President Bush accused Congress on Wednesday of shortchanging New Orleans of about $1.5 billion in funds to rebuild levees that were breached by flood waters when Hurricane Katrina struck.
“Congress heard our message about improving the levees but they shortchanged the process by about $1.5 billion dollars,” Bush said in a rare attack on members of his own party as he toured the devastated city.
“And so in order to help fulfill our promise on the levees, Congress needs to restore the $1.5 billion to make this a real commitment to inspire the good folks down here that they’ll have a levee system that will encourage development and reconstruction,” Bush added.
The White House in December announced it was seeking $3.1 billion to bolster flood defenses, but Congress only approved about half that amount for New Orleans with the rest going to other hurricane-related projects.
Levee funds added to supplemental bill
The White House’s $1.5 billion levee request for Louisiana is now part of a $19.8 billion hurricane relief supplemental bill the administration has sent to Congress.
Jenny Manley, a spokeswoman for the Senate Appropriations Committee, said that although the White House had announced in a news conference it wanted the full $3.1 billion to go to New Orleans, the official request was never sent to Congress.
“I don’t think the blame can be put on Congress,” she said.
Bush’s comments came as House of Representatives Republicans are in open rebellion over plans by a state-owned Arab company to manage six U.S. ports.
Bush, who was heavily criticized for the administration’s sluggish initial response to the Aug. 29 hurricane, strode with his wife, Laura, through the water-damaged streets of the city’s Lower Ninth ward, an impoverished, predominantly black area. It was his first visit there since the storm.
Wearing a powder blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up, Bush walked past boarded-up and abandoned houses while workers cleared mounds of debris.
About 150 protesters gathered for his walk-through. One woman held a placard that read “Where’s my government?” reflecting lingering anger at the slow pace of recovery and the lack of a clear revival plan.
“Things could be a lot faster,” said Kim Stewart, the 45-year-old owner of a diner where Bush stopped for a traditional New Orleans meal of red beans and rice.
Pledge to make levees 'equal or better'
Bush also toured a levee restoration project in a part of the system that suffered one of the worst breaches.
Standing amid a clatter of construction work, Bush renewed his pledge to make the levees “equal or better” to their pre-Katrina condition, ahead of the June 1 start of the new hurricane season. Some engineering experts have questioned whether the pledge is realistic and warned federal engineers that weak soil in some areas could leave the levees unsafe.
His Gulf Coast trip, which included a stop in Mississippi, comes after newly broadcast video footage revived criticism of the administration’s response to Katrina.
It showed officials warning Bush on Aug. 28 that the New Orleans levees could fail. Critics said it made it hard to accept the White House’s insistence that it was surprised by the storm’s intensity. The hurricane killed about 1,300 people and destroyed about 300,000 homes.
With his approval ratings mired below 40 percent, Bush is trying to refocus attention on his $19.8 billion Gulf Coast aid request. He said he saw hopeful signs in last week’s scaled-down Mardi Gras celebration.
“I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for Louisiana,” Bush said. “And that’s what we want, we want people coming home.”
