Legislative Background
Recent Action on Hurricane Katrina
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, House and Senate leaders quickly passed $10.5 billion in emergency appropriations for hurricane relief and then, a week later, another measure totaling $51.8 billion, the largest non-war supplemental spending package in U.S. history. The White House warned that substantially more would be needed, and that the cost of recovery and reconstruction could reach $150 billion to $200 billion.At the same time, congressional leaders began discussions about the need for a congressional investigation into the government’s response to the disaster. Congressional v. Independent InvestigationInitially, House Speaker Dennis Hastert (IL-R) and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist…
