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August 07, 2007
Go Figure: FEMA Ice Follies $70 Million; CPSC Annual Budget $63 Million
Reporters keep calling and saying: "Why can't the CPSC do the job of protecting us from dangerous Chinese imports and other hazardous products?" One big reason is money. In a previous post, I pointed out that the CPSC's startup budget of $34 million in 1974 would be $149 million today, but its actual budget is only $63 million. Here's another analysis:
$63 million = Annual CPSC budget.
$70 million = Total amount wasted by FEMA by not delivering ice to New Orleans Katrina survivors. Instead, FEMA drove ice all around the country in trucks, then stored it for two years at 12 regional ice "installations" and just recently, melted it ($3.5 million for melting alone). Sources: AP story and news release from U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN).
On a related matter, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee recently held a hearing on FEMA's toxic formaldehyde-laden trailers for Katrina survivors, after the problem was exposed by Sierra Club testing. And, some are saying that the formaldehyde in FEMA's toxic trailers came from China, too. FEMA says: Open the windows. Brownie, you did a heck of a job.
Posted by Ed Mierzwinski at August 7, 2007 10:35 AM
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