In his September 15th address, Bush promised “one of the largest reconstruction efforts the world has ever seen.” But as of last Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times reports the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had obligated only $15 billion out of $60 billion in available emergency funds. Meanwhile, administration officials are preparing another emergency spending bill for $20 billion dollars, much of it for rebuilding military bases and a NASA facility. The Times reports the administration’s inaction is at least partly shaped by pressure from powerful Republicans. The committee’s chairman, Republican congressman Mike Pence told the Times QUOTE: “We saw the White House engaging in an aggressive, multifront drive to rebuild the Gulf Coast, and we thought we ought to bring up the small matter of the bill.” Last month, the committee circulated a list of proposals for Katrina recovery that included providing vouchers for private schools and making affected areas a “flat-tax free enterprise zone.”