DENVER (AP) - Democratic lawmakers said they believe Congress can pass a package of financial flood aid for Iowa by the end of September.

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin told the Des Moines Register that they are committed to taking up disaster relief when Congress reconvenes after the August recess.

Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, declined to estimate the amount of money Iowa could expect in aid for housing, roads, levees and agriculture. Iowa Gov. Chet Culver has put the figure as perhaps exceeding $5 billion.

"I think it can be, and I hope it will be a priority of the administration. I know it's a priority of the Democrats in the Senate," he told reporters after a breakfast meeting with Iowa delegates.

Pelosi is scheduled to tour flood damage in Iowa on Sept. 8, with visits to visit Des Moines, Waterloo and Cedar Falls.

She made the plans after huddling briefly with U.S. Reps. Leonard Boswell, Bruce Braley and Dave Loebsack, whose districts include the cities.

A first phase of flood aid totaling $2.65 billion was passed by Congress and signed by President Bush in June, not all of which was earmarked for Iowa.

Iowa Democrats also criticized the Bush administration for what they said was a slow turnaround to deliver money already allocated for the summer's disaster victims. Braley, of Waterloo, complained that requests for aid from Iowans were not being filled quickly enough by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

"We've been pushing the Bush administration including the HUD director to get the money out to Iowans who need it and that's been a big problem," Braley said. "It's coming from the administration, not from a lack of available funding."

HUD spokesman Stephen O'Halloran said the agency "remains fully committed to helping Iowans rebuild their communities. We have been working with the state since the initial $85 million allocation was made, and that will continue until Iowans have the resources to restore their communities."

O'Halloran said Iowa has requested a waiver "so that it can continue the recovery effort and reimburse itself for eligible recovery costs after the grant is made. HUD has granted similar waivers for other disaster recovery efforts in the past."