Bush said to seek $40 billion (Ђ32 billion) for hurricane relief

George W. Bush intends to seek $40 billion (Ђ32 billion) to cover the next phase of relief and recovery operations from Hurricane Katrina, a congressional official said.

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Tuesday as leading lawmakers and the White House pledged to investigate an initial federal response widely condemned as woefully inadequate.

One week after the storm spread death and destruction across a swath of the Gulf Coast, Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid said the total tab for the federal government may top $150 billion (Ђ120 billion) .

Stung by the criticism, Bush invited congressional leaders to the White House for a meeting later Tuesday, their first since the hurricane hit the Gulf Coast and left much of New Orleans underwater, AP reports.

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