Clinton Offers Steps to Ease Hurricane Aid

[William769]

NEW ORLEANS, May 18 — After touring empty homes that still bear the scars of Hurricane Katrina, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday that bureaucratic red tape was “strangling people” trying to rebuild here, and proposed steps to speed money to current and former residents of the city.

Most of Mrs. Clinton’s ideas involved waiving or streamlining federal rules for distributing relief money, chiefly through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, that require multistep paperwork, matching dollars or specific purchases. The senator, a New York Democrat seeking her party’s presidential nomination in 2008, has also proposed legislation to make FEMA an independent, cabinet-level agency.

Some of Mrs. Clinton’s ideas, like eliminating a rule that states and cities provide a match to federal emergency dollars, were the sort that community leaders have pushed for some time, and she drew applause from residents who met with her to express frustration about the pace of recovery here.

Mr. Washington was one of several African-American city residents who said they planned to vote for Mrs. Clinton for president. The most common reasons given were her well-publicized support for hurricane recovery efforts, and her political partnership with Mr. Clinton; several voters said they were excited by the idea of his returning to the White House.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/19/us/politics/19clinton.html?_r=2&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

[Tellurian]

1. Even the doubters will appreciate this..

There are so many survivors left behind. Hoping Hillary can help those still in need!

[Missy M]

2. FEMA should be an independent, cabinet level agency....

it would be more efficient and effective. FEMA has got to be able to respond to disasters faster and provide relief money without some of the rules now in place.