Hurricane Katrina was a storm of unprecedented proportions, and it calls for an unprecedented response and commitment from the federal government.
President George W. Bush, in a speech last night from Jackson Square in New Orleans, promised the government’s help in rebuilding the city and the devastated Gulf Coast in what’s expected to be the largest reconstruction effort in our nation’s history. The president said it will be one of the biggest “the world has ever seen.”
“All who question the future of the Crescent City need to know: there is no way to imagine America without New Orleans, and this great city will rise again,” Bush said.
The offer of massive federal aid and new programs feels days late – the wounds are still fresh from the disgraceful response that all levels of government showed in Katrina’s wake, but Congress already has approved spending of $62.3 billion.
In his speech Bush vowed to investigate the government’s response failures while also outlining massive new programs to aid the hurricane-ravaged area, including a “Gulf Opportunity Zone” to provide incentives for businesses that create jobs and up to $5,000 each to train or educate workers.
Some expect the federal government’s tally could reach $200 billion. It’s a hefty price tag, especially given the costs of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the rising deficit. (In fact, $200 billion over the next year would cost more than three years of war and reconstruction in Iraq.)
But the cost of not rebuilding New Orleans, or of leaving these wounded southern states without adequate aid, would certainly be much higher.
New Orleans, one of America’s most distinctive and colorful cities, must be rebuilt.
Bush, however, did a disservice to the country last night by failing to offer any proposals for where that extra money will come from. Some experts are now warning of a looming “budget disaster” as hurricane spending could push the deficit back above $400 billion next year.
By rolling back some, if not all, of his tax cuts – enacted when the budget was running a surplus – Bush could help pay for the recovery. As bold as his new programs sound, that would have been a truly bold step.
And, given the massive amounts of money flowing toward recovery efforts, we also expect massive oversight in how it’s being spent. Fears of waste and fraud are real.
The reconstruction of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast should be a rallying point for this country, and part of the president’s responsibility is make sure it is.
