December 12, 2005
“This report makes it clear that, three months after the Bush administration botched the immediate response to this catastrophe, Republicans in Congress are prepared to turn their backs on Katrina survivors and the Gulf Coast and walk away,” said Lee.
The report, Katrina: More Than Three Months Later, issued by the office of House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), documents not only the government’s failure in the immediate response to Katrina, but the ongoing failure of Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill to meet the needs of Katrina survivors, to clearly outline federal aid in rebuilding, to manage and oversee Katrina-related contract and to appoint an independent commission to investigate the governments failed response to the disaster.
Lee has been a vocal critic of the administration’s response to the hurricane, calling for action to address the structural problems of poverty and race that contributed to the disaster and introducing a package of bills designed to address poverty. She also helped in the creation of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Katrina relief bill, H.R. 4197, assisting with the section dealing with housing, and writing the section on poverty.
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KATRINA: MORE THAN THREE MONTHS LATER Executive Summary
Republicans Failed in the Immediate Response to Katrina
Many current and former FEMA officials contend that disaster preparedness and response have been severely undermined over the last four years under the Bush Administration. “It’s such an irony I hate to say it, but we have less capability today than we did on September 11,’ said a veteran FEMA official involved in hurricane response.” (Washington Post, 9/4/05) As a result, as Americans witnessed on their television sets, when Katrina struck, FEMA failed to adequately address the needs of hurricane victims. For days, there were tens of thousands of people in New Orleans who failed to get the food, water, medicine and evacuation assistance that they desperately needed.
Republicans Have Failed to Meet the Needs of Katrina Families, Small Businesses, and Communities
Three and a half months after Katrina, Congress has yet to enact a clear housing plan for the hundreds of thousands of Katrina survivors. Furthermore, thousands of survivors are still living in tents and shelters – waiting for promised trailers that have not appeared. Many Katrina families may also lose their rental assistance by the end of December. The needs of small businesses are also not being met; only about 5 percent of small business disaster loan applications have so far been approved. Also, the GOP Congress has denied Katrina-impacted communities the same ability to obtain the loan forgiveness that communities impacted by a disaster have received in the past.
Republicans Have Failed on Rebuilding
More than three months after Katrina, Republicans have failed to provide an outline of what support the federal government will provide in rebuilding. As the Washington Post (11/21/05) has recently reported, “It is yet to be determined just how much of a role the federal government will play in picking up the tab [on rebuilding]. … State and local officials say they are growing increasingly concerned that the federal government will not end up putting in the kind of money needed to rebuild the region.”
Republicans Have Failed In Managing Katrina Contracts – Leading to Waste, Fraud and Abuse
In awarding Katrina contracts, the Bush Administration has adopted the same pattern of no-bid and limited-bid contracts awarded on the basis of cronyism, rather than experience or local expertise, that it used in Iraq. All ten companies with the largest Katrina contracts are located outside the Gulf Coast region, most are politically connected, and most got their work after a limited bidding process. “There’s no doubt, no question, there’s going to be fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement [in Katrina contracts] – there already has been,” Comptroller General David Walker, head of the Government Accountability Office, told Knight Ridder.
Republicans Have Failed to Create Independent Commission to Study Katrina Response
National public opinion polls show that the vast majority of the American public supports an independent commission to investigate the failed federal response to Katrina. An independent Katrina commission would be modeled on the highly-successful 9/11 Commission. Unfortunately, the GOP leadership has blocked such a commission. Instead, the Leadership created a partisan select committee, where Democrats would not have the ability to subpoena their own witnesses. As a result, Democrats have refused to appoint members to this sham committee.
Lee: Report Documents Ongoing Failure in Katrina Response
(Washington, DC) – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) renewed calls for immediate aid for survivors and increased accountability and oversight in light of a report released today, documenting the ongoing governmental failure in response to hurricane Katrina.“This report makes it clear that, three months after the Bush administration botched the immediate response to this catastrophe, Republicans in Congress are prepared to turn their backs on Katrina survivors and the Gulf Coast and walk away,” said Lee.
The report, Katrina: More Than Three Months Later, issued by the office of House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), documents not only the government’s failure in the immediate response to Katrina, but the ongoing failure of Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill to meet the needs of Katrina survivors, to clearly outline federal aid in rebuilding, to manage and oversee Katrina-related contract and to appoint an independent commission to investigate the governments failed response to the disaster.
Lee has been a vocal critic of the administration’s response to the hurricane, calling for action to address the structural problems of poverty and race that contributed to the disaster and introducing a package of bills designed to address poverty. She also helped in the creation of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Katrina relief bill, H.R. 4197, assisting with the section dealing with housing, and writing the section on poverty.
Republicans Failed in the Immediate Response to Katrina
Many current and former FEMA officials contend that disaster preparedness and response have been severely undermined over the last four years under the Bush Administration. “It’s such an irony I hate to say it, but we have less capability today than we did on September 11,’ said a veteran FEMA official involved in hurricane response.” (Washington Post, 9/4/05) As a result, as Americans witnessed on their television sets, when Katrina struck, FEMA failed to adequately address the needs of hurricane victims. For days, there were tens of thousands of people in New Orleans who failed to get the food, water, medicine and evacuation assistance that they desperately needed.
Republicans Have Failed to Meet the Needs of Katrina Families, Small Businesses, and Communities
Three and a half months after Katrina, Congress has yet to enact a clear housing plan for the hundreds of thousands of Katrina survivors. Furthermore, thousands of survivors are still living in tents and shelters – waiting for promised trailers that have not appeared. Many Katrina families may also lose their rental assistance by the end of December. The needs of small businesses are also not being met; only about 5 percent of small business disaster loan applications have so far been approved. Also, the GOP Congress has denied Katrina-impacted communities the same ability to obtain the loan forgiveness that communities impacted by a disaster have received in the past.
Republicans Have Failed on Rebuilding
More than three months after Katrina, Republicans have failed to provide an outline of what support the federal government will provide in rebuilding. As the Washington Post (11/21/05) has recently reported, “It is yet to be determined just how much of a role the federal government will play in picking up the tab [on rebuilding]. … State and local officials say they are growing increasingly concerned that the federal government will not end up putting in the kind of money needed to rebuild the region.”
Republicans Have Failed In Managing Katrina Contracts – Leading to Waste, Fraud and Abuse
In awarding Katrina contracts, the Bush Administration has adopted the same pattern of no-bid and limited-bid contracts awarded on the basis of cronyism, rather than experience or local expertise, that it used in Iraq. All ten companies with the largest Katrina contracts are located outside the Gulf Coast region, most are politically connected, and most got their work after a limited bidding process. “There’s no doubt, no question, there’s going to be fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement [in Katrina contracts] – there already has been,” Comptroller General David Walker, head of the Government Accountability Office, told Knight Ridder.
Republicans Have Failed to Create Independent Commission to Study Katrina Response
National public opinion polls show that the vast majority of the American public supports an independent commission to investigate the failed federal response to Katrina. An independent Katrina commission would be modeled on the highly-successful 9/11 Commission. Unfortunately, the GOP leadership has blocked such a commission. Instead, the Leadership created a partisan select committee, where Democrats would not have the ability to subpoena their own witnesses. As a result, Democrats have refused to appoint members to this sham committee.