Baton Rouge - Earlier this month Charlie Melancon voted with Nancy Pelosi and the majority of Democrat members of Congress to strip $400 million in Road Home recovery dollars from the people of Louisiana.  Louisiana had planned on using these funds to assist victims of contractor fraud or malfeasance, combat blight, aid applicants that have yet to rebuild, and assist homeowners who are having problems with contaminated Chinese drywall.

“Once again Charlie Melancon has aligned himself with Nancy Pelosi and her liberal allies in Congress to prove how effective he is at advancing legislation that harms the people of Louisiana,” said Republican Party of Louisiana Communications Director Aaron Baer.  “Louisiana voters are coming to understand that Charlie Melancon is effectively advancing the liberal agenda of outrageous government spending in Obama’s ‘stimulus’ and budget at the same time he’s gutting legitimate federal aide to those who need it most.”

Even Charlie Melancon himself recognized the disastrous impact of rescinding this recovery funding when he vowed to persuade to “try” and persuade a conference committee to eliminate that provision.  But, when it was time to stand up and be counted on the House floor, Charlie Melancon stood up not for the people of Louisiana but his liberal Democrat buddies in Congress.

Background:

U.S. House Of Representatives Strips $400 Million From Katrina Recovery Funds To Pay For War In Afghanistan, Gulf Coast oil spill, and FEMA. “The House passed an $80 billion emergency spending bill last week that would rescind nearly $400 million from Louisiana, part of $11.7 billion in cuts to make up for the cost of the legislation, which directs money to the war in Afghanistan, the Gulf Coast oil spill and FEMA.” (Editorial, “Members of Congress should not prey on Katrina funds,” New Orleans Times-Picayune, 7/7/10, link)

Representative Charlie Melancon Was The Only Member Of Louisiana’s Congressional Delegation To Vote With Nancy Pelosi And The Democrat Majority In Favor Of Cutting $400 Million From The Road Home Program. (H.R. 4899, CQ Vote #430, Motion Adopted 239-182: D 236-15; R 3-167, 7/1/10, Melancon voted Yea, Alexander, Boustany, Cao, Cassidy, Fleming, and Scalise voted Nay).

Melancon Vowed To TRY To Remove The Road Home Recision Yet Still Voted FOR The Legislation. “Reps. Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, Anh “Joseph” Cao, R-New Orleans and Charlie Melancon, D-Napoleonville, all vowed to try to persuade members to eliminate the Road Home rescission during negotiations in a House-Senate conference committee.” (Bruce Aplert, “House proposal cuts $400 million from Road Home,” New Orleans Times-Picayune, 7/3/10, link)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: “Members Of Congress Should Not Prey On Katrina Funds.” “Louisianians who lost their homes when the federally built levees failed might lose recovery dollars intended to help them rebuild. That’s because Congress wants to grab Road Home money to offset other spending.” (Editorial, “Members of Congress should not prey on Katrina funds,” New Orleans Times-Picayune, 7/7/10, link)

Plans For Road Home Funds Included Victims Of Contractor Fraud And Malfeasance & Contaminated Chinese Drywall. “The state had planned to use portions of the remaining funds to help people … who were victims of contractor fraud or malfeasance, to rehabilitate damaged homes that were among the 9,000 obtained from homeowners who decided not to rebuild, and to assist those homeowners who had problems with contaminated Chinese drywall. Also potentially affected, she said, are 3,000 people who have yet to close on their Road Home rebuilding checks, and an estimated 14,000 Road Home applicants ‘who have not yet completed their rebuilding.’ (Bruce Alpert, “Possibility of the loss of $400 million in Road Home money has Louisiana scrambling,” New Orleans Times-Picayune, 7/11/10, link)

Stripped Funding Will Leave 19,000 Louisiana Homes Blighted. “David Voelker, who chaired the Louisiana Recovery Authority, said that without the money, as many as 19,000 Louisiana homes — 6,600 in Orleans Parish — will remain blighted.” (Editorial, “Members of Congress should not prey on Katrina funds,” New Orleans Times-Picayune, 7/7/10, link)

Times-Picayune: “…[R]aiding Louisiana’s Road Home money would be a terrible injustice.” (Editorial, “Members of Congress should not prey on Katrina funds,” New Orleans Times-Picayune, 7/7/10, link)

New Orleans Democrat Mayor Mitch Landrieu: Stripping These Funds … An Affront To This Regions Recovery. “’Stripping these funds from the resilient, hard-working residents of our city, who are still recovering in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and now dealing with the BP oil spill, is an affront to this region’s recovery,’ New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said. ‘These actions are short-sighted and unjust.’ Landrieu said city neighborhoods “are still in desperate need of the support that these funds were intended to provide. The work of the state’s Road Home program is not done,’ he said.” (Bruce Alpert, “Possibility of the loss of $400 million in Road Home money has Louisiana scrambling,” New Orleans Times-Picayune, 7/11/10, link)