DNC: Gulf Coast Needs Relief, Not A Right-Wing Agenda From Bush

[MaineDem]

For Immediate Release
September 21, 2005

Contact: Josh Earnest - 202-863-8148

Gulf Coast Needs Relief, Not A Right-Wing Agenda From Bush

Washington, DC - As the people of the Gulf Coast begin the long road to
recovery after the worst natural disaster in American history, President
Bush is choosing to use this tragedy to push his conservative political
agenda on the region. At this pivotal moment in American history, the
residents of the Gulf Coast need a President that will stand up for them
and will stand up to his cronies and the right-wing ideologues in his
own party.

Instead, the Bush White House is taking this opportunity to push an
ideological agenda suspending environmental and public health
protections and pushing for tax breaks directed to the super-rich.

In addition, Republicans in Washington are continuing with their drive
to make President Bush's tax cuts permanent, despite the massive costs
associated with Katrina relief efforts and the ongoing costs of the War
in Iraq. According to the Washington Post, Republican Leader Tom DeLay
said that, "'we're not reexamining" the commitment to extend the tax
cuts. 'That's not an option.'" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/20/AR2005092001608.html]


Because of the President's disastrous fiscal policies, the Bush deficit
has hit record levels, as the Republican Congress and the Bush White
House have cut taxes every year since 2001, "even as spending soared."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/20/AR2005092001650.html]


"This is a critical moment in Bush's presidency. The President must
decide whether or not he will stand up to the right-wing in his party
and do what's right for America and the Gulf Coast," said Democratic
National Committee Chairman Howard Dean. "America needs leadership that
focuses on the needy, not the greedy. We need leadership that is willing
to stand up and make tough choices based on what's right for America and
the Gulf Coast, not partisan ideology or personal friendships. It is
time for Republicans in Washington to join Democrats in supporting a
Marshall Plan to invest in the Gulf Coast and invest in rebuilding our
American community, not weakening it with a partisan agenda."

DNC Research has compiled some examples of right-wing policies
President Bush is pushing that will hurt, not help, Gulf Coast residents
recover and rebuild from Hurricane Katrina:

Bush Suspended Davis-Bacon Prevailing Wage Rules, Allowing Contractors
to Hire Employees at Depressed Wages. Bush issued a proclamation for
parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida that suspends the
Davis-Bacon Act of 1931- which requires employers to pay locally
prevailing wages to construction workers on federally-financed projects-
for Katrina-related work. While touted as a method to save taxpayers
money, Bush's proclamation does not require contractors to pass on
savings they accrue as a result of cutting wages. According to a Denver
Post editorial, "Bush is now using Hurricane Katrina as an excuse to
trash more than seven decades of labor law, allowing Katrina contractors
to hire employees at whatever wages the depressed local conditions might
warrant." Denver Post, editorial, 9/19/05]

* Bush's Suspension of Davis-Bacon Will Drive Already-Low Wages in New
Orleans Even Lower. Pre-Katrina wage scales in New Orleans were pretty
low to begin with. The prevailing hourly wage for a truck driver working
on a levee was $9.04. Even skilled electricians pulled down just $14.30
an hour. Now, by misguided presidential fiat, they won't even be
guaranteed that. According to a Denver Post editorial, "Bush's decision
to suspend the Davis-Bacon prevailing wage law... means construction
workers in the battered region have suffered a double blow. First, many
of them lost their homes and possessions in the hurricane. Now,
they'll be victimized by substandard wages and denied the chance to
work their way back to their former standard of living." editorial, 9/19/05]

Republicans Are Working to Suspend Environmental Protections in the
Wake of Katrina. Republicans are working on legislation that would lift
environmental restrictions on new refineries. 9/15/05]

Republicans Are Trying to Repeal Estate Tax in Areas Affected by
Katrina. The Republican Study Group, an influential caucus of
conservative House members, is working on proposals to waive the estate
tax for deaths in the storm-affected states. Last week, Sen. Jeff
Sessions (R-AL), one of the leaders pushing for estate tax repeal, left
a voice mail for a colleague stating, "Jon Kyl and I were talking
about the estate tax. If we knew anybody that owned a business that lost
life in the storm, that would be something we could push back with."


Bush Suspended Requirement for Katrina Contractors to Have an
Affirmative Action Plan for Veterans, Minorities, Women, and Disabled
Persons. Bush's Labor Department has suspended requirements that
government contractors have a written affirmative action plan addressing
the employment of women, minorities, Vietnam veterans, and the disabled
if the companies are first-time government contractors working on
post-Katrina reconstruction. According to the New York Times, "the move
comes as President Bush has tried to address the perception of
unfairness in the government's response to the hurricane." According to
Shirley J. Wilcher, the interim executive director of the American
Association for Affirmative Action and former deputy assistant secretary
for federal contract compliance, "It is not simply a paperwork exercise.
It is the basis for companies to be mindful of their obligation not to
discriminate."

Bush Is Pushing Vouchers on Displaced School Children. Under Bush's
plan to cover most of the cost of educating students displaced by
Hurricane Katrina, parents could enroll their children in a private or
religious school this year at federal expense, even if they had gone to
public schools back home. The Administration's proposal contained a
sleight-of-hand. In proposing $1.9 billion in aid for K-12 students
whose schools were ruined by the storm, Education Secretary Margaret
Spellings originally said the Administration was setting aside $488
million for private-school tuition and other help for the large segment
of children from New Orleans who had been attending Catholic schools
when Katrina hit. On September 19, however, as new fine print of the
proposal emerged, the administration confirmed that the government
payment-as much as $7,500 per child- would be given for a year to any
displaced family for private schools. Street Journal, 9/15/05
]

**********

Paid for and authorized by the Democratic National Committee,
www.democrats.org. This communication is not authorized by any
candidate or candidate's committee.

[Conker]

1. Sounds like Bush is making the problem worse not fixing it.

Typical of the Republicans.