“President Bush laid out three principles last night that focus on incentives to help people return to a normal life as soon as possible.  Clearly this hurricane proved we were not fully prepared for this level of destruction because the initial response at the local, state and federal level was disappointing, even considering Katrina caused unprecedented damage.  

“The policies set by the president last night provide a framework for Congress to work with, and the long-term standard should be motivation-based rather than straight government handouts for the sake of government handouts.  Just throwing money at the problem will not help the victims or rebuild the Gulf Coast.  Serious consideration must be given to the polices placed upon the funding, reconstruction and the entire relief and rebuilding effort.  

“There is a role for the federal government to play in this process, however it should be limited because it needs to be a joint effort between local, state and federal officials.  All of these entities have limited resources, but a fair amount needs to come from local and state.  It is not the primary responsibility of the federal government to do everything.  A joint responsibility at all levels of government is necessary.  

“As the chairman that oversees FEMA and economic development, I am looking forward to traveling to the area in the next few days.”