The aid package to Russia and other former Soviet republics, announced by George Bush on April 1, is a welcome sign that the Administration no longer is straddling the fence on helping democracy in Russia. After months of hesitation, the Bush Administration has committed the United States to a $4.35 billion pack- age to assist Russia's painful but necessary transition to a free market economy and democracy. Russian Pres- ident Boris Yeltsin has welcomed the aid package primarily because it signals American political support for Yeltsin and his reforms. While the Bush aid offer may have a positive political impact in Russia and other former Soviet republics, its long-term effectiveness as a tool of fire market reform is questionable. It is good that Bush did some- thing, but what he did may fall far short of the economic impact that he desires.
<p><i>This article was published by the Congressional Research Service under the title,"Disaster Response and Appointment of a Recovery Czar: The Executive Branch’s Response to the Flood of 1927."</i></p><p><strong>Summary</strong></p><p>In the wake of the destruction caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the press and policymakers have looked to the past for examples of federal responses to natural disasters that might serve as models for emulation today. Some Members of Congress have expressed an interest in creating a cabinet-level “czar” to administer Hurricane Katrina and Rita relief programs. Since the federal response to the flood of 1927 featured Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover as the director of the flood response and wielding immense executive powers, this episode in federal history may be of particular interest to Congress.</p>