Posted on 09/28/2005 11:23:18 AM PDT by frogjerk
WASHINGTON - With Gulf Coast governors pressing for action, Senate Finance Committee members complained Wednesday that the Bush administration is blocking a bipartisan $9 billion health care package for hundreds of thousands of evacuees from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. ADVERTISEMENT
"We've got people with needs today," Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco said. She was joined by Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and Alabama Gov. Bob Riley, who testified via a teleconference hookup, in urging quick action on the legislation.
Sen. Charles Grassley (news, bio, voting record), R-Iowa, chairman of the committee, said four or five senators have been blocking action on the bill after the Bush administration raised objections to provisions that would extend Medicaid coverage to thousands upon thousands of adults who otherwise would be uninsured, including those whose applications have been rejected in Louisiana.
"We can work with everybody, including the administration, or against them, and I'm prepared to go either way," said Sen. Trent Lott (news, bio, voting record), R-Miss. "But I'm going to look after our people first."
Administration officials contend the Medicaid extensions are not needed because a newly created fund could be tapped whenever health care providers care for uninsured victims of Katrina between Aug. 24th and Jan. 31, 2006.
But the administration has not revealed how much money will be in the fund, and senators questioned both the funding commitment and whether the administration has the authority to establish such a fund.
Earlier Wednesday, Blanco asked the committee for help in rebuilding her devastated state, saying Hurricanes Katrina and Rita "knocked us down but they did not knock us out."
In her opening statement, Blanco did not mention former FEMA director Michael Brown, who on Tuesday had blamed state and local officials in Louisiana for not responding appropriately to the storm. She declined later to respond to Brown's accusations when given a specific opportunity by Sen. Kent Conrad (news, bio, voting record), D-N.D.
"We are looking forward, not backward, " she said.
Blanco said 40 percent of Louisiana's businesses were lost or damaged in the storm and said the state's most pressing need is jobs.
"That's what we need," she said. "That's exactly what we need in the face of this suffering and hardship — jobs."
Across the Capitol, a House panel was hearing pledges from government auditors that they will closely examine millions of dollars in contracts the Bush administration awarded to politically connected companies for Hurricane Katrina relief.
The inspectors general from half a dozen agencies, as well as officials from the Government Accountability Office, on Wednesday were addressing a House subcommittee on the Katrina cleanup and announcing several new audits to combat waste and fraud.
They are pledging strong oversight that includes a review of no-bid contracts and close scrutiny of federal employees who now enjoy a $250,000 — rather than a $2,500 — purchase limit for Katrina-related expenses on their government-issued credit cards.
"When so much money is available, it draws people of less than perfect character," H. Walker Feaster, inspector general of the Federal Communications Commission, said. "It underscores the need for internal controls of the money going out."
The joint appearance of government auditors comes amid a flurry of legislation pending in Congress that would create additional layers of oversight to the Katrina contracting and award process.
It also comes amid growing charges of favoritism that critics say led to government missteps in the wake of the Katrina disaster.
In a House hearing Tuesday, both Republicans and Democrats assailed Brown, who critics say lacked proper experience for the job, for his performance in handling emergency aid. Brown admitted making some mistakes but placed the brunt of the blame on the Louisiana governor, the New Orleans mayor and even the Bush White House that appointed him.
Blanco on Tuesday had vehemently denied that she waited until the eve of the storm to order an evacuation of New Orleans. She said her order came on the morning of Aug. 27 — two days before the storm — resulting in 1.3 million people evacuating the city.
"Such falsehoods and misleading statements, made under oath before Congress, are shocking," Blanco said in a statement Tuesday.
Rep. Christopher Shays (news, bio, voting record), R-Conn., said Wednesday that while Brown made mistakes, so did others. "He can't be the scapegoat. First responders are local and state, and the governor and mayor did a pathetic job of preparing their people for this horrific storm," Shays said on NBC's "Today" show.
Lawmakers were turning their attention to the lucrative Katrina contracts.
In the weeks after the Aug. 29 storm, more than 80 percent of the $1.5 billion in contracts awarded by FEMA for Katrina work were handed out with little or no competition or had open-ended or vague terms that previous audits have cited as being highly prone to abuse.
Doubt it.
It's to introduce Nationalized health care in the form of covering the entire state(s) as a pilot project.
All politicians do that...it's their job.
Does anyone trust Blanco's judgement?
It will take every penney you have and then Blanco will still claim it isn't enough. My heart is sad for all of you who sent your hard earned money into that black money pit. It will never be enough. I have learned my lesson. I will never send another dime.
I will be glad to take someone in and help them individually, but never again will I send a dime to an organization who claim to spend it dutifully on my behalf.
You would have been better off flushing your donation done the toilet.
"We are looking forward, not backward, " she said (Blanco)
I bet you are you B**ch. Cause when the investigations into your incompentence are complete, your gonna be unemployed.
I'm wondering why those in the gambling industry are staying so quiet.
Health care for uninsured NO residents, my butt.
HOW MUCH MONEY did the state of Louisiana spend for health care for the uninsured in NO when they STILL LIVED THERE?
Trent Lott can kiss my grits.
Good.. 700 non existent policemen on the N.O. police department..
Makes one wonder how deep the rabbit hole goes..
Giving MONEY to anywhere in LA.. is a crime waiting to happen.. The democrat party is in full damage control mode.. a house of cards waiting to fall.. All it will take is a republican with enough balls to BLOW ON IT.. and rock the table..
new tone, new tone. lets be nice because being nice is nicer than not being nice.
This whole mess over Katrina has basically removed any hope I had that we are going to get smaller government anytime soon. Now Republicans are feeding at the trough as much, if not more than the Democrats. The Reagan Revolution is dead, and it ain't coming back.
I think this must be the Dems back to get health care added to unemployment. It never occurs to them to get the people back to work so that they can take care of themselves.
Couldn't agree with you more. They have gotten the last dime they will get voluntarily from me. Too much corruption and mismanagement of funds that are sent and doled out.
Federal spending is one area where Bush has never been "my" President.
Congress spends the money.
That's a lie. Most of the business district may have had a couple inches water at most... the rest was dry. She's a cloven hooved lying heifer.
Sad and scary at the same time.
Welfare, medicaid, big government.
What is going on??
And what was the deregulation all about. I must not understand that it was to open the door to the private sector. I am just soooooo confused.
Everyone got $2000. Then they got $2400 for three month rent subsidy. ( They are entitled to 18 mo free rent). The rent subsidy only cost $2b. Now $9b for Medicaid. You wonder why medical insurance is expensive. Ask the legislators. My Medicare HMO costs more than my monthly check and now includes free health club membership called Silver Sneakers.
That's a pretty important area...
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