly 40 percent of our bridges were built before -- think of this -- before the first moon landing. You know, you go to some countries, they're building bridges all over the place. All over, you have bridges going up. One particular country -- I won't use it, because they're very friendly to me. They weren't friendly to us as a nation, but now they're friendly to me -- they're building 29 bridges. We don't build bridges, like, very much anymore. A little bit, every once in a while. But our roads are clogged. We have -- average drivers spend 42 hours every year stuck in traffic, costing us at least $160 billion annually. Our mass transit systems are a mess. They're dilapidated and they're decayed. Nationwide, we average 300 power outages per year, compared to just five per year in the 1980s -- a total mess. 14:30:47 And a lot of it is because some of these power companies -- they have the money. They have the wherewithal. They couldn't get their approvals. They couldn't get their permits. For years, and years, and years, they're trying to get permits. Now, they get them really fast. Now, they're getting them so fast. One man told me, "What the hell happened? We've been fighting for years. All of a sudden, I got a call. We just were approved. We didn't even try." TRUMP: And some consultants are going to be making a lot of money. They're going to say, "Sir, we need $2 million for the great job we did on getting you approved." They didn't do a damn thing... (LAUGHTER) ... except Trump got elected. That's about all. (APPLAUSE) That's about all. 14:31:33 How about I tell this, because, you know, being a builder, we can all talk as friends. We're all builders in this room. Look at these people back there. You better believe they're builders. (APPLAUSE) They're builders -- no game. When I tell the story about Keystone, where, years and years -- you've (ph) watched it -- years and years, they spent hundreds of millions of dollars. They were even ordering their pipe. Everything's going great, they're going to build. It's years, but they're happy. They don't get approved. They spend billions on pipe. They ordered the pipe and they're not getting approved. So, anyway -- so that was dead for a couple of years, and no chance. I get elected, I approve it almost, like, in the first day, right at the very beginning. And I just say to myself, 14:32:24 can you imagine the boss of whatever the hell company it is, who never actually called me to say thank you, but that's OK... (LAUGHTER) ... we'll remember. So, this guy sitting behind -- this beautiful chair in a certain place -- I know exactly where -- nice place, big company -- and the consultants march into his office to tell him what a great job they did. They were dead. They had no chance, they failed. I got it approved. And I did it because it's 48,000 jobs between the two of them. And I did it because it's also better. It's better. (APPLAUSE) 14:33:03 "Sir, I believe we're entitled to a $10 million fee for that." Those people -- and they're probably Democrats. Can you believe it? (LAUGHTER) Probably not for long, however. In recent years, Americans have watched as Washington spent trillions and trillions of dollars building up foreign countries while allowing our country's infrastructure to fall into a state of total disrepair. 14:33:33 Look at Korea. We have a border in Korea. We have a wall of soldiers. We don't get paid very much for this, do we? We have -- you look at that -- nobody comes through. But our own border -- we don't take care of it. Think of it. 14:34:06 We spend billions of dollars in other countries, maintaining their borders, and we can't maintain our borders in our own country. Is there something a little bit wrong with that? Think of it. We spend billions and billions of dollars. Look, North and South Korea, 32,000 soldiers, the finest equipment, barbed wire all over the place. We protect that whole thing. Nobody comes through. But our country -- we don't do it. Things are changing, folks. But now is the time to rebuild our country, to take care of our people and to fight for our great American workers for a change. (APPLAUSE) We spent -- and I was against it from the beginning. They try and say "Well, maybe not." I was against it from the beginning -- 14:34:46 AND, BY THE WAY, WE'RE KNOCKING THE HELL OUT OF ISIS. WE'LL BE COMING OUT OF SYRIA, LIKE, VERY SOON. LET THE OTHER PEOPLE TAKE OF IT NOW. (APPLAUSE) 14:35:02 VERY SOON -- VERY SOON WE'RE COMING OUT. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE 100 PERCENT OF THE CALIPHATE, AS THEY CALL IT -- SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS "LAND" -- TAKING IT ALL BACK QUICKLY, QUICKLY. TRUMP: BUT WE'RE GOING TO BE COMING OUT OF THERE REAL SOON. GOING TO GET BACK TO OUR COUNTRY, WHERE WE BELONG, WHERE WE WANT TO BE. But just think of it, we spent, as of three months ago, $7 trillion -- not billion, not million -- $7 trillion with a "t" -- nobody ever heard of the word "trillion" until 10 years ago -- we spent $7 trillion in the Middle East. We'd build a school, they'd blow it up. We'd build it again, they'd blow it up. We'd build it again -- hasn't been blown up yet, but it will be. 14:36:04 But, if we want a school in Ohio to fix the windows, you can't get the money. If you want a school in Pennsylvania or Iowa to get federal money, you can't get the money. We spent $7 trillion in the Middle East. And you know what we have for it? Nothing. Remember I used to say, "Keep the oil," as a civilian. I used to say -- did anybody hear me say that? That's before I decided to go on this journey with all of you. I got tired of watching. I used to say, "Keep the oil." We never kept the oil. If we kept the oil, we would have been OK. If we kept the oil, we wouldn't have ISIS. 14:36:35 Because you know who kept a lot of the oil? ISIS. That's how they funded themselves. They kept the oil. We didn't keep the oil. Stupid, stupid. 14:36:49 But we spent $7 trillion, but we barely have money for the infrastructure. We have to fight for our military. But we're becoming so strong again. And you watch -- not going to take very long. I've asked Republicans and Democrats in Congress to come together and deliver the biggest and boldest infrastructure plan in the last half century. I don't think you're going to get Democrat support very much. And you'll probably have to wait until after the election, which isn't so long down the road. But we're going to get this infrastructure going. The plan generates an unprecedented $1.5 trillion investment in American infrastructure. We probably have to wait until after the election. (APPLAUSE) Because the Democrats say, "Don't give him any more wins. Don't give him any more wins." Regulations, cut taxes, Supreme Court, judges all over the place. 14:37:50 You know, when I got in, we had over 100 federal judges that weren't appointed. I don't know why Obama left that. It was like a big, beautiful present to all of us. Why the hell did he leave that? (APPLAUSE) Maybe he got complacent. But now we have about 145 federal district judges. We have 17 court of appeals judges. And, as I said, we have the one Supreme Court judge. But think of 145 district judges. That's world-changing, country-changing, USA-changing. And we're going all out. We have unbelievably talented, smart, great people being put in those slots. But we were left a present. I never said this before. It was like the gift from heaven. We were left judges. They're the ones that judge on (ph) your disputes. They judge on what's fair on the environment and what's not fair, where they're going to take your farms and factories away and where they're not. Amazing. It was the gift. Thank you very much, President Obama. We all appreciate it. Thank you. (APPLAUSE) What happened? How did he do that? How did he do that? 14:39:11 TRUMP: We're going to be repairing roads, delivering clean water. And we're going to have crystal-clean water. We're going to have clean, beautiful air. But we're not going to pay a trillion dollars to be in the Paris Accord, where it puts us way back -- way back where we are put at such a tremendous disadvantage. That was a disaster for this country. We couldn't use the kind of assets that we have. We would have had to close up factories and companies in order to qualify. We would've had to pay large amounts of money to other countries because they were developing. As far as I'm concerned, we're developing. Pay us some money, right? Pay us. We're developing. (APPLAUSE) 14:40:06 Maybe we'll call it we're re-developing, cause we're re-developing. But it was unfair. We're going to be investing in our workers and improving our health care facilities for our incredible veterans. We're making some changes that are good. And we've made a lot of progress with the veterans, but I want to get them choice. And they didn't give us choice. The Democrats didn't want the vets to have choice. When the vets are on line, because there's a 25-day wait, there's a six-month wait -- guys are on line, and women -- they're vets. They're great. They're our greatest people. And they'll be -- they got a problem. And it could be fixed. By the time they see the doctor, it's over. It's over. Not going to happen. 14:40:55 We're going to have real choice. That's why I made some changes, because I wasn't happy with the speed with which our veterans were taken care of. I wasn't happy with it. And we made a lot of progress. The Accountability Act -- for years, they've been trying to get it, for decades, they've been trying to get V.A. accountability. When somebody does a bad job in the Veterans Administration, they couldn't do anything about it. They were protected. You could do anything. They had sadists that treated our vets horribly, horribly -- worse than a movie. They had people that wouldn't work, you couldn't do anything. 14:41:37 I had passed the V.A. Accountability -- they're accountable -- the Accountability Act. And now, when they're bad to our vets or when they're not working for our vets, we say, "Hey, Jim (ph), you're fired. Get out of here, Jim (ph), get out. Get out." That was a big deal. (APPLAUSE) That was a big deal. No accountability -- we got that passed. Nobody talks about it. They don't talk about it. They don't want to talk about it. But I'm doing that for the vets. And we made changes because we want them taken care of. We want them to have choice so that they can run to a private doctor and take care of it. And it's going to get done. Thank you, honey. It's going to get done. 14:42:27 We'll always protect the people that have protected us. We have to. And that goes for law enforcement. We're going to protect our law enforcement, our military, our vets. (APPLAUSE) Right? The plan I've outlined in Congress is built on four key principles. 14:42:49 It can be passed in one bill or in a series of measures. What matters is that we get the job done. First, we'll invest in the American worker. My Council of Economic Advisors estimates that our plan will create up to 400,000 new infrastructure jobs almost immediately. (APPLAUSE) 14:43:15 TRUMP: For workers without a college degree, these job offer wages that are 32 percent higher than other occupations. These are great people, great workers, and they're great-paying jobs. I also want more Americans to learn from the best, just like you have really learned -- the people in this room, so many of them -- you've learned from the best. Local 18's groundbreaking apprenticeship program... (APPLAUSE) ... true, true -- has become one of the largest anywhere in America. And we want to replicate your success all across the country. And we're studying exactly what you've done here. 14:44:04 That's why I'm asking Congress to improve federal student aid to include high-quality short-term training programs that equip Americans to succeed in construction and the skilled trades... (APPLAUSE) 14:44:27... a word that you don't hear much, but, when I was growing up, we had what was called vocational schools. They weren't called community colleges, because I don't know what that means, a community college. To me, it means a two-year college. I don't know what it means. But I know what vocational -- and I tell people, "Call it vocational from now on." It's a great word. It's a great word. Call it vocational and technical, perhaps, but use "vocational," because that's what it's all about. People know what that means. We don't know what a community college means. We want every American to know the dignity of work, the pride of a paycheck and the satisfaction of a job well done. (APPLAUSE) And, speaking of a job well done, we have two of my daughters here today. (APPLAUSE) 14:45:23 Ivanka, who is working hard on infrastructure -- Ivanka -- and Tiffany. America's greatest treasure is our people, and I saw that during the campaign. They came from everywhere. Remember, they said, "There's no way that Donald Trump can get the people." They had people that they didn't know existed. Now, the Democrats are trying to figure out who the hell you are. (LAUGHTER) You know who you are? You're hard-working people. You work your asses off, and you got sick and tired of the people that you were supposed to be voting for, and you stopped. But you came out for us, and you know what? Now, you're very happy, because this was a movement like they've never seen before. (APPLAUSE) They've never seen any movement like this. And I appreciate it. And you're going to appreciate it. You already do. Thank you. 14:46:26 We will completely transform the horrible and costly and broken permitting process. The current permitting system is a disaster -- takes forever. It adds tremendous cost and years and years of endless delay to infrastructure projects all across the country. As just one example of how broken the system is, Secretary Chao recently gave a final approval to an environmental review in Alaska that started all the way back in 1975. It's been going on for more than 40 years, and we just got it, right -- just got it. Elaine just got it. (APPLAUSE) TRUMP: In fact, the people of Alaska -- they couldn't believe it. They said, "we don't believe it." I said, "You got it." We'll get rid of the bureaucracy that wastes time and kills jobs. We had a highway in a certain wonderful state that was going to be a quick, easy road to build. That was 17 years ago. It was going to cost a very small amount of money -- couple of million dollars. It ends up costing close to $300 million. Got their approvals recently -- the road is no longer a straight shot. It's now -- not good if you're not feeling so good behind the wheel. Got to make another turn. They had to take care of all the nesting. It's cost a lot of money and took many years. It's out of control and we're going to stop that nonsense. We're going to stop it. (APPLAUSE) Under our plan, every project will have one point of contact that will deliver one decision, yes or no, for the entire federal government -- yes or no. You have to go through different agencies. You go through labor, you go through transportation, you go through another one, another one -- EPA, where we've really streamlined the system, where we have really made it possible for people to get things done. So many projects are under construction right now that would never, ever in a million years, have gotten built. And guess what? We also turn down projects if they're wrong. We know if they're wrong. They know if they're wrong. We turn down projects. But, if you get turned down, you get turned down quickly. You don't go along for 15 or 18 or 22 years. I mean, some people have spent an entire lifetime trying to get a project approved, and they don't get it approved, and their working career is, like, mostly over. That can't be a good feeling, right? How about that? Can't be a good feeling. 14:49:22 But, if you get turned down, we're going to say it. America built the Empire State Building in one year. Think of it -- one year. It was actually like nine months. Can you believe that? The tallest building in the world at the time -- now, it can take 10 years just to get permits to build a roadway, a tunnel, even, in some cases, a building. And that's an insult to America's great building heritage. And we will not accept it. And we're changing it rapidly. It's already been changed. We're going to do even better. I hope to get it down to a one-year period. We have a lot of them down to two years now. But it's from -- two years, from 20 and 18 and 15 and 12. But we're going to try getting it down even quicker. We're going to protect the environment and cut the permit approval time and we're going to get things done. We're going to get them built, or we're going to tell you, "No good for the environment. Sorry, don't bother." But, for the most part, it's going to happen. We're going to provide a $50 billion commitment to build infrastructure in rural communities, which are too often left behind. They've been forgotten. They've been forgotten. 14:50:37 We're going to spend a lot of money in the rural communities that have not been taken care of. And these are incredible people. These are hard-working people, and they haven't been taken care of by the Democrats. These funds will help ensure that every community is connected and has access to modern infrastructure, including broadband internet, which has been left out. (APPLAUSE) TRUMP: Very unfair. Fourth and finally, we'll expand the reach of federal dollars through smart state and local partnerships. We're going to have some really smart partnerships. Our plan calls for a new incentive program that provides billions of dollars in federal funding to projects in which states and local governments and the private sector are willing to invest their own resources, as well as the federal government. So there'll be an incentive to get things done and get things done properly and in the right location, and the right bridge or road or tunnel or whatever you are going to build. By combining federal tax dollars with the resources of state and local governments, and partnering with the private sector, this incentive program will kick-start funding needed to build new projects and repair existing ones. The first elements of this plan have already been put in place. We have made so much progress. It's not progress that you read about or hear about. Of course if it were, they wouldn't print it anyway. But that's OK. (LAUGHTER) They don't do that. I've signed an executive order to speed up permitting and to expand the rural broadband. We're cutting through mountains of red tape. We've secured more funding for highways, airports, railroads and our nation's water infrastructure. In addition to the $1.6 billion for the wall, we've got $21 billion approved for infrastructure in the current bill, that a lot of people don't hear about. We've obtained from Congress an additional $2 billion to improve veterans' medical facilities. That's everything they wanted. (APPLAUSE) $2 billion for the veterans. (APPLAUSE) 14:53:10 Congress now has the opportunity to build on this momentum, and to act on a common-sense plan that will make our economy stronger, our roads faster and our families safer. We want a safe country. We want safety. (APPLAUSE) 14:53:32 It's a plan for building a stronger America. For most of our history, American infrastructure was the envy of the world. True. Go back 30, 40, 50 years, they would look at us like -- now, we are like, in many cases, a Third World country. It's an embarrassment. And we're the ones that had the imagination and the drive to get it done. But we've got that again. Other nations marveled as we connected our shores with transcontinental railroads, and brought power to our cities that lit up the sky like no other place on Earth, and built mile after mile of internet capabilities and interstate highways, to carry American products all across the country and around the globe. Nobody did it like us. We dug out the Panama Canal. Think of that. Thousands of lives were lost to the mosquito, to the mosquito. Malaria. We dug out the Panama Canal. We transformed our skylines with towering works of concrete and steel, and laid the foundation for the modern economy. 14:54:53 To rebuild this nation, we must reclaim that proud heritage. Have to reclaim it. And we're on our way. (APPLAUSE) TRUMP: We must recapture the excitement of creation, the spirit of innovation and the spark of invention. We're starting. You saw the rocket the other day, you see what's going on with cars, you see what's going on with so much. NASA, space agency, all of a sudden it's back, you notice? It was dormant for many, many years. Now it's back. And we're trying to have the private sector invest the money; why the hell should we do it, right? Let them invest. If they want to send rocket ships up, they're rich, let them do it. When I looked at the rocket that went up three weeks ago, where the tanks came back -- nobody's ever seen. It looks like -- like "Star Wars." But I looked at it and I heard the cost, I think they said $85 million. If the government did that, you're talking about billions of dollars and maybe it wouldn't work so well. But I thought it was a fantastic thing. 14:56:08 But we're working with the private sector and NASA, and we're -- we're doing a great job. We've made so much progress in the last year. Don't forget, just been a little bit more than a year. But we've made so much progress. And other people are putting up a lot of money. They're using our facilities. I feel like a landlord again. (LAUGHTER) We're leasing them facilities. Not so bad, not a bad idea. And they're doing a great job. 14:56:35 America is a nation like you, of builders. It's a nation of pioneers, a nation that accepts no limits, no hardship and never, ever gives up. We don't give up. We don't give up. (APPLAUSE) We will tear down every obstacle, break down every barrier and stare down every challenge, because our hearts, they bleed red, white and blue, and we love our great American flag, don't we? (APPLAUSE) Right? Anything we can dream, you can build. 14:57:23 You will create the new highways, the new dams and skyscrapers that will become lasting monuments to American strength and continued greatness. You will forge new American steel into the spine of our country. You will cement the foundation of a glorious American future. And you will do it all with those beautiful American hands, powerful hands, powerful heart, and powerful American pride. (APPLAUSE) Right? Powerful American pride. 14:58:03 You are the ones who share our shaping and our destiny. You are the ones who are restoring our prosperity and our pride. You're restoring pride in this country again. Our country had very little pride. Look back, see what was happening. Our country had very little pride. 14:58:26 You look at what's going on in California, Orange County, they've had it. There's a revolution going on out there. Sanctuary cities, where they protect criminals, they protect murderers, they protect people that you don't want on the streets. Other places in California said we don't want that. First time they're speaking up. Even look at Roseanne. I called her yesterday. Look at her ratings, look at her ratings. (APPLAUSE) 14:58:58 I got a call from Mark Burnett, he did "The Apprentice." He's a great guy. But he said, "Donald, I called just to say hello and to tell you, did you see Roseanne's ratings?" I said, "Mark, how big were they?" "They were unbelievable. Over 18 million people." And it was about us. They haven't figured it out, the fake news hasn't quite figured it out yet. (APPLAUSE) TRUMP: They have not figured it out. So that was great. And they haven't figured it out, but they will. And when they do, they'll become much less fake. (LAUGHTER) May take a while. But it's happening. 14:59:42 But you're the ones who are truly making America great again. We're going to work together, we're going to work with the state of Ohio, we're going to work with everybody, and we're going to bring our country to a level of success and prominence and pride like it has never ever seen before. Thank you. And God bless America. Thank you. Thank you very much.