Congress Has Taken Over Disaster Relief
Posted at 1:36 p.m. on Jan. 4
With the recent spat over federal funding for aid in response to Hurricane Sandy, Brad Plumer has a very interesting look at how the federal government has rapidly expanded its role in disaster relief since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
“Between 1989 and 2004, the federal government typically only covered around 26 percent of the costs of a major hurricane… Private insurance companies picked up most of the tab, while state and local governments, individuals, businesses and charities paid for the rest.”
“In recent years, Congress has started fully reimbursing state and local governments — and it’s also begun paying for more projects to mitigate the damage from future storms… Since the 1980s, Congress has been picking up a bigger portion of the tab for tornadoes, hurricanes, snowstorms and all manner of natural disasters.”
