Editorial: Congress: Please Fulfill Bush’s Gulf-Aid Promise

“The members of the National Waterways Alliance, representing interests concerned with all aspects of our nation’s infrastructure, flood control, hydropower, water supply, recreation and environmental restoration, respectfully urge you to schedule a vote immediately on the President’s emergency funding proposal sent to Congress on October 28.”

That is just a portion of a letter to the leadership of the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, mailed November 17 by Worth Hager, secretary of the Alliance and president of the National Waterways Conference Inc.

Keeping track of what is happening to legislation in Congress is a Herculean job. But the fact remains, a promise should remain a promise—and it should be carried out in a reasonable length of time, particularly when delay can result in a whole series of undesirable circumstances. And certainly helping the Gulf to recover is not a political issue.

We may question the manner in which recovery is taking place; we may even wish some things were being done differently. But people of the Gulf need assistance whether it comes in plastic wrap or brown paper. The important thing is to get the job done.

No one would argue that the U.S. Gulf Coast doesn’t need financial assistance in order to recover from the devastating destruction brought by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. No one would argue that there are numerous critical matters under consideration at this time, including the war in Iraq. But failing to fulfill the president’s promise can really throw a wrench into the works—a wrench that will also mess up the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, one of those agencies which will be responsible for aiding the Gulf Coast recovery.

As the letter to the congressional leadership points out, “An earlier supplemental [bill] contained money to keep relief efforts by the [Corps] going for five weeks—money that was exhausted more than four weeks ago.” It was necessary, said Hager, for the Corps to transfer around $300 million slated to be used for other vital projects around the country. Actually, under current congressional directives, the Corps is required to have money in hand before they can go forward with contracts for rebuilding.

She warns that “…without this supplemental, the goal of restoring protection for the citizens of New Orleans and surrounding area before the next storm season could be compromised, and the ongoing program of the Corps may well be impacted.”

Included in this particularly important supplemental bill are funds to rebuild critical infrastructure on the Gulf, including the levees around New Orleans. Funding for these efforts was not contained in the just-passed Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill, as it was expected that the needs would be addressed in the supplemental.

We all know from news reports that there is a long way to go before the trauma and difficulty caused by those hurricanes can be eased sufficiently to say we have done the job. For some there is no end to the pain. Deaths in the family, lost homes, lost jobs, lost “everything” will keep nagging victims for years. While the problems cannot be eliminated swiftly, congressional delegates can make sure that everyone knows they are sympathetic to the plight of the victims—private families and businesses alike—and that they intend to pass the supplemental bill to help rebuild the Gulf as quickly now as possible. Recovery should be systematic and ongoing. But that cannot happen without funding.

For various reasons, we repeat, demands for financing are high right now. But we cannot let the hurry and scurry and political infighting and heaviness of the burden upon Congress stand in the way of keeping President Bush’s promise. After all, it is the nation that must stand ready to help its people in times of disaster. The president cannot do it alone. And surely, no one would intentionally stand in the way of such a disaster-recovery bill.

So please, members of Congress, help to keep the aid effort on track. The longer we wait, the more difficult it becomes.

Just do it, men and women of Congress, and we’ll thank you.

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