[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 116 (Thursday, September 15, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H7962-H7963]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1015
 NEED TO CREATE AN INDEPENDENT COMMISSION TO EXAMINE HURRICANE KATRINA

  (Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, later today the House 
will have under consideration legislation to create a select bipartisan 
committee to investigate the preparation and response to Hurricane 
Katrina. This would be a good commission if, in fact, it was 
bipartisan. But it is not bipartisan in the sense that both parties do 
not have equal access to the information or subpoena power or equal 
numbers on the committee to do the investigation.
  Therefore, what we really need is a 9/11-type commission. The public 
overwhelmingly supports a 9/11 commission, an independent commission to

[[Page H7963]]

look at what the failures were that led to the devastation of Hurricane 
Katrina, an independent commission that can look at the administration, 
can look at the Congress of the United States, because both bodies, 
both entities, made decisions.
  The Republican leadership in the administration, the Republican 
leadership in the Congress made decisions about resources, about 
talent, about personnel, about the deployments and all of the rest of 
this.
  The idea now that they can come and investigate themselves, and they 
alone can hold the subpoena power, is a horrible mistake on behalf of 
the victims of Katrina and the American people. It should be rejected, 
and we should have a 9/11-type commission.

                          ____________________