Don’t get your hopes up, governor. She’s selling books, not doing her duties as speaker:
DES MOINES — Iowa Gov. Chet Culver has invited U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to tour flood damage in the state. The invitation comes after Congress delayed action on a federal flood relief package and left for its August recess.
Culver sent a formal invitation to Pelosi last week and is hopeful she’ll make a visit to Iowa before Congress goes back into session. Culver said that when he met recently with Pelosi, she had just returned from New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, ravaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
“We could take a few days if she had it, to show her the magnitude of the damage, to see the houses that were destroyed and the businesses as well,” Culver said.
Iowa’s need for housing alone is $1 billion, Culver said. Other businesses have seen substantial damage, with Alliant Energy’s loss totaling roughly $225 million and Quaker Oats’ totaling close to $200 million, according to Culver.