mr. speaker , when this nation has been hit with terrorist attacks or national disasters , america has always responded with a strong , decisive , generous spirit . 
four years ago on september 11 , 2001 , without warning , like missiles from hell , two planes filled with the most innocent of victims slammed into the world trade center 's twin towers , 3 , 000 dead seemingly in an instant . 
america 's response was quick , decisive and powerful . 
on that day , we as americans took a hit , but we stood united and we responded with confidence , blue states and red states , suburban and urban , black and white , rich and poor , together , united . 
everyone suffered equally and resolved collectively to rebuild , to sacrifice , to reaffirm boldly what the scum terrorists had tried to destroy . 
people reached deep within themselves and from the collective heart a supremely compassionate response for and from the ages , a source of national pride forever . 
confidence in public officials and institutions soared . 
today , mr. speaker , we are a nation that is stumbling . 
we have lost our confident and compassionate way . 
in the wake of hurricane katrina , the federal government 's response was slow and sluggish , sloppy and uneven . 
no one took responsibility and there was no leadership . 
none . 
our collective and national compassion was reduced to internal retreat and rapacious impulses . 
while so-called leaders spun blame , the poor , the sick and the stranded continued to suffer . 
we , as a nation , collectively fell down and hard , and against and away from the greater good that is in all of us . 
mr. speaker , government-sponsored no-bid contractors at politically motivated firms like halliburton are exploiting our nation 's generosity here in america and abroad . 
in the gulf coast region of this nation and in the middle east region of this world , contractors are pillaging the very people whose economic interests we have been sent here to protect . 
in the midst of war and in the aftermath of natural disaster , hundreds of millions in taxpayer-funded relief and recovery are being wasted , squandered , lost forever . 
mr. speaker , the motion i offer today will impose stiff fines and criminal penalties on contractors who knowingly falsify information in order to win approval of government contracts during presidentially declared emergencies . 
while in this chamber the proper role of government is often debated , the one undisputed and unifying principle is that above all else , our responsibility to each other and to the american people is to protect the nation from entities who seek to injure and destroy us and from natural disasters that devastate our community . 
mr. speaker , the motion i offer today at this defining moment in our nation 's history will either reaffirm the promise of our nation 's greatness or condemn us from this moment on for failing to live up to our obligations as a nation that deserves and demands only from us fairness and goodness . 
mr. speaker , i urge all the members to support this motion to end this culture of corruption . 
mr. speaker , i yield back the balance of my time . 
