[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 111 (Thursday, September 8, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S9744]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        OPENNESS IS BEST POLICY

  Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, I echo some of the remarks the Democratic 
leader made. I am about to leave this Chamber to go to a behind-closed-
doors hearing of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
Affairs with the acting director of operations for FEMA and the 
Commandant of the Coast Guard. I am told that the chairman of the 
committee, the distinguished Senator from Maine, and the ranking member 
from Connecticut tried to get this hearing in public but that the 
administration officials would not appear in a public session. I think 
the public deserves to and would benefit from hearing these people with 
key roles in this recovery effort.
  Similarly, on Tuesday evening, a majority of us in the Senate met 
with 10 members of the Cabinet, 10 Secretaries--all of them had 
important things to say--as well as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of 
Staff and the head of the Coast Guard. That briefing should have been 
in a public setting. There was not a single remark made by anyone that 
was not unclassified and should not have been available to all of the 
people of this country, certainly those who are most beleaguered, who 
are looking for answers to the questions that the Democratic leader and 
others on both sides of the aisle have raised.
  We had a brief time for questions. We were not able to ask those 
questions of the administration officials in a public setting before 
the American people. Yet the President is coming forth now with a 
second request for funding, $51.8 billion on top of the $10.5 billion 
the Senate and the House passed last week. These matters are moving 
swiftly. We are told by FEMA that the burn rate--only in the Federal 
Government would the spending of taxpayer money of $2 billion a day be 
called a burn rate, but the FEMA director has said they are spending $2 
billion a day. That is why we have to have a second supplemental before 
this body in less than 2 weeks.
  I understand the need to move quickly, but I have been in this body 
all week. We could have come back last week. We have not had a single 
public hearing on any of these matters, I am told, because the 
administration officials will not appear in public before these 
committees to answer questions before us and before the American 
people. I find that to be unacceptable.
  The administration has a responsibility to come before us in public 
hearings and public sessions and present their testimony but then 
answer our questions. Give us a chance to ask and for them to answer 
the questions that are on the minds of millions of Americans these 
days. We have a right to public hearings before we expend another $51.8 
billion of public money.
  The administration has that responsibility, I believe, and I ask that 
the distinguished majority leader of the Senate insist in his 
discussions with the administration--and I am quite confident that the 
Democratic leader and all of our caucus would support this--that these 
hearings and briefings be in public settings before the American people 
and not behind closed doors. If we are going to work together in a 
bipartisan way, let us do so. Let us begin that work now in public 
sessions. I challenge the administration officials to come before us in 
those settings.
  I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. DeMint). The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, what is the regular order?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. There is 14 minutes remaining in morning 
business under the control of the majority.

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