On the Griddle

How much should government do post-Katrina?

The terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington four years ago produced a sweeping response by government: a mammoth new department, reorganization plans for the military, intelligence reform, a flood of spending and red ink.

Will Katrina have an equivalent effect?

The hurricane raised huge questions about the effectiveness of the federal government in times of disaster, and about the interrelationship among authorities at the federal, state and local levels. It exposed to all Americans the terrible vulnerability of the poor in this country. What should government do now?

The natural first impulse is simply to help those in need. The Red Cross is spending millions to house displaced people in hotels throughout the Southeast. Local communities are opening shelters and schools to help with the diaspora. But all eyes turn to Washington for huge sums to help individuals and to finance reconstruction of New Orleans and other ravaged communities along the Gulf Coast. It's likely that Uncle Sam will spend more than $200 billion in the wake of the catastrophe, adding to the already fast-climbing national debt.

Of note to those who work in the federal government is the comment by Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, the powerful House majority leader, to the effect that spending couldn't be trimmed from other agencies to finance the post-Katrina spending boom. "My answer to those that want to offset the spending is, sure, bring me the offsets, I'll be glad to do it. But nobody has been able to come up with any yet," DeLay said. Asked if that meant the government was running at peak efficiency, he added, "Yes, after 11 years of Republican majority, we've pared it down pretty good."

The second impulse is to reorganize. That's what happened after the Sept. 11 attacks, and it could happen again. Some are saying the Federal Emergency Management Agency should be pulled back out of the Homeland Security Department and given Cabinet status (but Secretary Michael Chertoff has said he's going ahead with his own reorganization, establishing a new division focusing solely on preparedness activities, and having FEMA as the "response wing" reporting directly to him).

Others have called for appointment of a Katrina coordination czar who would call on staff and resources from many agencies. Leading senators are calling for relaxing laws that limit the response speed and authority of military forces, which alone possess the manpower and logistical heft to mount a rapid rescue operation. Without doubt, as President Bush has said, better coordination must be achieved between federal, state and local governments.

The third impulse is to investigate. The battle was quickly joined as to whether Congress or an independent commission should shoulder the responsibility for the inevitable assigning of blame. And not surprisingly, investigators already were on the scene looking at the rapid-fire awarding of large relief and reconstruction contracts-even before President Bush pledged in his Sept. 15 address to the nation to "have a team of inspectors general reviewing all expenditures."

Four years after 9/11, government is again on the griddle, its performance under scrutiny and its essential role in our security and welfare clear for all to see.