Chet Edwards For Congress

Sept. 16, 2008
'Team Texas' fights for funds on Capitol Hill

By STEWART M. POWELL | Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau

Lawmakers to ask Congress for billions to recover

WASHINGTON — Texas' often-fractious congressional delegation, united by hurricane devastation back home, launched a bipartisan drive on Capitol Hill Tuesday to win billions of dollars in emergency assistance by the end of the month.

Citing preliminary estimates, lawmakers said they may ask Congress to send at least $10 billion in federal emergency relief to the Lone Star State, local communities and individual victims of the hurricane. The money would be used for temporary housing, debris removal and eventual reconstruction.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, flanked by lawmakers from both parties, said she expects to have detailed damage estimates in the next week that can be used as the basis for an emergency budget request.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who accompanied President Bush on a three-hour tour of southeast Texas on Tuesday, called damage estimates "an ongoing process," adding: "Nobody really knows at this point. People can't even get back to their homes to make that assessment."

Pelosi on board

The effort on Capitol Hill led by Hutchison and seven House members paralleled an on-the-ground campaign in Texas that gave Cornyn a chance to speak directly with Bush about the need for federal assistance.

"The president seemed to be listening, and I hope he will follow our request," Cornyn said.

Lawmakers said they hoped to attach the request for emergency hurricane assistance to a catch-all funding package expected to be enacted by Congress by Sept. 30. The legislation would continue funding federal government operations into the next fiscal year.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., endorsed adoption of an emergency disaster assistance package to help cover the costs of Hurricane Ike in Texas, Hurricane Gustav in Louisiana, western wildfires in California and elsewhere, and flooding and tornadoes in the Midwest.

"Congress will move quickly to pass emergency disaster assistance funds," Pelosi said Monday. "It is unacceptable that the Bush administration and bureaucratic red tape have unnecessarily slowed delivery of these vital funds to the affected regions and individuals."

Pelosi's partisan assessment contrasted to the bipartisan effort undertaken by members of Texas' congressional delegation, who hold key positions on the House and Senate committees than handle appropriations.

In good position

Texas is well-positioned to win emergency assistance. Hutchison serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee and the House Appropriations Committee includes five Texans: John Culberson, R-Houston, Chet Edwards, D-Waco, Ciro Rodriguez, D-San Antonio, Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, and John Carter, R-Round Rock.

"We call it Team Texas," said Hutchison, a prospective candidate for governor in 2010. "When one of our constituents is in trouble, all of us come together in the appropriate committee assignments to help those in need."