Obama Inauguration Causes State of Emergency

Guess who gets to pay? -- As the Obama team went into damage control over Geither, President Bush declared a state of emergency in Washington - because so many people were expected to attend the inauguration. In doing so he paved the way for unlimited funding to be released to those local authorities responsible for staging the event.A president mostly uses the power to declare a state of emergency during a crisis, such as a hurricane or other natural disaster.The bulk of the cost for the event will be on security with more than 10,000 police and troops forming a ring of steel around Washington DC.Obama has managed to raise £30m towards the cost of the event with a host of Hollywood stars, including Sharon Stone and Halle Berry, contributing the maximum amount of £33,000. A spokesman for Obama said they wanted as many people as possible to be able to witness the event.But it will be the US taxpayer who picks up the main part of the bill to cover security and transport costs.Officials in Washington DC and neighbouring states have sent a request to Congress for £50m to cover a variety of inaugural costs.