Jonathan Rauch has a must-read dispatch from devastated St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana:
Cleanup and repair cost the school system tens of millions of dollars, but federal payment has been slow. Reimbursement for small projects goes through five to 10 weeks of federal and state review, according to David Fernandez, the school system’s financial manager. Any expenditure over $1 million is subject to another four to 12 weeks of review in Washington, he said.
This is the so-called “million-dollar queue.” “Anything over a million dollars has to be reported to Congress,” says Brown, the former FEMA director. “Why do you think that is? Congress wants to make an announcement.” In other words, members of Congress want to be the first to boast of a federal project in their district.
“This is all political,” Brown says. “It has nothing to do with good public policy.” …
On private property, even debris — including, for example, 1,600 tree stumps — had to be reviewed for archaeological value before FEMA would pay for removal.
(“Struggling to Survive”, National Journal, Aug. 11; “Stretchier Red Tape”, Aug. 11).
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