Progressive Talking Points 2/8/06

Forgetting Katrina

They say that the budget reflects the priorities of the administration. If this is so, the victims of Hurricane Katrina have been forgotten. After the disaster, President Bush proclaimed, “this government will learn the lessons of Hurricane Katrina.” Yet the budget request released this past Monday offers no new aid for Katrina victims, and that is not all. Instead of helping Americans who have suffered the unimaginable, the Bush administration has sought more tax cuts for the wealthy and more giveaways for big industry, proving that it has not learned its lesson at all.

• The President has left every child behind in Louisiana. At a time when Louisiana parents are struggling with the decision whether to bring their kids back to school, President Bush's budget provides no new money for Louisiana schools. The budget would keep Title I money for disadvantaged schools – the major financing device for Louisiana schools – static at $12.7 billion.
  
  
• The President’s budget has made Americans more vulnerable to natural disasters. The President’s budget calls for a shocking 34 percent cut to the construction budget of the Army Corps of Engineers. Even more incredible, Bush has called for cuts in watershed and flood prevention. And to rub salt in the wound, our disaster-hardened President is pushing for funding cuts for first responders.
  
  
• As Katrina victims get kicked out of hotels starting today, the President’s budget slashes critical housing programs. Starting today, FEMA is forcing thousands of Katrina evacuees out of the hotels they have been staying in. Adding insult to injury, Bush’s budget calls for substantial cuts in housing programs that would help Katrina victims rebuild their lives, such as the severe cuts to Section 202 and 811, which help the low-income elderly and people with disabilities.