Washington Dems put Katrina at center of agenda

House and Senate Democratic leaders charged Tuesday that their party is the only one that considers meeting the needs of Hurricane Katrina victims important and that Republicans are trying to take aid money away from the victims "to give tax cuts to the wealthy."

Michele Baker rode out Hurricane Katrina with her husband before her home was destroyed. The couple then waded through flood waters to get to the Superdome.

"I never though that I would have to live through something like that," Baker said. "And I can't believe that some people in Washington think that after a category five hurricane the solution is to unleash a 'category five assault' on working people."
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Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) told Baker and a group of approximately 30 union members and other hurricane survivors from New Orleans that Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill view their situation differently.

"We believe that Katrina's victims should be one of the top priorities that we have in Congress," Reid said. "But we Democrats are the only ones that believe that."