Landrieu considering blocking Senate holiday recess

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.


Louisisana Senator Mary Landrieu said yesterday that she is giving some thought to blocking the U.S. Senate’s holiday recess until the government has agreed to pay for flood protection improvements along Louisiana’s coast. There has already been considerable talk of a Louisiana citizen march on Washington, which might get more attention if Landrieu prevents the Senate from going home for Christmas.

Some of the levees in New Orleans were never constructed properly, it is now clear, nor have they been inspected properly. There is also suspicion of corruption in the construction of the levees. There needs to be both a re-design of the levees and a strengthening of the levee system so that the city can withstand a Category 4 or 5 storm. Today, White House hurricane relief advisor Donald Powell announced that he has yet to decide whether New Orleans’ levees should be strengthened, and he would not say when a decision will be made.

As badly as the Corps of Engineers and the engineering firms involved botched the levees, the city has also had to deal a with a federal government that has shown no interest in protecting the city from hurricanes. Louisiana’s budget cannot handle a job of this size, especially since the state has been denied a share of royalties from its considerable oil and gas production, and the Bush administration has opposed making any changes in this unjust system. The Bush administration has also opposed giving the state money to rescue its eroding coastline, though Bush has relented somewhat on this matter.

As for Senator Landrieu, a conservative Democrat–she is at her best when angry. Her filibuster speeches against some of Bush’s court nominees were some real pieces of work, especially her “I will not yield” excoriation of Orrin Hatch. If she decides to obstruct the Senate recess, I highly recommend you get a good seat in front of your favorite C-Span screen.

BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

payment methods

BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate