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Scalise Meets with FEMA Administrator Fugate to Resolve Funding Backlog

June 18, 2009

Washington, DC -- Congressman Steve Scalise today personally met with FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate to discuss a number of issues regarding hurricane recovery, including the current backlog of Public Assistance (PA) projects, reforming FEMA, and forgiveness procedures for Community Disaster Loans (CDLs).

Scalise hand delivered documents to Administrator Fugate requesting assistance for entities waiting on the forgiveness of CDLs including St. Tammany Parish and East Jefferson General Hospital.

“After meeting Administrator Fugate I am confident that he will work with us to complete the unresolved PA projects as well as CDL forgiveness,” Scalise said. “Administrator Fugate agreed we need to break through the red tap and logjams in the system bring closure to Louisiana’s hurricane recovery.”

Also in attendance were Congressman Joseph Cao (R-LA) as well as Congressmen John L. Mica (R-FL), and Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) the Republican Leaders of the U.S. House committee and subcommittee with oversight of FEMA. Congressmen Mica and Diaz-Balart have a previous working relationship with Director Fugate in Florida.

Scalise, Cao and Mica recently met with FEMA representatives at Charity Hospital in New Orleans for a review of the current project backlog. The Members also requested that the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security conduct a review of the number, scope and value of pending projects related to the 2005 hurricanes.

Earlier this year before Fugate was confirmed as FEMA Administrator, Scalise, Cao and Sen. David Vitter sent a letter to President Obama President Obama urging him to forgive the 2005 Community Disaster Loans. In March FEMA released draft loan forgiveness guidelines for Hurricane Katrina CDL’s.

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Contact: Luke Bolar
202-226-4309