That was the crux of a Congressional oversight committee hearing yesterday on FEMA "toxic trailers." The Washington Post’s Spencer S. Hsu reports that Republicans on the committee argued that the Federal Emergency Management Agency should be blamed for letting victims of Hurricane Katrina dwell in trailers with 500 times the maximum level for formaldehyde.

Democrats, however, said the blame at least in part lies with industries like Gulf Stream Coach,  who got a $520 million government contract to supply trailers, and didn’t do self-regulation.

Congressional oversight hearings, even the one on Rogers Clemens and steroids, invariably break down along partisan lines. It was interesting how this one shook out. Normally Democrats are blaming the government for not holding the rogue manufacturer accountable. Either FEMA bashing has become passe or there’s more of a realization that government just doesn’t have the resources and people to do it all.-MB

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