Congressmen Scalise, Cao and Mica Push to Free Up FEMA Funding Backlog

New Orleans -- Louisiana Congressmen Steve Scalise (LA-01) and Anh “Joseph” Cao (LA-02) were joined today by Congressman John L. Mica (R-FL), the Republican Leader of the U.S. House committee with oversight of FEMA, for a Congressional review of how to break loose the backlog of FEMA recovery projects still pending after the 2005 hurricanes.

“It is important to get officials from the local, state and federal government in the same room so we can break through the delays and logjams in the system, and also to identify the solutions to prevent these delays from happening again in the future,” said Scalise. “After today’s meeting we will continue pushing to resolve these lingering issues as we work to complete our recovery and build a better and stronger Louisiana.”

“I believe that the discussion went well and that we had a productive conversation,” said Cao of today’s meeting at the storm-damaged, vacant Charity Hospital with officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the State of Louisiana, and local government. “We have quite a list to follow-up on, and I’ll be keeping a close watch on FEMA to make sure they are on task with what they have to do.”

“It has been nearly four years since Hurricane Katrina devastated parts of the Gulf Coast and Louisiana,” Mica said. “Although some steps have been taken to strengthen FEMA, delays continue to persist that affect the ability of Louisiana and other states to fully recover.”

Congressman Cao proposed today’s review as a follow-up to a similar forum he hosted with Mica in Washington, D.C. in February. Scalise also attended the February forum. Following the February meeting, FEMA established the Public Assistance Project Decision Team to work through delayed recovery projects with Louisiana. While FEMA officials today stated that over 1,500 of the pending claims have been resolved and 736 remain in dispute since the February meeting, state and local officials disagreed with this number and expressed frustration in trying to settle some claims.

The Members of Congress announced they will ask the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General to determine the actual number of pending claims.

Scalise, Cao and Mica also pledged to meet with new FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate in the coming weeks to look for further ways to expedite unresolved assistance claims.

“Congressmen Cao and Scalise have worked tirelessly to resolve these very important issues for Louisiana,” Mica continued. “Rep. Cao has held FEMA’s feet to the fire and already we are seeing results with money flowing to critical projects. The ability of FEMA and state and local officials to work through eligibility issues has improved and an additional $200 million has been obligated by FEMA for Louisiana projects. I look forward to continue working with Members of the Louisiana delegation, FEMA, and state and local officials to find real solutions to freeing up assistance funding. We know how important these funds are in helping Louisiana to rebuild its communities.”

Cao is a member of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, of which Mica is the top Republican.

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Contact: Luke Bolar
202-226-4309