Talking to Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH) about Hurricane Katrina

Cross-posted from my Katrina recovery blog, The Wayward Episcopalian: Nathan in New Orleans.

This past weekend, I attended the College Democrats of New Hampshire’s second annual convention. One of our guest speakers was the newly-elected Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH). After a brief speech, she took several questions. When she called on me, I said, "Every agency involved with Katrina recovery is screwing up as badly today as they did immediately after the storm; of 120,000 people eligible for rebuilding assistance, not even 10%have gotten a dime. What has Congress done in the past few months to address this issue, and what is it going to do?"

Surprisingly, I was disappointed in her answer, which is detailed below, along with the three problems I have with it (as well as my hope for Rep. Shea-Porter’s future answer). I call this a surprise because shortly after the storm, Rep. Shea-Porter traveled to the Gulf Coast and spent six weeks volunteering on relief efforts.

The three parts to Rep. Shea-Porter’s answer:

1. "We’ve poured more money in, which was missing."

2. Many of the problems are Executive Branch mistakes, and there’s nothing the Legislative Branch can do about that, but we can fix things by electing a Democrat in 2008. (2008 was her answer to a lot of things.)

3. Rep. Charlie Melancon(D-LA) is thrilled to now be in the majority and have more Democrats working on this issue for him. (Melancon represents much of the area west, south, and east of New Orleans, including the hard-hit Plaquemines and St. Bernard Parishes.)

Obviously, number 3 is what it is, but I do have problems with the first two parts of her answer, and an overall complaint, as well. As far as money goes, while I am glad Congress is pumping more money into Katrina recovery, a lack of money was not an urgent problem before, despite the Congresswoman’s assertion otherwise. The problem so far has been red tape. The needed money is there, it’s just getting tangled up in bureaucracy. While some programs will need more money long-term, like levee repair and wetlands preservation, current financial needs have already been met. Allocate more all you want, it won’t do any good if you don’t take the necessary steps to get it to the people who need it. Take the Road Home Program (the housing numbers I mentioned above). The program has billions and billions of dollars available to it, but the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the state of Louisiana, and the private contractor ICF International aren’t doing their job with that money – and that’s just one example.

That brings me to the second part of Rep. Shea-Porter’s answer. While it is true that most of the problem lies with the Louisiana state government or the Executive Branch, Congress can still take action. One of the things Democrats pledged when they gained power last year was more oversight, and the House can most certainly hold hearings to explore failures at HUD. Why isn’t HUD exercising more control of its money? Why isn’t HUD demanding more accountability from Louisiana? Investigate FEMA, investigate the Corps of Engineers, appoint a 9/11-style commission to probe the levee failuresand make recommendations. The fact that it’s the President’s people who are making the mistakes doesn’t mean Congress should just throw up its collective hands and wait for 2008. I voted Democratic for just that reason – oversight hearings and subpoenas have disappeared from DC for the last twelve years. We’ve seen that change on Iraq and the U.S. Attorney scandal, let’s see it change for Katrina, too.

There was one other problem with Rep. Shea-Porter’s answers: she did not give me any specifics. She did say some legislation has been passed and that more will follow, and she mentioned that money is being pumped into the problem, but she didn’t detail any of that legislation or give me specifics about that money. It’s possible she was just trying to keep her answer short or didn’t want to bore the audience, but nevertheless, I still would have liked to hear her detail the Stafford Act waiver and other pending legislation.

I have other criticisms of Rep. Shea-Porter, although if I lived in her district, I would have voted for her in the general election. I certainly tip my hat to her for her initial volunteer stint, and I’m encouraged by the fact that she’s headed back to New Orleans with other Congressmen in a few weeks. Perhaps this second trip will show her the real problems, and reinvigorate her on this issue. I’m also pleased she thanked me for caring about this issue, something she didn’t say to those who asked her about Iraq, gun control, foreign alliances, or other issues – that does show she knows this is an important but neglected issue. It’s a good start, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for more.

Cross-posted from my Katrina recovery blog, The Wayward Episcopalian: Nathan in New Orleans. Also cross-posted to Democratic Underground and MyDD.

•  Me too

  I'll also thank you for asking the question.

  I'm just less optimistic than you were
  about getting a satisfactory answer
  from anyone in office today.

  New Orleans as we knew it is looking
  pretty much like Humpty Dumpty as
  we knew him. It's a tragedy -- and
  as you point it, the tragedy is ongoing.

  by Woody on Wed May 02, 2007 at 08:41:41 AM PDT

  •  Good Answers

    Every now and then I get a decent answer. I was impressed by Joe Biden and, to a lesser extent, Bill Richardson. Rep. Paul Hodes (D-NH) did not know the facts, but he showed an eagerness to learn them. You can check my blog for those posts. What encourages me about Shea-Porter is her upcoming trip. Chris Dodd gave me a lousy answer the first time we met, but the second time was after hearings had been held and after he'd seen the region, and his answer had improved. My blog has the first Dodd answer; I've yet to post the second.

    by Transplanted Texan on Wed May 02, 2007 at 08:47:35 AM PDT

•  Whole Mississippi River Basin is Mismanaged

  A long-term plan for better management of the River and the Mississippi delta needs to be made and followed. The problem is way bigger than the New Orleans levees.

  The Delta is sinking because of compaction and erosion, taking New Orleans with it. The delta is starved for sediment which is being diverted by poor engineering into deep waters. Well upstream in the upper Mississippi basin there are too many levees on the river.

  It's a complicated problem that involves more than New Orleans

  by FishOutofWater on Wed May 02, 2007 at 08:42:41 AM PDT

  •  Absolutely

    My own experience and knowledge is with New Orleans, and I'd be a fish out of water blogging about Mississippi. But you're absolutely right, that's just as big a problem. I won't call it a bigger problem, however, given where the population centers are.

    by Transplanted Texan on Wed May 02, 2007 at 08:48:24 AM PDT

•  Shea Porter/LRA

  Shea Porter lived in Metairie (Jefferson Parish) for several years so she is somewhat familiar with the area and the people.  Problem is Metairie is booming to the point of it not exactly being an easy place for families.  Lots of riff raff, grifters and flim flam men.  

  The missing money should be investigated.  ACOE, contractors=Haliburton, Shaw, Blackwater - the usual Bushie Cronies.  

  LRA is running out of funds.  Bush and his cronies knew all along that the allocation was not enough to cover the losses even without the "missing money" problem.  Maybe this will get the 829 Commission off the ground.
  http://www.nola.com/...

  The Democratic candidate will be in Baton Rouge tomorrow, so attention will again focus on Katrina.  I received an email from Edward's campaign requesting assistance with housing his staff.  Unfortunately, my inn is full due to Jazz Fest visitors.  He will appear in NO to discuss poverty.  I hope the rest of the candidates find there way here.  

  by chigh on Wed May 02, 2007 at 10:19:41 AM PDT

  •  Candidates

    I know Dodd and Obama have been through, like Edwards. Biden's family has done lots of work and volunteering there and keep him updated, but I'm not sure if he himself has been there. Unsure on HRC, Richardson, Gravel, Kucinich.

    by Transplanted Texan on Wed May 02, 2007 at 01:13:22 PM PDT

    •  Democratic CandidateS

      They are all to appear tomorrow in BR.

      by chigh on Wed May 02, 2007 at 04:08:03 PM PDT

•  f*ck 2008

  No worries. If everyone down there can just sit tight in your FEMA trailers for another year and a half, we'll get the Democrats in to fix things.

  Oh, and your kids? They'll only be about three years behind grade level by then.

  I have no time for politicans playing games with peoples' lives- from either party.

  by commonscribe on Wed May 02, 2007 at 07:22:35 PM PDT

  •  Agreed

    Agreed, but in CSP's case, it's not that she's playing games, it's that she just doesn't understand what's going on, methinks. She doesn't seem to have a good handle on many issues at all, as 2008 was her answer to a lot of things. She's too one-note - it's Iraq, Iraq, Iraq with her. She was elected on Iraq, she answers all general questions with Iraq (what's our biggest problem, what matters the most to you, etc.), all her press is about Iraq, etc. I doubt she would have gotten elected in any other year. My impression of her is that she's your average activist, but nothing special. She just got lucky, given this election's timing and Governor Lynch's coat tails. If I knew her in an office, church, or organizational setting, I might be impressed, but not as a member of Congress.

    Maybe she'll grow into the job with time. As for Katrina, where we have no time, I'm hoping she'll learn more on her upcoming trip and bone up on at least that issue. It'd be interesting to talk to her in a few months and see if her perspective changed, although I'm not sure I'll get the chance.

    by Transplanted Texan on Wed May 02, 2007 at 07:59:28 PM PDT