?EUR??,,????'??We want the agency to be back on track,?EUR??,,????'?? said Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis. Reingold cited multiple reports that he claimed illustrated ?EUR??,,????'??a pattern of stunning flaws?EUR??,,????'?? in the Corp?EUR??,,????'???s flood control planning and priorities.

Because of the controversy surrounding the levee failures in New Orleans, the independence of the Corps became a prevailing issue as legislation was considered to authorize $11.6 billion in waterway projects including a $3.4 billion expansion of the Upper Mississippi River lock system.

If the changes had been in place before Katrina, said Feingold, a co-sponsor of the amendment along with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., “much of the flooding possibly could have been avoided” because important problems in the levees likely would have been discovered.

The Corps historically has operated with little oversight except from a small number of lawmakers who control its budget, allowing?EUR??,,????'??+according to its critics?EUR??,,????'??+ wasteful spending and a failure to focus on projects posing the greatest flooding risks.