Kirk Watson: “over the last 3\1/2\ months, this Republican Congress has failed to act to meet the critical needs of Hurricane Katrina…”

“over the last 3\1/2\ months, this Republican Congress has failed to act to meet the critical needs of Hurricane Katrina survivors. The few proposals the Republican leadership has put forward fail to go far enough in meeting the challenges of restoring the gulf coast region. The Congress has yet to enact a clear housing plan for the survivors still living in tents and waiting for promised trailers that have not appeared. Many families may lose their rental assistance at the end of December. And economic revitalization is moving at a snail's pace, with only about 5 percent of small business disaster loan applications approved so far. Even Republicans have begun to criticize the delay by the administration and the Republican Congress in getting assistance to the gulf coast region. Last week, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, a former Chairman of the Republican National Committee, said his State's ability to recover has been severely hampered by Congress's delay in approving more money. This Congress must not adjourn for the year until we enact measures to address this critical need. ____________________”