Bush offers Gulf states commitment

BILOXI, Miss. — President Bush yesterday toured the Gulf Coast in the run-up to today’s Hurricane Katrina anniversary and rebutted charges that his administration had botched relief efforts, saying the federal government had provided money and the actual work needs to be done by the region’s governments.

“What we’re trying to do is just help you. The spirit’s here, the people want to succeed, and our job at the federal level is to help you succeed,” Mr. Bush said.

But 25 House Democrats are countering Mr. Bush by planning to tour parts of the Gulf Coast this week. House Democrats have released a series of reports faulting the federal government for shortchanging housing and schools, for racking up wasteful spending, and for failing to ensure contracts go to small businesses.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, called the federal government’s response a “tragedy.”

“Hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens still await the help in rebuilding their hospitals, schools, businesses and homes that was promised last fall,” she said.

On his 13th trip to the Gulf region since Katrina, Mr. Bush toured a Biloxi neighborhood that he first visited in the days following the hurricane. This time, Mr. Bush brought a message that he still cares — to the tune of the $110 billion Congress already has passed for recovery efforts — but said localities need to start showing they can manage the spending.

Speaking with reporters after touring United States Marine Inc. in Gulfport, Mr. Bush said, “hopefully, that’s enough.” Of the money allocated, the Bush administration has released $77 billion to the states, though just $44 billion of it has been spent.

Donald E. Powell, Mr. Bush’s coordinator for the relief effort, told reporters that no more money would flow to the region until there is proof that the current money is being well spent.

“It’s now time for the people to demonstrate they’re going to use this money wisely,” he said. “We need to see plans, execution.”

Top Democratic leaders are also coming to the Gulf region to mark the anniversary of the nation’s costliest natural disaster and to make their case that the administration’s poor response is a reason to oust Republicans in this year’s congressional election.

“Unfortunately for the thousands of Katrina victims who still lack drinking water, electricity and other basic services, the president’s PR campaign brings no relief from a year of broken promises,” Senate Democrats’ communications operations charged.

Katrina marked the beginning of a difficult year for Mr. Bush. His poll approval numbers, which had been consistently about 40 percent since his re-election, dropped into the low 30s and never recovered. Critics said the botched response showed that four years after the September 11 terrorist attacks, the government still was not ready to handle a major disaster.

Rebuilding is clearly under way in Mississippi, though hand-painted signs warning looters, such as “nothing left” and “not worth dying for,” still decorate walls and fences along the coast, and the beaches are empty. But at least beaches and most of the neighborhoods here are cleared of debris.

Mr. Bush said debris removal was the first major test over the past year of the federal-state-local partnership, and said in Mississippi the partnership worked so well that 98 percent of dry debris has been removed.

The partnership hasn’t worked so well in New Orleans, where wreckage from the flooding still overwhelms empty neighborhoods. On Friday, the City Council set today as the deadline for homeowners to gut or clean up storm-damaged properties.

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