Hey, Congress, back to work

September 1, 2005

It took some prodding, but the president gave up the last two days of his five-week vacation in light of Hurricane Katrina’s devastation. At the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, however, the halls of Congress are empty.

Nancy Pelosi thinks it’s time for lawmakers to get back to work. She has a point.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday urged Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) to bring Members back to Washington this week for a special session to appropriate relief to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Pelosi asked Hastert to call Members back with just two business days remaining in the August recess. (Lawmakers are scheduled to return Tuesday after the Labor Day holiday.)

“Given the scope of this disaster, I believe that Congress should return to Washington immediately, and pass a bill this week to provide the assistance needed to restore the lives of families and communities devastated by the deadly hurricane,” Pelosi said.

Hastert’s office is apparently cool to the idea, saying that FEMA has things covered and Congress can react to the White House’s emergency supplemental appropriation once it’s ready.

But given the scope of this disaster, wouldn’t it be encouraging to see Congress doing something? Lawmakers have had a month-long recess and they know that they’re going to have to craft a relief and support package upon their return. Why not get to work now instead of waiting until next Tuesday?

Yeah. FEMA’s got it covered all right:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/31/AR2005083102585.html

A major city wiped off the map (and other sizeable cities too, to boot), and Republicans can’t be troubled to even go through the motions of exercising leadership, let alone actually doing anything. If that isn’t bad enough, gas prices all over the southeast are going through the roof and police departments in that whole region are going short of gasoline they need to respond to calls (see Americablog).

The GOP contains the most cruel and indifferent people on the face of the Earth, and that’s saying something. If the people of Louisiana secede from the Union after the indifference of the Feds, I wouldn’t blame them.

  • The Democrats should rush back to Washington, be there to answer constuent calls, and to spotlight the failure of the GOP.

  • New Orleans is not “wiped off the map.” I was born there and I know that city’s heart. New Orleans will be back. We’ve been hammered by the worst nature can do and we, as a country, have a LOT of rebuilding to do. But New Orleans is one of our country’s signature cities, an irreplaceable cultural landmark.

    Carpetbagger’s right (and so is Pelosi). Congress may not be able to add much material support on top of what FEMA’s authorized to do. But resolutions, shows of support, and calls for more citizen support for the numerous charities now organizing to aid New Orleans will make a big difference in how the country tackles this challenge.

    Time for Congress to get off their duffs and act like leaders.

    —Bucky

  • ‘New Orleans is not “wiped off the map.”‘

    I wish them luck. Unfortunately, that won’t happen until the GOP acknowledges that there’s even a problem. Once they do that, then they’ll realize that there is no infrastructure for rebuilding (disaster infrastructure was, alas, one of the casualties of the GOP’s systematic looting of the national treasure). Without federal help, and given the disadvantageous environmental circumstances of New Orleans (now worse), I don’t know how they’ll do it on their own.

    pissedoff, I hope the Democrats do just as you say. If the leadership refuses to lead, then someone else must.

  • In real life, what the Gulf Coast can expect in the way of assistance will probably seem alot like what they are getting now.

    Help is only as good as the delivery system.

    Louisianna could end up with the same dewlivery system that’s helping Iraq now – private contractors, private armies, incompetent leadership, and world class corruption.

    Keep hoping for the best, but prepare for the worst.

  • Congress is structurally designed for something other than leadership. That’s an executive function, and Bush has flunked it thoroughly. Again.

    When New York city was hit on 9/11 Bush “faced the test” by sitting in that Florida classroom reading “My Pet Goat”, then flying around the country for a few days. When New Orleans was hit by Katrina, Bush “faced the test” by playing golf in Arizona and celebrated VJ Day in California. How many times does frat-boy get to re-take the test?

  • The New York Times issued a thumb’s
    down on his post Katrina performance,
    but what about the rest of the MSM?
    Are they covering for him, as usual?

    How does this guy get a reputation
    as a strong leader? In both 9/11
    and this, his performance is utterly
    pathetic. Terrible. The guy’s a
    complete zero. Why don’t the
    American people see this?

  • I’d just as soon see Congress remain on vacation for a few more days, actually. The Republicans will probably argue that the most effective way to respond to Hurricane Katrina is to pass the Flag-Burning Amendment in the Senate and eliminate the estate tax. These people feel neither shame nor accountability.

  • The Democrats should rush back to Washington, be there to answer constuent calls, and to spotlight the failure of the GOP.

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