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SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Offering prayers and assurances to the victims of the devastating tornado in Oklahoma, President Obama on Tuesday said he is instructing the federal government to provide the people of Moore with everything they need “right away” as they recover from “one of the most destructive tornadoes in history.”

“As a nation, our full focus right now is on the urgent work of rescue and the hard work of recovery and rebuilding that lies ahead,” Obama said in a White House statement.  “Our prayers are with the people of Oklahoma today, and we will back up those prayers with deeds for as long as it takes.”

The president spoke shortly after he was briefed on the federal response in the Oval Office by Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Lisa Monaco, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Chief of Staff Denis McDonough and Deputy Chief of Staff Alyssa Mastromonaco.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Craig Fugate was on his way to Oklahoma.

“The people of Moore should know that their country will remain on the ground, there for them, beside them, as long as it takes, for their home and schools to rebuild, businesses and hospitals to reopen, their parents to console, first responders to comfort, and of course, frightened children who will need our continued love and attention,” Obama said, as he stood alongside Vice President Joe Biden, Napolitano and FEMA Deputy Administrator Richard Serino in the State Dining Room.

“There are empty spaces where there used to be living rooms and bedrooms and classrooms.  And in time, we're going to need to refill those spaces with love and laughter and community,” the president said.

Late last night, Obama signed a “major disaster declaration” for Oklahoma and ordered federal aid to start flowing to the victims.  He also spoke by phone in the Oval Office with Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin to express his concern and offer aid.

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Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg via Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- A new version of a bill that targets fake war heroes easily passed the House of Representatives late Monday with a 390-3 vote.

The bill, H.R. 258 also known as the Stolen Valor Act of 2013, is the latest attempt by Congress to push through legislation that would punish people who falsely claim to have won military awards, such as the Congressional Medal of Honor, and profit from those lies.

“The awards, and the men and women who have earned them, in some cases posthumously, are worthy of the utmost respect and sanctity,” said Rep. Bill Heck (R-Nev.), who introduced the bill in January.  “Benefiting from lying about receiving one of these awards is an affront to all who have worn the uniform and especially to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.”

The original iteration of the bill, the Stolen Valor Act of 2006, had been in effect for six years before the Supreme Court ruled it was unconstitutional.  At the time, the law was written to say it was a crime simply to lie about military service and awards -- a broad characterization the Supreme Court said violated a person’s First Amendment right to free speech.

A new version of the bill, introduced by Heck in late 2012, narrowed the act to say the liar must be attempting to somehow materially profit from the lies, making the would-be crime more akin to fraud.  Heck reintroduced tweaked legislation in January.

It’s companion bill in the Senate, S. 210, was introduced by Sen. Dean Heller (R.-Nev.) in February with 21 bipartisan co-sponsors.  That bill has been referred to committee and has not yet seen a vote on the floor.

The new Stolen Valor Act’s sweep through the House comes just a week before the nation’s Memorial Day celebrations, a time when one watchdog said fake military heroes come “out of the woodwork.”

“This is like Christmas for a phony,” former U.S. Navy SEAL Don Shipley told ABC News last Memorial Day.

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