Bush plans Katrina probe, to seek more funds

Individual lawmakers outlined numerous suggestions to ease the burden caused by the storm and ensuing New Orleans-area flood that left an unknown number of people dead, uncounted thousands of homes and businesses damaged or destroyed and drove hundreds of thousands of Americans from their homes. Many are poor and normally receive welfare. Others are sick and are now cut off from their health care and prescription medication. Still others are school-age and will suddenly find themselves enrolled in classrooms not built to accommodate them.

Lining up priorities
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said efforts now focus on rehabilitating the battered coast and helping displaced residents find housing, education and jobs.

“I think what we have to offer the people of all of the afflicted areas now is hope,” Chertoff said after briefing senators. “There is a tremendous amount of work to do.”

Grassley, R-Iowa, said he favors loan relief for farmers whose grain harvest may not reach market on schedule because of difficulties at the New Orleans port. Sen. Max Baucus, D-Montana, called for help with Medicaid costs in states that take in storm victims. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, said he favors tax relief for airlines hard hit by a spike in fuel costs.

In the House, DeLay said the GOP leadership hoped to have legislation on the floor this week dealing with Pell grants, reducing red tape for the newly unemployed and making it easier for FEMA to transfer money to private organizations.

Accusations of price gouging
The storm disrupted oil drilling and distribution along the Gulf Coast, and the Senate Energy Committee convened a hearing into the rising cost of gasoline. Republicans and Democrats said they suspect price gouging in the aftermath of the storm, but said the government lacks the ability to adequately investigate or prevent such abuses.

“There are growing concerns that oil companies are making too much in profits at the expense of consumers,” said Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., chairman of the committee.

Rep. Jim McCrery, R-La., criticized FEMA for not assisting non-Red Cross shelters housing thousands of evacuees in his northwest Louisiana district. “There’s no excuse not to have people available for these kinds of needs for these poor people who have been displaced from their homes,” he said in a telephone interview from Shreveport.

To blame, or not to blame...
Pelosi’s criticism was far sharper.

“The people of the Gulf region were struck by two disasters.

First was the hurricane and then the failure of the federal government in time of great need,” she said... “The buck stops at the president’s desk. The president said he’s going to lead the investigation into what went wrong. He needs to look only in the mirror.”

Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., who lost a home in the storm, said he hoped investigations would not interfere with recovery. “Please, please, my colleagues, let’s don’t try to fix blame right now.

There’ll be a time for that. Let’s fix the problems that we’ve got to deal with now.”

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