Bush Seeks $51.8 Billion for Katrina Effort

[beetbox]

Bush Seeks $51.8B More for Katrina Effort

Wednesday September 7, 2005 9:46 PM

By JENNIFER LOVEN and DAVID ESPO

Associated Press Writers

WASHINGTON (AP) - Congress' top two Democrats furiously criticized the administration's response to Hurricane Katrina on Wednesday, with Sen. Harry Reid demanding to know whether President Bush's Texas vacation impeded relief efforts and Rep. Nancy Pelosi assailing the chief executive as ``oblivious, in denial.''

With much of New Orleans still under water, the White House announced that Bush is asking lawmakers to approve another $51.8 billion to cover the costs of federal recovery efforts. Congressional officials said they expected to approve the next installment as early as Thursday, to keep the money flowing without interruption.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the new request, which is in addition to $10.5 billion already approved and was being sent to Capitol Hill later Wednesday, would not be the last.

``We are sparing no effort to help those that have been affected by Katrina and are in need of help,'' he said. ``There will be more that will be needed.''

Included in the request are $1.4 billion for the military and $400 million for the Army Corps of Engineers, which is working to plug breached levees that submerged most of New Orleans and to drain the city of the rank floodwaters, McClellan said. The rest would go to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5262538,00.html

[cthrumatrix]

1. bad news - Paul Brenner will do accounting for bush

[jokerman93]

2. Another supplemental

Another multi-billion dollar supplemental down the black hole. More money we don't have. Of course, like the Iraq boondoggle, it won't occur to anyone in congress to insist this money be tracked and accounted for.

Right?

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

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[jokerman93]

6. See ya later, monkey boy

Enjoy your short stay at DU.

Racist.

[donheld]

3. How much does Halliburton get?

Better not be any.

[Name removed]

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[orpupilofnature57]

7. Hi

Sniff? sniff? Hmmmmmmm

[rodeodance]

10. another downpayment.

[jokerman93]

8. word is

word is Halliburton has already secured a no-bid reconstruction contract. Could explain Cheney's disappearance.

[rodeodance]

11. but Cheny will emerge tomorrow in the Gulf/NOrleans.

[FlaGranny]

9. My first thought, too. Halliburton will probably get

90% of it. Then they will lose a 10 billion and the CEO's, etc., will get 10 billion. Some will go toward razing NO. Then the rest will go toward eminent domain.

It's not very difficult to make the prediction, either.

[jokerman93]

12. question

Does anyone know how these supplementals are distributed and tracked? Who is responsible for the paper trail on these things? It's our money after all.

[orpupilofnature57]

15. Plus the library it will take to wash the Legacy!!!

[bassman79]

13. It's all going to FEMA

where Brownie will dole it out as he sees fit. Feel better already...

[anotherdrew]

14. why not just say 52 billion?

time to ask the world for more 'investment'

how long before people find another place to dump their excess cash?

[orpupilofnature57]

16. What part of the world? certainly not Shrubs Power Base, the top 16 %

[anotherdrew]

17. just saying we're in 100% deficit spending a long time ago

and a huge percentage of treasury bond sales (which enable deficit spending) comes from very large foriegn central banks. China for instance finances much of our deficit spending, and by extesion the Iraq war. Which they probably don't really want to keep doing forever.

[Laelth]

18. Only $400 million for ...

the Army Corps of Engineers? How about a couple billion to not just repair the inadequate levies. How about actually funding the strengthening of the levies--something the Corps has been requesting for years but which * cut out of their budget?

And I have serious doubts about giving all that money to FEMA which has proven its certain ineptitude under *. A lot of that will get "subcontracted" to all *'s buddies, Halliburton included. Mind you, under Clinton FEMA was a lean, mean, disaster-mitigating machine. Now it's just a funnel--shifting taxpayer dollars to Repuke donors.

:mad:

-Laelth

[jwirr]

19. What percentage of that actually goes to help the

people? How much is for rebuilding the refineries?

[zann725]

20. I keep thinking these huge expenditures will come out of Soc. Sec. Trust.

What a great excuse for Shrubco to regretfully delay and then ultimately terminate or severely cut SS benefits. And who could deny the flood victims aid, even at the expense of the elderly and disabled. Every citizen must make some 'sacrifices' after all. We're going to "pay" for this...each and every one of us. And it's NOT coming out of the Iraq war budget. And with the Estate Tax soon to be eliminated, as well as future upper-tier tax cuts...the burden shifts to no one but us...if we don't soon resist.