WASHINGTON -- A congressional investigator is expected to tell senators today that rebuilding efforts along the Gulf Coast are at a critical turning point, with key decisions needed soon from the federal government about funding for coastal restoration, levee protection, infrastructure, land use and rebuilding the area's economy.

The main message of Stanley Czerwinski, director of Strategic Issues for the Government Accountability Office, likely will be that a lot has been spent on Gulf Coast Recovery, but much more probably will be needed.

He's scheduled to be the lead witness today at the first hearing of the newly created Senate Home Security and Governmental Affairs Disaster Recovery Subcommittee, chaired by Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La. The GAO is the investigatory agency for Congress.

"The Disaster Recovery Subcommittee is a forum to examine the federal government's response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and the long-term recovery needs that followed," Landrieu said. "We need to determine why the federal response broke down and how we can ensure that the response to the next disaster, be it natural or manmade, is speedy, effective and comprehensive."

According to draft testimony prepared for Czerwinski, the allocation of more than $110 billion in federal funds to respond to the unprecedented 2005 hurricane disasters along the Gulf Coast, represents a "historically high level of resources," but not enough to meet the area's long-term needs.

"Our recent work in southern Louisiana and New Orleans confirms that some communities are still without basic needs, such as schools, hospitals and other infrastructure, while the doors of many businesses remain closed," Czerwinski's prepared testimony says. "Many Gulf Coast neighborhoods and communities will need to be rebuilt -- some from the ground up."

Most of the $110 billion allocated by Congress to date has been directed to emergency assistance, including debris removal, providing temporary housing for those made homeless and rebuilding levees that failed, the GAO official says.

"Consequently, a relatively small portion of federal assistance is available for longer-term rebuilding activities such as the restoration of the region's housing and infrastructure," Czerwinski says.

The new Democratic-led Congress is supporting new funding for Katrina and Rita recovery efforts, but much of the aid, more than $6 billion, is included in an emergency supplemental spending bill that President Bush has promised to veto -- mainly over limitations Congress wants to impose on future Iraqi troop deployments. White House staff members also have questioned the need for much of the domestic spending in the bill, including $1.3 billion for levee work in metropolitan New Orleans, and a provision that would waive a 10 percent state and local matching requirement for FEMA emergency assistance.

Among those testifying before Landrieu's subcommittee today is Donald Powell, federal coordinator for Gulf Coast rebuilding, and Donna Fraiche, chairwoman of the Louisiana Recover Authority's Task Force on long-term community planning. Internationally known recovery expert Edward Blakely also is scheduled to make his first appearance before Congress as executive director of recovery management for New Orleans.

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