WASHINGTON – A Louisiana U.S. Senator, Mary L. Landrieu has issued a statement claiming that President Bush "reaffirms opposition to Hurricane Funding, Fairness".  Landrieu also cites President Bush calling "excessive and extraneous" what Landrieu claims is "vital hurricane protection and recovery spending".

The issue relates to a "Statement of Administration Policy" which Landrieu said reaffirms Bush's opposition to fair hurricane funding rules and levee construction in S. 965, the Senate Supplemental Appropriations Bill. 

Here is Landrieu's statement  

The White House today released a Statement of Administration Policy reaffirming its opposition to fair hurricane funding rules and levee construction in S. 965, the Senate Supplemental Appropriations Bill.  U.S. Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., secured language in the bill to waive the 10 percent local cost match required of Hurricane Katrina-, Rita- and Wilma-affected communities for disaster recovery projects.  She also secured $1.3 billion to cover a shortfall for east and west bank levee projects in New Orleans and surrounding parishes, which was originally authorized in the 3^rd supplemental in 2005.

According to the statement, “because of the excessive and extraneous non-emergency spending it contains, if this legislation were presented to the President, he would veto the bill.”  Last week, the Administration expressed similar opposition to H.R. 1591, the House Supplemental Appropriations Bill.

“It is very disappointing that the Administration continues to hold Louisiana and the Gulf Coast to a different standard than all other disaster-stricken communities,” Sen. Landrieu said.  “Our communities withstood an unprecedented disaster, but the Administration continues to oppose giving the region the same funding tools that he gave after 9/11 and his father gave to Hurricane Andrew victims in 1992.  This match requirement, and the paperwork it creates, paralyzes the recovery of Louisiana’s schools, firehouses and small businesses.

“The President could remove much of this red tape with a stroke of his pen, and as long as our communities must meet this requirement, recovery will continue to be slow.  If the President will not act, I will ensure that this is solved legislatively.

“The President made a promise to Louisiana that the Federal Government would not abandon Louisiana, but by opposing necessary funding for levee construction in New Orleans, his Administration is helping to leave parts of Louisiana vulnerable to another catastrophe on the scale of Hurricane Katrina or Rita.  Simply moving money from one project to another will leave our flood-control system inadequate.”

White House Statement on Administration Policy excerpt regarding the 10 percent match waiver: “The Administration opposes a waiver of the State match requirement.”

The Robert T. Stafford Act requires localities to match 10 percent of the cost for disaster recovery projects before the remaining 90 percent is filled by the federal government. With local tax bases devastated by the hurricanes and the provision’s excessive paperwork requirements for each of the 23,000 public assistance projects in Louisiana alone, the match has become a significant obstacle to Gulf Coast recovery. 

President Bush has the authority to waive the onerous requirement without legislation when per capita rebuilding costs become excessive – a presidential authority that has been exercised 32 times since 1985. In 1992, President George H. W. Bush waived the requirement when the per capita recovery cost of Hurricane Andrew reached $139. It was also waived for New York City following the attacks of September 11th, where the per capita cost totaled $390. But despite a $6,700 per capita recovery cost following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Administration has thus far refused repeated requests for such a waiver, prompting Sen. Landrieu’s efforts to waive the requirement legislatively.

White House Statement on Administration Policy excerpt regarding the $1.3 billion: “The Administration opposes the $1.45 billion in unrequested and unnecessary emergency funding the bill provides for work related to Katrina and other 2005 season hurricanes, including the $1.3 billion provided to address increased costs for certain ongoing levee restoration projects that were provided supplemental funding in P.L. 109-234.”

When cost overruns created a $1.3 billion shortfall for east and west bank levee projects in the New Orleans area, originally authorized by the 3rd Supplemental bill passed last year, the Bush Administration sought to shuffle the money away from other levee projects authorized in the 4th Supplemental bill. The funds secured by Sen. Landrieu would address the shortfall with direct funding, rather than simply borrowing funds and creating a shortfall in another set of levee projects instead.

The entire Statement on Administration Policy is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/legislative/sap/110-1/s965sap-s.pdf