GOP congressmen agree to boost hurricane relief aid by $29 billion

WASHINGTON -- Congressional Republicans agreed Saturday on $29billion in additional aid for the victims of Hurricane Katrina andthe other powerful storms that lashed the United States this year,far more than the Bush administration proposed earlier this fall.

"We have a good agreement," said Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour,who has patrolled the Capitol for days in an effort to coax as muchmoney as possible from lawmakers eager to adjourn for the year.

Officials stressed the additional funds would not add to federaldeficits, a priority for conservative lawmakers. They said thehurricane relief, as well as an additional $3.8 billion to helpprepare for an outbreak of …