But the actual effect, according to Glenn Pascall, an economist, has been to enfeeble King County, the only body in the greater Seattle area with the geographic scope to deal effectively with transport and other regional issues.
Save the Children is another organization already hard at work in the Moore, Oklahoma, area and is ready to respond to the now widened scope of damage and people in need.
Lawmakers from both parties are also wary of losing more control over decisions on the scope and pace of infrastructure development, a key area of federal spending that they can direct to their states and districts.