Rumors are flying that Sen. Byrd (D-WV) also has a hold on S. 2590. I suppose we need to figure out what Coburn did to him as well? More at TPMMuckraker.com

It's official - the secret hold on S. 2590 is none other than Sen. Ted "Series of Tubes" Stevens (R-AK). Sen. Stevens is the former chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and all around Senate curmudgeon. What's interesting about the fact that Stevens put a hold on the bill is his rationale. According to Stevens' spokesman Aaron Saunders, the Senator is worried "that the bill would create more bureaucracy. He wants to see a cost-benefit analysis." Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK)

Here's an interesting article on how budget cuts in child support are affecting state agencies in Texas. AUSTIN — Federal budget cuts could cripple Texas' efforts to collect child support payments, forcing the state to lay off at least 1,750 employees. Attorney General Greg Abbott informed legislative leaders Friday that if his office doesn't get more state funds next year, its child support division will be forced to lay off two-thirds of its employees. "Over half our offices serving families across the state could close," he said.

A year ago today, of course, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. I don't have much to add to all that's been said so far, except for that we don't really know how the federal government has been spending the money it allocated for the relief and recovery effort. Amy Liu, a researcher for the Brookings Institute who's been tracking the recovery for the last year, should know what the federal government has been spending the money on. But as she said on the Tavis Smiley show in July, nobody really does.