Did Bush administration use spigot of federal aid against Blanco?

One day I hope that Gov. Blanco would write of her interactions with the Bush administration. I think it would shed the light of day on what could rank close to the top of the list of the dark and  unscrupulous  political acts perpetrated by the Bush administration. Politicking that hurt real people, people in dire need.

Last Friday HUD put the nail in Blanco's coffin when it announced that Blanco's Road Home program's disbursement of money in installments rather than as a lump sum violated federal regulations. Blanco's administration was stunned as HUD had approved of the program's development every step of the way. The effect? Read Adrastos...

Thursday's Picayune had a blow by blow account of how and why Blanco decided to leave the race. It confirmed my hunch that the Bush Administration's double dealing with the Road Home program was the final nail in Meemaw's political coffin. It smelled like a way to help Jindalize the electorate but every time Blanco has complained about the partisanship of the White House, it looked like Naginesque buck passing. Catch-22 was in effect, y'all. The Bushies were playing down and dirty politics but people don't want their Governor to whine even if they have something to whine about. Catch-22. Checkmate.

Here is a theory from Joseph at Blaguer blog...

The day after the announcement the stock of the company (ICFI) that was running the Road Home Program, and failing, jumped 15 %-- to an all time high.

Stockholders were figuring either one of two things: 1. That Blanco was holding their feet to the fire and cutting into their profits. or 2. That now that they had done the dirty work for the Bushies they would be rewarded with nice fat federal contracts. Maybe a little of both.

But I hold with the second. The stalling by ICFI was calculated from the beginning. ICFI, headed by Washington insiders from FEMA and Homeland Security abetted by the feds, to sabotage the program long enough for Jindal to defeat Blanco. The most recent example of fed interference was the HUD roadblock which sabotaged that Louisiana's plan to have the reconstruction money put into escrow accounts instead of awarding a lump sum.

HUD found an obscure regulation to monkeywrench a policy that had been in place and announced for more than a year. They said they just found out about it. Yeah, right. An article in the Picayune this morning said that the HUD move was the last straw for Kathleen. She knew then that the feds would never open the spigot on the money till she was out of office. And now that Blanco is out, ICFI stands to get a windfall in federal contracts from this administration.

That theory certainly lines up with what we have come to see as Standard Operating Politics from BushCo.

If BushCo did play politics with the spigot of federal aid, aid that has been desperately needed by hundreds of thousands of Americans, it would stand as one of the most despicable acts of this administration. And they have been quite despicable.

Comments

[spocko]

And of course this will be shouted down as "Conspiracy theories!" By people who aren't paying attention and don't want to believe that the Bushes are capable of this. People act in a similar greedy fashions all the same time. Calling it "tin-foil" hat stuff is their method of dismissing reality. There is a pattern and if it conscious or unconscious is not the point. The point is that the WH took actions that would block Blanco. They cared about politics first and people last.

[Grandmère Mimi]

I have no doubt that the Bush administration intended to destroy Blanco's political career. They have treated Louisiana and Mississippi differently from the beginning.

I'm sorry for Blanco and for the people of Louisiana who were held hostage by their government because they elected a Democratic governor. However, Blanco was not going to be a strong candidate for re-election. I've heard too many complaints about her from Louisiana Democrats. Perhaps we'll have a strong Democratic candidate who can win. I DO NOT WANT BOBBY JINDAL FOR MY GOVERNOR!

[frenchdm]

If HUD officials just knew how to read and use that thing called the Internet they could've found this November 16, 2006 document that clearly lays out the Road Home disbursement method:

C. My Grant Proceeds will be disbursed for Work in accordance with a Disbursement Schedule, which will typically be as follows:
i. 1st disbursement: 10% of the total Grant Proceeds, or $7,500, whichever is less but not less than $2,500, will be disbursed upon execution of a contract for repairs to cover the initial cost of materials and labor needed to repair damages to or rebuild my Home, as applicable.
ii. 2nd disbursement: Grant Proceeds in the amount of up to 1/3 of the funds necessary to repair or rebuild my Home, as applicable, upon completion of at least 1/3 of the necessary repairs or rebuilding, as confirmed by an inspection performed by the Servicer or a third party inspector on Servicer’s behalf.
iii. 3rd disbursement: Grant Proceeds in the amount of up to 1/3 of the funds necessary to repair or rebuild my Home, as applicable, upon completion of at least 2/3 of the necessary repairs or rebuilding, as confirmed by an inspection performed by the Servicer or a third party inspector on Servicer’s behalf.
iv. Final disbursement: All remaining Grant Proceeds will be released upon completion of work, as confirmed by final Servicer inspection, and my or my Contractor’s submission to the Servicer of the documents required in Section 3 related to the final disbursement.

http://www.usfn.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Industry_Links&Template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=5433

[hoppycalif]

A man who has no hesitation about killing hundreds of thousands of people for the financial benefit of his corporate friends, and for the political advantage of playing commander in chief, will certainly not hesitate to play politics with New Orleans people's lives. The man is a sociopath.

[GentillyGirl]

Of course this is the kind of poop that BushCo engages in. It's the kinda game that money always plays when it comes to profit versus Life.

Considering that most of BushCo wears crosses, you have to think that the "Good Book" got it all wrong.

[frenchdm]

ICFI on 3/1/2007 named Judith B. Kassel as Executive Vice President and General Counsel. She comes to ICFI from CACI.

"Iraq: CACI Probed on Keeping Future Government Contracts

by Chelsea Emery, Reuters
May 27th, 2004

NEW YORK - Federal officials are investigating whether employees of defense contractor CACI International Inc. were involved in prisoner abuse in Iraq and whether the company should remain eligible for government contracts, CACI said on Thursday.

CACI was one of two U.S. contractors named in a U.S. Army report that detailed the abuse of inmates held in the Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad. The other contractor was Titan Corp."

[frenchdm]

ICFI Board of Directors:

Joel Jacks Managing Partner and Peter Schulte Managing Partner

"In May, Federal Services Acquisition Corp . filed to raise $126 million, planning to buy in the federal services and defense industries. The company was founded by two New York investors, Joel R. Jacks and Peter M. Schulte , who added Bersoff and another high-profile Washingtonian, Arthur L. Money , to its roster. Money is a former assistant secretary of defense who serves on the boards of Arlington-based CACI International Inc. and SafeNet Inc. of Belcamp, Md."