News and Document archive source
copyrighted material disclaimer at bottom of page

NewsMinecabal-elitew-administrationbig-money — Viewing Item


Mccain wants local business rebuilding instead of halliburton

Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
   http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/3344237

"I would also hope that, rather than all of the money going to Halliburtons, that the local contractors and businesses in New Orleans could play a major role in the restoration of New Orleans," McCain said in an interview on MSNBC....Halliburton Co. has been hired by the U.S. Navy to restore electric power, repair roofs and remove debris at three naval facilities in Mississippi damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/3344237

Sept. 8, 2005, 6:23AM
$51.8 billion boost expected
Congress could approve the funds as early as today
By BENNETT ROTH
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - As the partisan bickering escalated over the Bush administration's handling of Hurricane Katrina, Congress on Wednesday began considering a new round of substantial assistance for the beleaguered Gulf Coast.

As early as today, lawmakers were expected to approve a White House request for $51.8 billion in additional funds for the region.

The request included $1.4 billion for the military and $400 million for the Army Corps of Engineers, with the rest to go to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The funds would supplement $10.5 billion in emergency aid approved last week.


Response probe launched
Josh Bolten, director of the Office of Management and Budget, said the new appropriation should sustain recovery efforts for the next few weeks, at which time he anticipates the administration asking for more funds.

"This will not be the last request for the response to the disaster there," said Bolten, who noted that the outlays will increase the federal deficit in 2006.

GOP leaders said they will set up a joint Senate-House committee to investigate what went wrong and report its findings no later than next Feb. 15.

"We all agree that in many areas the initial response to Hurricane Katrina was unacceptable at the local, state and federal levels," said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn.

Democrats, sensing GOP vulnerability on the issue, ramped up their attacks on the the White House's response to the disaster.

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., demanded that any inquiry should review the actions by the president and federal agencies in responding to local requests for help.

In a letter to Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who chairs the Homeland Security Committee, Reid said the probe should examine the impact of Bush not returning to Washington from his Texas ranch in the early days of the hurricane.

"How much time did the president spend dealing with this emerging crisis while he was on vacation? Did the fact that he was outside of Washington, D.C., have any effect on the federal government's response?" he asked in the letter.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said that when Bush was at his ranch, he was in regular contact with the governors of Louisiana and Mississippi and issued emergency declarations for those states.

"The senator must not be aware of all the updates that we were providing you all, because I cannot imagine that he would engage in such personal attacks if he did," McClellan told reporters.

The political jockeying came as a USA TODAY/CNN Gallup Poll found that 42 percent of respondents thought federal agencies had done a bad or terrible job in responding to the hurricane while 35 percent thought they had done a good or great job. Twenty percent of respondents were neutral in their assessment.

The Congressional Budget Office issued a projection that the devastation is likely to increase unemployment by 400,000 and reduce economic growth by 0.5 to 1 percent in the second half of this year.

The budget office, however, predicted that economic growth will rebound in 2006 as rebuilding in Louisiana and Mississippi increases.


A pitch for local business
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said he hopes government contracts for rebuilding will be given to local firms.

"I would also hope that, rather than all of the money going to Halliburtons, that the local contractors and businesses in New Orleans could play a major role in the restoration of New Orleans," McCain said in an interview on MSNBC.

Halliburton Co. has been hired by the U.S. Navy to restore electric power, repair roofs and remove debris at three naval facilities in Mississippi damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

KBR, a subsidiary of Halliburton, also will perform damage assessments at other naval installations in New Orleans as soon as it is deemed safe to do so.

In other developments, the administration announced that FEMA will be issuing debit cards worth $2,000 each to victims of the hurricane for necessities.

The House approved legislation that would allow the secretary of education to waive the current rule that recipients of Pell Grants for low-income students must repay the grants when they withdraw from classes because of natural disasters.

The House also approved a measure allowing the federal judiciary, including bankruptcy and circuit courts in the affected region, to temporarily move to other areas to conduct their business.

The Department of Homeland Security announced that it will not sanction employers for hiring immigrant victims of Hurricane Katrina who cannot provide documentation that they are in the country legally.

bennett.roth@chron.com



drug-bill
energy-bill
mines
social-security
2006 cuts in domestic spending across the board { May 27 2004 }
42 senators millionaires
Abramoff tied to white house photographed with bush
Advocates of war now profit from iraq reconstruction { July 14 2004 }
Bankruptcy law tough on katrina victims { September 8 2005 }
Bill making bankruptcy difficulty passes { April 15 2005 }
Bush aids finances detailed { June 16 2003 }
Bush appoints telecom lobbyist to fcc { February 4 2006 }
Bush budget cost more billions
Bush campaign raises 84m { October 14 2003 }
Bush charges 9m for african president meeting { November 10 2005 }
Bush enron ties in spotlight
Bush protects pharmaceutical and insurance from lawyers
Bush raises millions california { June 28 2003 }
Bush rejects tax on oil windfall profits { March 2006 }
Bush replaces government jobs with private contracts { April 18 2005 }
Bush signs law curbing class action lawsuits
Bush signs transportation bill full of pork { August 11 2005 }
Bush slashes domestic programs boosts defense
Bush turns to big military contractors for border control { May 18 2006 }
Bush wants to protect telecomm companies { February 12 2008 }
Chinese mega bucks for bush brothers { December 16 2003 }
Corporate power is US driving force { July 15 2004 }
Delays corporate gop fundraising investigated { July 12 2004 }
Donors stay in the lincoln bedroom
Energy bill exploits katrina to pay off oil industry { October 5 2005 }
Enron money helped GOP redistribution effort { July 12 2004 }
Financial firms are bushs biggest donors { January 9 2004 }
Fundraiser denies link between money access { May 17 2004 }
Goldman sachs workers big donations to bush { August 20 2004 }
GOP K street lobbyists access
Gop lobbyists invisible powerful world
Gop reaping in lobbyists { June 26 2003 }
Gop to renew tax cut for wealthy { May 10 2006 }
Gop uses katrina to ease energy laws { September 28 2005 }
Halliburton secret nobid iraq work contracts { June 16 2004 }
Healthcare overhaul is quietly underway { January 31 2005 }
House energy bill will foul air
Ken lay blames friendship with bush
Lobbyist appointed leader gop { June 17 2003 }
Lobbyist defends 800k contingency fee { January 4 2004 }
Lobbyists hire lawmakers kid { June 22 2003 }
Lobbyists kids not alright { June 24 2003 }
Lobbyists senators sons { June 23 2003 }
Mccain wants local business rebuilding instead of halliburton
More area money goes to bush
Oil lobbyist watered down climate research { June 9 2005 }
Power elite george w
Record deficit rein in domestic costs { January 4 2004 }
Refinery bill guts clean air pollution standards
Republicans are the big spenders { August 4 2005 }
Republicans backed by big business block labor bill { June 26 2007 }
Republicans conflicting loyalities to oil industry { May 4 2006 }
Rumsfeld sold ownership in pentagon contractors
Security aids switch to lobbying { April 29 2003 }
Senate approves 447b defense budget
Senate passes large corporate tax legislation { October 11 2004 }
Senate refuses to close wealthy loophole on bankruptcy
Senators financial holdings revealed { June 14 2003 }
Spending surges to historic level
Thanksgiving brings feeding frenzy round pork barrel { November 26 2003 }
The gop machine made bush supreme
Top campaign donors trade with iran iraq
Two bills benefit top bush fundraisers { November 22 2003 }
Wall street bush biggest donor { October 23 2003 }
Washington insiders consults contracts { September 30 2003 }
Wealthier vote back bush

Files Listed: 67



Correction/submissions

CIA FOIA Archive

National Security
Archives
Support one-state solution for Israel and Palestine Tea Party bumper stickers JFK for Dummies, The Assassination made simple