Fix the Levees
The corn is off the cob for 2011, but as we begin 2012, there is much that needs to be done. The floods of last summer have now mostly subsided. As clean up continues, we need to start preparing for 2012.
The Missouri River breached levees from Sioux City to mid-Missouri. Unlike a normal flood, it took months for the water to return to its banks. There are many levees that need to be repaired and many will not be rebuilt to the same height in time for spring.
Congress passed a supplemental appropriations bill which provides $8.1 billion in overall disaster aid funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This aid will help farmers, families, and municipalities in Missouri recover for the flood's effects.
Specifically, it provides $6.4 billion for FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund, $388 million for the Corps' Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies (FCCE) account, and $534 million for the Corps' Operation & Maintenance (O&M) account. These are funds that will help reconstruct levees that were seriously damaged as a result of this year's flood.
Every dollar of spending is offset by a 1.83% across-the-board cut in every discretionary appropriations account, government-wide, except for those in Defense and Veterans Affairs. Providing much needed disaster relief funding is important, but so is not adding to our national debt and deficit.
Now is the time to start fixing these levees because the clock is already ticking.
Sincerely,
