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About two months ago I had e-mailed several
politicians concerning the extravagant waste of federal dollars following the mismanagement of Hurricane Katrina relief. I
advocated better oversight and management of federal aid money instead of simply "throwing money" at the problem with little
concern for where it goes. Today, I received a response back from one elected official, Senator Ben Nelson, Dem, NE. The following
is his reply:
Dear James:
Thank you for contacting me to advocate for appropriate
oversight
of the federal government's role in the effort
to rebuild areas of the
Gulf Coast affected by Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita. I agree that
proper measures must be
taken to ensure that tax dollars are used
wisely.
As of October 24, 2005, the total cost, over the next five years, of
Hurricane-related relief measures enacted into law is
$70.93 billion. The bulk of the relief costs-$62.3 billion-were
approved in two supplemental appropriations bills for the U.S.
Departments of Defense and Homeland Security. Legislative
efforts to provide for the relief and reconstruction in the Gulf Coast
are expected to continue throughout this legislative session and
into the next.
Given
the size and scope of the reconstruction effort, there is an
increased
need for appropriate oversight of federal involvement.
The
Administration has taken some steps to implement oversight,
including
appointing Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Chairman
Donald Powell to oversee the federal government's
support
of rebuilding efforts. Senators Tom Coburn and Barack
Obama
have introduced the Oversight of Vital Emergency
Recovery
Spending Enhancement and Enforcement Act, S. 1700,
to
create within the Administration the "Office of the Hurricane
Katrina
Recovery Chief Financial Officer," who would be
responsible
for the efficient and effective use of federal funds in all
activities
relating to the recovery from Hurricane Katrina.
In addition
to efforts to promote effective oversight, the process of
bidding
and re-bidding contracts is ongoing. Congress has acted
on
numerous occasions to ensure that federal government contracts
are
awarded via a fair, open, and competitive process. However,
laws
do allow for "sole source" or "no-bid" contracting under
certain
circumstances. It is my understanding that arrangements
have
been made for the re-bidding of four of the largest no-bid
contracts
awarded in the days immediately following the Katrina
crisis.
While there is no guarantee that-following a major
disaster or
emergency-recovery and reconstruction work
will be awarded to
businesses, organizations, and individuals
affected by the disaster
or incident, a provision of the
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief
and Emergency Assistance
Act (P.L. 93-288) directs that
preference be given "to
the extent feasible and practicable" to
businesses and
individuals from the affected areas.
Thank you again
for contacting me to share your concerns about
Katrina
reconstruction. A responsive government will only remain
responsive
with the input of its citizens; I encourage you to
continue
sharing your thoughts.
Sincerely,
Ben Nelson
U.S. Senator
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