Bush to visit Iowa Thursday

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By Ed Tibbetts | Tuesday, June 17, 2008 |

President Bush, accompanied by Vice President Dick Cheney, makes a statement in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, June 17, 2008, after meeting with officials about the Midwest flooding. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)

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Iowa’s two senators said today they plan to ask for the same kind of federal help for flooded Iowans that was given to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Meanwhile, President Bush said he will visit the state Thursday and promised to help.

“I fully understand people are upset when they lose their home,” the president said in Washington, D.C., today. “We want to work with state and local folks to have a clear strategy to help people find — get back to a place that — where they can live.”

There’s no word yet where the president will visit.

Harkin and Grassley told Iowa reporters today they are seeking money through a variety of federal agencies to help stricken Iowans.

They also are looking to approve changes in the tax code to help the state recover from flooding.

About two dozen tax code changes were approved in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Grassley said.

“We’ve put together that list as a starting list to see how applicable it is to the situation in the Midwest and then try to do for the Midwest exactly what they did for Katrina,” the senator said.

An example, he said, is to allow people to withdraw money from their retirement accounts to pay for flood recovery without having to pay a penalty.

It appears the flood assistance money will be included in a supplemental funding bill for the war in Iraq.

The House is expected to act on a measure this week.

The president said there’s a disaster relief fund and “there’s enough money in that fund to take care of this disaster.”

However, he said the administration is concerned about paying for future disasters this year.

Harkin and Grassley say they understand there is $5.5 billion in the disaster relief fund. Harkin, however, said he didn’t know how long that $5.5 billion would last.

An aide said other federal programs are being eyed so that there’s enough flexibility to pay for the needed rebuilding.

This afternoon, the two senators are planning to meet with other Midwest lawmakers to talk about a coordinated approach to paying for recovery efforts.

Ed Tibbetts can be contacted at (563) 383-2327 or etibbetts@qctimes.com.