Selections from a chronology by Henry Breitrose. Find the complete article here
Step one: Add cronies.
January 2001: Bush appoints Joe Allbaugh, a crony from Texas, as head of FEMA. Allbaugh has no previous experience in disaster management.
Step two: Privatize
April 2001: Budget Director Mitch Daniels announces the Bush administration's goal of privatizing much of FEMA's work. In May, Allbaugh confirms that FEMA will be downsized: "Many are concerned that federal disaster assistance may have evolved into both an oversized entitlement program...." he said
Step three: Militarize
March 2003: FEMA is downgraded from a cabinet level position and folded into the Department of Homeland Security. Its mission is refocused on fighting acts of terrorism.
Step four: Redirect funds
Summer 2004: FEMA denies Louisiana's pre-disaster mitigation funding requests.
June 2004: The Army Corps of Engineers budget for levee construction in New Orleans is slashed.
June 2005: Funding for the New Orleans district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is cut by a record $71.2 million.
We all know what happens in August of 2005.
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