Amid the pomp and pageantry surrounding his first State of the Union address, President Trump's speech shined a spotlight on some heroes who helped Houston during the darkest hours of Hurricane Harvey.

Among the guests invited to join first lady Melania Trump was Jon Bridgers, the self-proclaimed founder of the Cajun Navy, the armada of selfless Louisiana boat owners who ventured to Texas in the middle of the storm and saved countless lives. Ashlee Leppert, a member of United States Coast Guard who rescued dozens, received a standing ovation. Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, invited Jim "Mattress Mac" McIngvale, who opened his Gallery Furniture stores as shelters for Houstonians who were displaced during the storm.

Cheers to all of these worthy honorees, but we would have added a couple of other names to the invitation list: Karen Knight, Christina Quintero and Deborah Williams. All three of these women lost their homes during Hurricane Harvey, and unlike members of Congress they couldn't go home for the holidays. Mayor Sylvester Turner invited them to City Hall last month for an emotional news conference emphasizing why the U.S. Senate needs to approve a stalled Hurricane Harvey relief bill.

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Let us take a moment to remind the senators and representatives who watched the president's speech about what happened on Capitol Hill last month. Just a couple of days before Christmas, the House approved a long-sought $81 billion relief package for victims of Harvey and other natural disasters across the country. That was nearly double the amount originally requested by the White House, but it still fell short of the $61 billion the Texas delegation originally sought for our state.

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Still, it seemed like our area might finally get at least some of its desperately needed disaster relief funds. Then the ball was lobbed onto the other side of the Capitol dome. Senate leaders announced they wouldn't take up the measure until after the holidays, and they went home in time for Christmas.

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Texas senators and representatives from both parties railed against the delay. Seldom do U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee agree on anything, but they both joined the congressional chorus calling for the bill's passage. (Cruz's knack for making political enemies put him in a poor position to lobby for this legislation; his colleagues from the Northeast bitterly remembered his grandstanding vote against relief for victims of Hurricane Sandy.) Nonetheless, our state's once-powerful congressional delegation couldn't get this ball across the goal line.

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So we wish the president would have introduced to Congress Karen Knight, a single mother of five children - including a paralyzed daughter - whose home was rendered unlivable by an infestation of mold. Maybe some of those senators could have explained their inaction to Christina Quintero, a mother of an autistic child who broke down in tears at City Hall when she talked about floodwaters destroying everything she owned. For them, the State of the Union is pretty lousy.

"Let me be very clear: This is urgent," our mayor has said. "There are thousands of people living in homes that need to be remediated, and there are thousands of people still living in hotels."

Honoring the Cajun Navy's founder and Mattress Mac at the State of the Union address was all well and good, but that's not really what the Texas Gulf Coast needs out of Congress. Thanks for the pats on the back. That's not enough.

Now, senators, it's time to do your job. Pass the disaster relief bill.