REPUBLICAN HOUSE WON'T BUDGE ON LOUISIANA COSTAL PROTECTION AND FLOOD CONTROL

I guess it's never too late to do the wrong thing.

From the Washington Post:

House and Senate lawmakers said they will proceed with a package of $70 billion in tax cuts and $35 billion in entitlement spending cuts, including as much as $10 billion out of a Medicaid program they simultaneously were suggesting expanding.

Before Katrina struck, the House and Senate were at loggerheads over an energy and water spending plan for the fiscal year that begins in October, with the Senate hoping to spend $700 million more than the House on water projects, including $27 million more on flood control in southeastern Louisiana and $20 million more on Louisiana coastal protection. House Appropriations Committee spokesman John Scofield said the committee has received no instructions to budge: "We are committed to living within our budget."

It seems that if the D.C. Republicans were actually concerned about living within their budget they could roll back some of the last four years' tax cuts for the hyper-rich.

Besides, if they fail to properly fund Louisiana flood control and coastal protection -- even after Katrina -- what's the worst that could happen?