Mississippi’s plans to transfer $600 million from post-Katrina housing assistance to restore the Port of Gulfport came under scrutiny in a congressional hearing Thursday as three lawmakers said the diversion hurts efforts to provide desperately needed housing for the state’s poor.
Jack Norris, who heads Gov. Haley Barbour’s office for hurricane recovery and renewal, defended the plan and countered assertions that projected improvements for the Port of Gulfport would undercut continuing initiatives to construct and rebuild housing nearly three years after the devastating storm.
Quoting President Jack Kennedy’s statement that “a rising tide lifts all boats,” Norris told lawmakers the port’s expansion would boost the state’s overall economy, creating new jobs that would benefit all income groups.
Magnolia Tribune
