NAACP urges Congress not to forget victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

The NAACP issued the following press release urging citizens to pressure Congress to step up recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast region.

The Issue:

In the next few days, Congress will return from recess with 60 days to decide on the 2008 Federal Budget, including continuing funds for Gulf Coast recovery efforts and assistance for Katrina survivors. But, the President’s budget proposal does not provide adequate funding for many of the key programs that provide housing, education and health care assistance in the region.

The President’s budget does not renew the $500 million Social Service Block Grant to help hurricane ravaged areas of the Gulf Coast fund child welfare, employment services, and other state and local social programs.  And neither the President’s budget nor any proposals from Congress include additional funds for The Road Home, a program designed to help those displaced by Katrina and Rita with housing issues, even though this program was forced to stop accepting applications on July 31st  because of a $5 billion shortfall.

THE ACTION We Need You To Take:

Contact your Representative and both your Senators. To contact your Senators and Representative, you may:

• Make a Phone Call:
  Call your Senators and your Representative in Washington by dialing the Capitol Switchboard and asking to be transferred to your Senators'/Congressman’s offices.  The switchboard phone number is (202) 224-3121 (see message section, below).

• Write a Letter
  To write letters to your Senators, send them to:
  The Honorable (name of Senator)
  U.S. Senate
  Washington, D.C.  20515

  To write a letter to your Representative, send it to:
  The Honorable (name of Representative)
  U.S. House of Representatives
  Washington, D.C.  20515

• Sign the Petition
• Send a Fax
  If you would like to send a fax, call your Senators’ or Representative’s offices (through the Capitol switchboard) and ask for their fax numbers (you can use either the attached sample letter or the message box, below).
• Send an E-Mail
  Tell Senator Reid and Speaker Pelosi to increase funding for the Gulf Coast.

  To send an e-mail to your Senators, simply go to www.senate.gov, and click on “Contacting the Senate”; you can look your Senators up either alphabetically or by state.

  To send an e-mail to your Representative, go to www.house.gov, and click on “Write Your Representative.”  This will help you identify who your congressman is and how to contact him/her.