Congress To Act Quickly On Bush's $51.8B Aid Request.

The article reports that Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Louisiana continued to dominate the congressional agenda today as the White House sent up a $51.8 billion supplemental aid request, while House and Senate GOP leaders acknowledged the budget reconciliation process will be delayed as a result of more pressing matters. House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Congress will clear the hurricane aid this week, which will be enough to last the Federal Emergency Management Agency--which is burning through money at an extraordinary rate of nearly $2 billion per day--until the end of this month. White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said the request would focus on immediate needs, with more funding to be sought at a later date for longer-term disaster relief projects.