NO ACTION JACKSON: Bush's Unmet Promises To The People Of The Gulf Coast

One year ago today, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, President Bush stood in Jackson Square in New Orleans and pledged "bold action." Hurricane Katrina was one of the worst natural disasters in our nation's history and the President promised to make the communities of the Gulf Coast "even better and stronger than before the storm." Unfortunately, a year has passed and many of the White House's promises have not been kept, transportation systems are still in disrepair and schools and hospitals face numerous problems.

"A year of inaction after one the worst natural disasters in our nation’s history is just one more example of Republicans' failed policies," said Democratic National Committee Press Secretary Stacie Paxton. "Americans simply can't trust Republicans to keep them safe and secure. Even after 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, Republicans in Washington have not taken the necessary steps to make sure that our country is prepared and can respond effectively to a terrorist attack or a natural disaster. Republicans have blocked numerous Democratic attempts to strengthen our homeland security. Democrats are offering a new direction for America that includes a real commitment to the Gulf Coast and making sure that our nation is safe and secure."

Bush: "We Have A Duty To Confront This Poverty With Bold Action." "Our third commitment is this: When communities are rebuilt, they must be even better and stronger than before the storm. ...As all of us saw on television, there's also some deep, persistent poverty in this region, as well. That poverty has roots in a history of racial discrimination, which cut off generations from the opportunity of America. We have a duty to confront this poverty with bold action. So let us restore all that we have cherished from yesterday, and let us rise above the legacy of inequality. ...I propose the creation of Worker Recovery Accounts to help those evacuees who need extra help finding work. Under this plan, the federal government would provide accounts of up to $5,000, which these evacuees could draw upon for job training and education to help them get a good job, and for child care expenses during their job search. ...And to help lower-income citizens in the hurricane region build new and better lives, I also propose that Congress pass an Urban Homesteading Act. Under this approach, we will identify property in the region owned by the federal government, and provide building sites to low-income citizens free of charge, through a lottery." [President Bush, 9/15/05]

• One Year Later, Worker Recovery Accounts Do Not Exist. The Worker Recovery Accounts program, with an estimated cost of $650 million, was last referenced by the Administration in a November OMB report. The program was also introduced as H.R. 3976 in October and sent out to committee in November. The last action, refering it to a subcomittee, was taken on November 17 2005. [Chicago Tribune, 1/13/06; http://thomas.loc.gov/ , accessed 8/10/06]
  
  
• One Year Later, the Urban Homesteading Act Is Not A Law. The House version, H.R.4514, was introduced by Louisiana Congressman Jindal in December. The last major action taken on the bill, referring the legislation to a House subcommittee, occurred on January 10, 2005. The Senate version only saw one day of action. It was introduced and referred to subcommittee on December 13, 2005. No action took place subsequently. [http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:h.r.04514:, accessed 8/10/06; http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:s.02088:, accessed 8/10/06]
  

Katrina Cleanup Still Far From Complete, But Cost Has Ballooned. The AP wrote, "The [cleanup] job still isn't done. More than 100 million cubic yards of debris have been cleared from the region affected by Katrina. So far the government has spent $3.6 billion, a figure that might have been considerably smaller had the contracts for debris removal been subject to competitive bidding. Working through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, FEMA gave each of four companies contracts worth up to $500 million to clear hurricane debris. This spring government inspectors reported that the companies - AshBritt Inc. of Pompano Beach, Fla., Phillips and Jordan Inc. of Knoxville, Tenn., Ceres Environmental Services Inc. of Brooklyn Park, Minn. and ECC Operating Services Inc. of Burlingame, Calif. - charged the government as much as four to six times what they paid their subcontractors who actually did the work." [AP, 8/19/06]

• Schools Have No Books; Schedules and Class Locations Unclear. At the end of the 2005-2006 school year, 25 of 128 New Orleans public schools had reopened and just 12,000 of the city's 60,000 students had returned. In the, 57 schools with physical space for up to 34,000 students and staff for 22,000 students were predicted to open in August and September for 2006-2007 academic year. However, the day before the first of 57 New Orleans public schools opened, state officials warned that parents and students are likely to face a messy first day. Many schools were not sure which buildings they will be in. A few schools did not know when they would be able to start classes. And dozens of others were not certain whether the thousands of desks and books they've ordered will arrive in time for the first day. [Los Angeles Times, 7/15/06; http://www.nola.com/archives/t-p/index.ssf?/base/news-6/1154843399102520.xml&coll=1, accessed 8/11/06]
  
  
• Transportation Is Difficult As Public Transit Is Minimal, Gas Isn't Available, And Roads Are Falling Apart. "Only 17 percent of buses in New Orleans are in use, and gas service is reaching just 41 percent of the pre-Katrina customer base, according to Amy Liu, a scholar at Washington's Brookings Institution. The water and sewage system is in desperate shape. With more than two-thirds of the water pumped into the pipes leaking into the ground, sinkholes are becoming more common." [Bloomberg, 8/21/06]
  

House Democrats Introduced Legislation To Rebuild and Renew the Gulf Coast. Hundreds of pieces of Democratic legislation have been introduced to address the needs of Katrina survivors -- the vast majority of which have been ignored by the Republican-controlled Congress. A key House Democratic bill is H.R. 4197, the Hurricane Katrina Recovery, Reclamation, Restoration, Reconstruction and Reunion Act of 2005, a bill that was introduced by the Congressional Black Caucus on November 2, 2005. This comprehensive bill includes housing, health care, education, small business, voting rights, unemployment, and environmental provisions. Some of the highlights of the bill's numerous provisions include providing Medicaid coverage for each Katrina survivor whose income is below the poverty level and provides additional federal funds targeted for the Katrina disaster area for certain housing programs that have proven to be effective, including an additional $1 billion for HOME, $200 million for YouthBuild, and $100 million for HOPE VI Community Revitalization. [House Democrats]

Senate Democrats Introduced Legislation to Rebuild and Renew the Gulf Coast. On September 8, 2005, less than two weeks after Hurricane Katrina struck, 25 Senate Democrats introduced a comprehensive bill, S. 1637, the Katrina Emergency Relief Act. This broad legislative package sought to provide emergency relief to meet the immediate needs of survivors of Hurricane Katrina for health care, housing, education, financial relief, and for other purposes. Specifically, the bill provides for grants to local educational agencies and states with a large influx of displaced students due to Hurricane Katrina. The bill also requires the Secretary of Education to authorize higher education institutions to waive federal financial aid requirements for students affected by Hurricane Katrina, and make payments to institutions for financial aid for such students. [Senate Democrats]