Johnson: Should we pay to rebuild?

September 2, 2005
By Kurt Erickson

SPRINGFIELD- Some members of Illinois' congressional delegation- including the speaker of the U.S. House- have raised the sensitive question of whether the federal government should spend tax dollars rebuilding New Orleans.

U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson, an Urbana Republican, said Thursday that rebuilding the storm-ravaged, below-sea-level city may not be realistic. His two Central Illinois Republican colleagues took differing views.

A spokesman for U.S. Rep. Jerry Weller, a Republican from Morris, said it's too early to make those decisions, and Rep. Ray LaHood said the federal government must play a role.

"The popular thing for me to say is, 'Whatever they need. It's a horrible crisis. I don't care what it costs. I don't care what it means to us. Just open the checkbook, completely rebuild the city of New Orleans and make it an entirely new city,'" Johnson said.

"That would be the politically correct thing to say. But I don't always do what's politically correct, and I'm not going to say that."

Johnson did say the federal government must spend money to help rebuild the port system in the Mississippi Delta, a key point for barge traffic serving Illinois agriculture.

"It's something that's got to be highlighted," Johnson said.

Speaker's explanation

Johnson's comments echoed those spoken Wednesday by House Speaker Dennis Hastert, a Republican from Plano.

"It doesn't make sense to me," Hastert told the Arlington Heights Daily Herald on Wednesday.

On Thursday, however, Hastert tempered those remarks, issuing a statement aimed at clarifying his comment.

"I am not advocating that the city be abandoned or relocated," he said in a press release. "My comments about rebuilding the city were intended to reflect my sincere concern with how the city is rebuilt to ensure the future protection of its citizens and not to suggest that this great and historic city should not be rebuilt.

"I will not rest until everyone that has been affected by this disaster has been given proper assistance," Hastert said.

Johnson said Congress must be careful in allocating federal dollars for one city because of the widespread need for money throughout the nation.

"We've just got to be very balanced in what we do," Johnson said. "I think we've got to be humanitarian, concerned and caring and do what we can. But at the same time you can't just write a blank check and say, 'Here, take whatever you want.'"

Chris Kennedy, a spokesman for Weller, said it is too early to begin hashing out the rebuilding process when the situation in the city remains unsettled.

But Kennedy added, "It would be, on a grander scale, kind of irresponsible to say that it's not worth it to rebuild a low-lying city because, look at the broad picture, there is a lot of infrastructure in New Orleans that the entire country is dependent upon."

'Government steps up'

LaHood disagreed with Johnson about the future of New Orleans, saying it's the federal government's responsibility to help the city recover.

"If you're asking me the question, 'Is it worth it to rebuild it?' the answer is, 'Absolutely yes,'" LaHood said. "When there is a national calamity, our country, our government steps up.

"We have national disasters all the time," LaHood added. "In the end, we have a responsibility to help them recover their homes, their businesses and so forth."

LaHood said decisions about whether to rebuild the city needs to be made in consultation with local officials.