[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Pages 20528-20532]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           HURRICANE KATRINA

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, in a few hours President Bush will speak 
to our Nation about Hurricane Katrina, a catastrophe that has 
devastated the gulf coast and left all Americans deeply shaken.
  For nearly a week, the entire world watched in horror as tens of 
thousands of American citizens trapped by the floodwaters pleaded for 
rescue, for food, water, and medicine. This didn't happen only in New 
Orleans. It happened in Slidell, in Jefferson Parish, in Pass 
Christian, LA, in Biloxi and Gulfport, MS, and countless other 
communities along the gulf coast. The devastation was so widespread.
  We watched in stunned disbelief--hard to imagine that we were viewing 
our country, our neighbors as a great American city was turned into a 
toxic lake by a disaster that had been predicted for years. We saw 
families clinging desperately to roofs, pleading to be rescued. People 
died trapped in the attics of their homes. Sick and elderly American 
citizens died, abandoned, in nursing homes. Babies died in their 
mothers' arms. Bodies floated in rivers and decomposed in plain view. 
The images we saw didn't even look like America. They looked like some 
foreign land. Yet we knew it was our America.
  We don't have any idea how many lives Katrina claimed. The numbers 
may reach hundreds, maybe thousands. We do know that Katrina was the 
greatest natural disaster America has ever experienced. One million of 
our fellow Americans have been displaced from their homes by this 
hurricane. Many lost their homes, their jobs, their communities, 
everything they owned. They are scattered today across America, living 
in emergency shelters, living with families and friends, and living 
with compassionate strangers. Many still don't know what has become of 
their family members, or whether they even survived.
  A short time ago, our leader, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, and 
Congresswoman Pelosi of California from the other Chamber, spoke about 
what they hoped to hear the President say tonight. I want to take a few 
minutes to talk about what I--and I believe many Americans--hope to 
hear from the President this evening.
  First, let me tell you what I hope the President will not say. I hope 
the President's message to America is not divisive and ideological. 
Some are counseling the President to pursue that course. The lead 
editorial in this morning's Wall Street Journal gives you a sense of 
what those words may be like. It tells the President to ``get back on 
the political and intellectual offensive'' as if we are in some kind of 
a political campaign here when it comes to dealing with this great 
tragedy.
  The solutions the Wall Street Journal proposes for New Orleans and 
the gulf coast are all out of the ``Ownership Society'' notebook--
vouchers for health care and education, tax credits, no sense of 
community, no sense of shared purpose. Remember the motto of this 
``Ownership Society'' that we hear from the Wall Street Journal. Their 
motto is to remember that we are all in this alone. But America knows 
better. That tone, those solutions, we have heard them so many times. 
When in doubt, the Wall Street

[[Page 20529]]

Journal camp and those who follow it attack the liberals, the trial 
lawyers, anyone with different ideas.
  Then, their ultimate universal solution for every catastrophe, every 
challenge and every problem: cut taxes on the rich. That is a cliche 
that will not work. It is a program that has failed. It is one that we 
shouldn't turn to.
  For the good of America, it is time to stop attacking these perceived 
political enemies and start attacking the real problems: incompetence, 
cronyism, poor planning, poverty, inadequate health care and housing, 
and overwhelmed schools.
  What do we need in America? What do we need from the President? Two 
words: unity and community.
  Two days ago, President Bush said he takes personal responsibility 
for the Federal Government's disastrous response to Hurricane Katrina. 
The Governor of Louisiana said the same thing yesterday. So be it. They 
have accepted responsibility.
  We need to know what happened. We need to know where we failed. But 
the finger-pointing should end as of today.
  I commend the President for acknowledging that the buck stops at the 
Oval Office. Harry Truman had that famous sign on his desk: ``The buck 
stops here.'' And the President, with his acknowledgment, said as much 
2 days ago.
  But responsibility is a word. What we need is accountability. 
Americans are united in our desire to help our fellow citizens, who 
have lost so much in this disaster, rebuild their lives and rebuild 
communities. It is in our national interest. More important, it is part 
of our national character. Americans do not turn their backs on their 
neighbors.
  We want answers about the future of the gulf coast. But we also want 
and deserve answers as to how this catastrophe unfolded--not to point 
fingers of blame but to make sure we understand the shortcomings of 
government at a moment when America needed it the most.
  Something terrible happened on the gulf coast. Government at all 
levels failed. The most basic test of government is to protect its 
people. Instead, we had unnecessary death, destruction, suffering, and 
loss. How could it happen in America?
  After the London subway bombings in July, we called for increased 
spending for rail security in this country. There was a vote on it, but 
the administration said no. They said rail security was the 
responsibility of State and local governments.
  In an interview with the Associated Press, Secretary Chertoff of the 
Department of Homeland Security explained that he could not focus on 
every threat. Then he said something which I am sure he regrets:

       The truth of the matter is, a fully loaded airplane with 
     jet fuel, a commercial airliner, has the capacity to kill 
     3,000 people. A bomb in a subway car may kill 30 people.

  I am certain the Secretary would like to be able to retract those 
words. Then he said:

       When you start to think about your priorities, you're going 
     to think about making sure you don't have a catastrophic 
     thing first.

  Those are the words of Secretary Chertoff after the London subway 
bombing. Those were his words 6 weeks before Hurricane Katrina.
  We are committed to the future of New Orleans and the gulf coast. But 
the American people also want to know what happened before and after 
Katrina hit. Why were we not prepared for such a catastrophe? How could 
our government at all levels have been so unprepared to respond? What 
did Congress do wrong? What did the Senate do wrong? What did each 
agency of government do wrong? What has been done with the billions of 
dollars we have spent on disaster preparedness since September 11?
  We have created a new agency, and we have brought new agencies from 
other parts of the government under that roof. We have tried to make it 
leaner and meaner and more effective. Yet when tested with Hurricane 
Katrina, it failed.
  If our government can't save us from a disaster that has been 
predicted for years--from a blip on the radar which was seen 48 hours 
before it caused any destruction in the gulf area how will this 
government save us from a terrorist attack with no warning whatever?
  Asking those questions is not ``playing the blame game.'' It is 
accountability. It puts a responsibility on my shoulders as a minority 
Member of the Senate as much as any other Member of the Senate.
  Hurricane Katrina has shaken our faith in our ability of the 
government to protect us. The only way to restore it is to get down to 
the bottom line and ask the hard questions.
  You may recall after September 11 there was a suggestion that we have 
an independent nonpartisan commission to analyze what went wrong. Why 
didn't our intelligence agencies gather the information to warn us in 
advance? There was resistance to that idea from the White House. Yet we 
pressed forward. And the motivating force behind it was not only 
popular opinion but the surviving families of those who died on 
September 11. Those husbands and wives and extended family members came 
together and forced the creation of the 9/11 Commission.
  We need another commission. We need an independent, nonpartisan 
commission in the mode and style of the 9/11 Commission. The force 
behind it should be the same: families coming together--those who have 
lost loved ones, those who have lost their homes and lost their 
communities--to demand of this government accountability at all levels: 
legislative, executive, local, State, and Federal.
  It is regrettable; we had a chance to do this yesterday. Senator 
Hillary Clinton of New York, who certainly understands the disaster of 
September 11, as does her colleague, Senator Schumer, said let's put 
together this Katrina commission, this independent, nonpartisan 
commission. Unfortunately, it failed on a party-line vote yesterday in 
the Senate.
  But that is not the end of the story. We will be back. We will be 
back with this commission proposal until we clearly do have an 
independent commission we can trust to analyze the situation.
  Wouldn't it be great tonight if the President, on national 
television, says he now understands we need a Katrina commission? And 
that it should be independent and nonpartisan, just like the 9/11 
Commission? That would be a great way to start.
  There will be an independent inquiry into Hurricane Katrina because 
the American people will demand it.
  I hope the President tonight will announce that he supports a bill 
that Republican chairman Susan Collins of Maine, and Democrat Senator 
Joe Lieberman of Connecticut have introduced to increase Federal 
funding for the special inspector general that monitors reconstruction 
in Iraq so that office can also oversee spending on Hurricane Katrina 
relief and reconstruction.
  The Katrina reconstruction effort will be the most ambitious Federal 
investment effort since the New Deal, the largest-ever Federal 
expenditure on a natural disaster. The special inspector general has 
the expertise and infrastructure in place now to monitor the billions 
of dollars of Federal funds that will be needed and make sure the 
taxpayers' dollars are not wasted.
  FEMA has never had a sum of money like $60 billion. Trust me, having 
seen government at work for many years, you have to get up to speed and 
you have to have accountability or money will be wasted. Victims will 
not be helped when they should be.
  In addition, Senators Obama, Carper, and Coburn have proposed their 
own idea, a creation of a chief financial officer to monitor financial 
management of the departments involved in Katrina reconstruction. I 
encourage the President to endorse this proposal, as well.
  We know that the $62 billion in emergency funds Congress has already 
approved for Katrina over the last two weeks is a down payment. We're 
told that the President tonight will ask for another $50 billion, and 
the final cost of this catastrophe could reach $200 billion--more than 
we have spent in 3 years in Iraq to date.
  Already we have heard troubling reports about contracts being awarded

[[Page 20530]]

for Katrina work. Listen to this headline from Monday's Wall Street 
Journal:

       No Bid Contracts Win Katrina Work. White House Uses 
     Practices Criticized in Iraq Rebuilding for Hurricane-Related 
     Jobs.

  That is a very disappointing headline. To think we would go down the 
same path of waste and abuse we have seen in Iraq now in our own 
country with Hurricane Katrina is unacceptable.
  The lead in the story says:

       The Bush Administration is importing many of the 
     contracting practices blamed for spending abuses in Iraq as 
     it begins the largest and costliest rebuilding effort in 
     United States history.

  This was printed in the Wall Street Journal in their news. It is not 
some political document. It is their analysis. The story says:

       The first large-scale contracts awarded to Hurricane 
     Katrina, as in Iraq, were awarded without competitive 
     building, using so-called `cost-plus' provisions that 
     guarantee contractors certain profits regardless of how much 
     they spend.

  The article quotes a contracting expert at George Washington 
University Law School who says:

       You can easily compare FEMA's internal resources to what 
     you saw in the early days of the Coalition Provisional 
     Authority in Iraq: A small, underfunded organization taking 
     on a Herculean task under tremendous time pressure. This is 
     almost by definition a recipe for disaster.

  Last week, the President signed an Executive order to cut the pay for 
construction workers on Katrina reconstruction projects. Think about 
that for a second.
  First, the wage scales in the South and Louisiana and Mississippi, in 
particular, are very low anyway. Imagine you were a construction worker 
and your home or community was devastated by Katrina. You are now 
trying to put your life and your family back together. You say to your 
family, ``the good news is I do construction work and, boy, we will 
need a lot of that.''
  The first thing the White House announces, ``we will cut that 
worker's pay.'' So the first thing we do for the workers who have lost 
their homes and lived through the devastation of Hurricane Katrina is 
to give them a smaller paycheck. Already, the wage scales are low in 
this part of the country. The White House wants to cut them to even 
lower levels.
  The Executive order waives the Davis-Bacon law of 1931. Interestingly 
enough, it is a provision in the law that is supported by management as 
well as labor to make certain that you have skilled and qualified 
workers building buildings and bridges and communities that will last 
and not fall apart.
  Construction workers in New Orleans earn an average of $10.31 an 
hour, which is 25 percent below the national average already. They are 
paid so low now they cannot afford what many workers can buy across 
America. Now President Bush wants to pay these workers, many of whom 
have to rebuild their homes and their lives from scratch, he wants to 
pay them even less. And the White House reportedly is going to do the 
same thing for service workers on Katrina construction projects.
  The first decision the President makes about Katrina reconstruction 
is to order a pay cut for workers who are trying desperately to rebuild 
their lives and support their families.
  But not everyone is being asked to sacrifice. Joe Allbaugh was 
President Bush's campaign manager in the year 2000. From there he 
became Director of FEMA under the President. Then he hired his old 
college roommate, Mike Brown, a familiar name to most Americans.
  Today, Mr. Allbaugh has left the Federal Government. He is a 
lobbyist. One of his clients, a company called the Shaw Group, has 
already received two $100 million no-bid contracts for Katrina work--
one from the Army Corps of Engineers to pump flood water out of New 
Orleans, and the other from FEMA for construction and management for 
emergency housing for Katrina victims.
  The Shaw Group has updated its Web site, and it reads ``Hurricane 
Recovery Projects--Apply Here!''
  Now, another one of Mr. Allbaugh's clients, Kellogg, Brown & Root 
Services, a subsidiary of--you guessed it--Halliburton, formally headed 
by Vice President Cheney, is doing repair work at Navy facilities in 
Mississippi damaged by Katrina. It received the contract for that work 
despite the fact that the Pentagon auditors have questioned hundreds of 
millions of dollars in charges for their work in Iraq. The same 
companies under investigation for ripping off taxpayers in Iraq are 
being awarded no-bid contracts for Katrina.
  The President would serve the Nation well tonight if he says that we 
are going to put an end to this daisy chain of favorable contracts to 
old friends. It would be better if he would say that we are going to 
focus on making sure that taxpayers get the most for the money that is 
being spent on this reconstruction, and also that we are going to help 
the displaced workers in the region first--not well-connected private 
contractors. We want to make certain those workers struggling to put 
their lives back together are the highest priority for Katrina 
reconstruction work.
  If workers need the training to take on the jobs, they should get it. 
They should be paid a decent wage for their labor, not a dime less.
  State and local governments should receive priority over private 
contractors. And when private contractors are used for Katrina cleanup 
and reconstruction, we need strict oversight for every single dollar.
  Katrina is a national tragedy. It shouldn't be an opportunity for 
profiteering.
  There are other things we hope to hear from the President.
  Yesterday, the cochairman of the independent September 11 Commission 
released a report showing most of its important recommendations still 
have not been implemented 4 years after September 11.
  According to Gov. Tom Kean, the Republican Governor of New Jersey who 
was chair of this Commission:

       The same mistakes made on September 11 were made over again 
     [in Hurricane Katrina], in some cases even worse.

  Americans want to hear from their President how their Government 
intends to ensure that we are as protected as we can be from terrorist 
attacks, natural disasters, and other potential catastrophes, such as 
nuclear accidents and disease outbreaks, we are going to get it right.
  Americans want to know that the National Guard has what it needs to 
respond to emergencies at home.
  I asked a question the other day of the Secretary of Defense. I am 
not sure he was happy with it. But I asked him: How far can we stretch 
the National Guard? In my State, 70 percent of the National Guard men 
and women have already served in Iraq or are currently serving there.
  Now, of those who have come home, 1 out of every 10 are headed to the 
gulf coast. Many of them returned from Iraq a few months ago. They were 
getting reacquainted with their families and rebuilding their lives, 
taking care of their homes and undertaking new responsibilities in 
their communities, new jobs.
  Now, with that spirit of voluntarism, they have stepped forward. But 
the obvious question is: How many times can we ask the National Guard 
to rise to this national challenge? How are we going to meet the 
recruiting goals when we are asking so much of these men and women?
  Guardsmen, Coast Guard members, and so many others have been the 
heroes of Hurricane Katrina. They have saved thousands and thousands of 
lives, at great risk. But the Guard's efforts were hampered by the fact 
that 3,000 Guard members from Louisiana and 4,000 from Mississippi were 
in Iraq, with their equipment, their humvees, their trucks, their 
helicopters.
  The Army National Guard was woefully underequipped before the Iraq 
war started. It had only 75 percent of the equipment it needed. Today, 
more than half of the National Guard's equipment is either overseas or 
in need of major repair.
  Now, we are watching Hurricane Ophelia off the coast of North 
Carolina. We pray it will not cause anywhere

[[Page 20531]]

near the damage that it might. But we are positioning emergency 
personnel and the National Guard to respond.
  Time and time and time again, we turn to our National Guard men and 
women. The obvious question is: How often can we ask them to perform 
this heroism? I think that is a legitimate question to ask this 
administration. When disaster strikes, the Guard is forced to move its 
people and equipment from farther away. As it does, it takes precious 
time and delays response.
  The Guard estimates its equipment needs at $14 billion today to 
upgrade the equipment of the National Guard to where it needs to be. 
The President's budget recommendation, is it $14 billion for National 
Guard equipment? It is $1 billion. So we are not preparing homeland 
security by equipping the National Guard with what they need today.
  National Guard members do not lack for courage or commitment. They 
lack for equipment. The President should tell the American people 
tonight that he plans to ensure that the National Guard has what it 
needs to protect us at home.
  Let me move to another issue that is affecting families and 
businesses across America. The average price of gasoline today is $1.40 
higher than it was 4 years ago; for a gallon of gas, $1.40 more. Oil 
companies are announcing record profits. According to the Boston 
Herald, ExxonMobil is set to announce $10 billion in profits this 
quarter, after almost $8 billion in profits for the last quarter. They 
are making $110 million a day, and you know it because when you fill up 
your gas tank, you take a look at what you are paying. This money, 
frankly, is far in excess of what you should have to pay. These 
companies have had more in profits and more in net income than any 
companies in recent history in our country.
  In Illinois, and across America, families have opened up their 
wallets for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. They should not have 
their pockets picked by a group of greedy oil companies.
  Tonight, America wants to hear from President Bush the steps he is 
going to take to protect America's families and businesses from unfair 
price gouging by oil companies. I certainly hope the President is 
willing to take them on. What steps will the President support to 
develop alternative fuels so we can reduce our dependence on foreign 
oil? What can our Nation do to make certain we do not have to walk hand 
in hand with Saudi sheiks begging them for their oil for our economy? I 
hope the President will address that this evening.
  Americans also want to hear President Bush explain how we are going 
to pay for the reconstruction of the gulf coast without shortchanging 
important national priorities and without burying our children and 
grandchildren in debt.
  In the 1990s, under President Clinton, we eliminated the Federal 
deficit. The Government was running a surplus. And we were actually 
paying down the national debt so our kids' mortgage, our national 
mortgage would be lower.
  In the last 4 years, under President Bush's watch, our national debt 
has increased by $3 trillion. That is a 50-percent increase in the 
cumulative debt of America's entire history--50 percent under President 
Bush.
  The Federal Government has to borrow $2 billion every morning just to 
keep operating. Some are predicting the cost of Hurricane Katrina could 
push the deficit up to $400 billion this year. We are looking at a 
flood of red ink this year and for years to come.
  Yet, incredibly, there are those who think our top priority now 
should be cutting taxes for wealthy Americans. Imagine, no President in 
our history ever, of any administration, has cut taxes in the midst of 
a war.
  This President continues to cut taxes as our deficits reach historic 
levels. And now, with Hurricane Katrina, we still hear Republicans on 
the other side of the aisle saying: Well, we have to give a tax break 
to the wealthiest Americans by eliminating the estate tax.
  Accountability means responsibility. It means leadership. Tonight, 
when the President speaks to the Nation, he should announce he will 
refuse to sign any bill eliminating the estate tax or any other tax cut 
that provides a windfall for the very wealthiest among us, until we 
provide it for the neediest among us, the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
  Let me conclude by reminding my colleagues of a statement of Bill 
Cohen. Bill is a former Republican Senator from Maine and former 
Secretary of Defense under President Clinton. Here is what he said. 
This is ``the Cohen Rule'':

       Government is the enemy--until you need a friend.

  The other day I read a variation of this rule. It was said by Senator 
Trent Lott, who is viewed as a very conservative Republican in this 
Chamber. Here is what Senator Trent Lott said:

       You're a fiscal conservative--until you get hit with a 
     natural disaster.

  In addition to houses and lives, one of the things swept away by 
Hurricane Katrina for many Americans was the myth of this ``ownership 
society,'' which we have heard from the most conservative think tanks 
in Washington and from this administration. That is the point of view 
that says that less Government is always better, and we are all better 
off when we watch out for ourselves and our own families only and don't 
worry about the other guy.
  For many of the victims of Hurricane Katrina, the only thing less 
Government meant was less protection. What Americans need is not 
necessarily less Government, but smarter Government. We need a 
Government that is strong enough to protect us overseas and protect us 
at home, a Government rooted in the most basic American moral values, a 
tradition that goes back to the earliest days of our Nation: banding 
together in times of need, to do for each other what none of us can do 
alone--using our common wealth for the common good.
  Americans want a Government that says: We are all in this together, 
not: We are all in this alone.
  We have seen so much heroism from so many people during Hurricane 
Katrina. We have seen the overwhelming kindness of Americans toward the 
survivors, the overwhelming, spontaneous outpouring of contributions 
from people across America--from the major corporations with their 
millions of dollars to the kids on the corner selling lemonade--all of 
them trying to do their part to help their neighbors, the most 
vulnerable in America, the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
  America is yearning for a leadership and a leader that will speak to 
that spirit of unity and community. We will listen closely tonight for 
it.
  The ``ownership society'' is not the right answer--it never was. Nor 
is using this national tragedy to try to divide Americans a good idea, 
when we yearn to be drawn together, not pulled apart.
  We understand there are some challenges so enormous that none of us 
acting alone can meet them. We believe in sharing our blessings and our 
burdens. We believe in shared sacrifice.
  There was a story in the Washington Post last weekend, the headline 
was ``The Nation's Castaways.'' It was a story about some of the people 
who were left behind to fend for themselves in New Orleans when the 
floods came.
  The reporter described a man who felt so guilty about the pita bread, 
water, and juice that he looted from a Wal-Mart to feed his family that 
he kept a list, so he can pay it back later. ``I feel like an American 
again,'' the man said on TV after help finally began to arrive. ``I 
thought my country had abandoned me.''
  Government at all levels failed during Hurricane Katrina, and tens of 
thousands of Americans were left with that same terrible fear--that 
their country had abandoned them. But we know from experience that when 
Americans pull together, we can overcome any obstacle. We have done it 
so many times in our history.
  The urgent task facing the President tonight, and facing every leader 
in Government, facing every Senator, including this Senator, is to show 
the American people, not just in words but with actions, that we will 
not allow this tragedy to be repeated.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.

[[Page 20532]]

  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Chafee). The Senator from Minnesota.
  Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, I have come to the floor to join with the 
distinguished assistant Democratic leader in his conscientious and 
continuing concern for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
  I have seen the Senator from Illinois on the floor day after day, 
raising these questions, addressing these concerns. I understand 
tomorrow the Senator is going to New Orleans to tour the area 
personally, with Senate leadership, to see what needs to be done there 
to address the human suffering. I hear in his voice, and know from his 
longstanding commitment to the people of Illinois, the depth of his own 
heartfelt concern for their problems and his passion for their 
suffering and to do what we can, what we must, to address those 
problems.
  I look forward to hearing from the Senator next week, after his 
return from New Orleans and that area, as to what we can do more 
effectively--all of us as leaders in the Senate, all of us working 
together, all of us as Americans, not as Democrats or Republicans, not 
as partisans but as patriots--on behalf of all the people in need.
  I share his concern. What prompted me to come to the floor is I heard 
the Senator speaking about some of the difficulties in getting some of 
the necessary information in order to perform our responsibilities as 
Senators. I share that frustration, or at least let me express my own 
frustration because as a member of the Senate Committee on Homeland 
Security and Governmental Affairs which has, under the Senate's 
organizing resolution, the responsibility and the authority to oversee 
the Department of Homeland Security as well as FEMA, the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency, which is under that agency, I have been 
confounded and enormously dismayed by the unwillingness of the Senate 
Republican leadership to permit that committee to do what it is 
responsible to do, which is to hold oversight hearings and to 
understand what is happening, what is not happening down in that flood-
ravaged part of the country, and also to find out what must be done not 
to look at just failures--also, you hear about successes--not to point 
fingers of blame, but to exercise our oversight responsibility, 
particularly given that we have now, this body, at the President's 
request, appropriated almost $63 billion of taxpayers' money to address 
these critical emergency needs.
  I do not question the need to act quickly. And we have done so. But 
to deliver that much money--Federal taxpayers' dollars--to the 
responsible agencies without any oversight, without any questions asked 
or answers provided about what is being done with that money, and 
particularly to hear the Senator from Illinois describe published 
reports of sole-source contracting with organizations that have 
political connections with the President's former campaign manager, I 
find it to be shocking and appalling we have not exercised that 
responsibility.
  I would ask the leader, and others responsible for these decisions, 
about when we will be holding public hearings in that committee to 
authorize our proceeding to do so with those who are directly 
responsible for the recovery efforts.
  None of us wants to disrupt the recovery efforts in the southern part 
of the country. Lord knows, they have been disrupted enough already by 
what has failed to be done there, without any involvement by any of us. 
But I find it perplexing that Cabinet secretaries who have enough time 
to appear on Sunday talk shows and who are also clearly not in 
Louisiana or Mississippi day and night, 7 days and nights a week around 
the clock, have, while they are here in Washington, not a single hour 
available to appear before our committee in a public setting and answer 
the questions I have, that I know other members of the committee have, 
and that the American people have. We deserve--most importantly, the 
American people deserve--answers to these important questions.
  Yesterday, we had, after now 2\1/2\ weeks since those levees failed 
in New Orleans, the very first public hearing of this committee. We had 
a former Governor of California, a former mayor of Grand Forks, ND, a 
couple of other wonderful former public servants who have expertise 
from their own past experiences, but not a single one of the people on 
that panel had any responsibility for the public response to Hurricane 
Katrina. Similarly, not a single person with public responsibility for 
that response was willing to appear on that committee.
  It was 9 days ago that we had before a number of us Senators 10 
Cabinet secretaries, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the 
head of the National Guard to brief us on the situation right here in 
the Capitol, but they were not willing to appear in a public setting, 
even though there was not a single word spoken in that briefing that 
could not and should not have been witnessed and heard by the American 
people.
  A week ago we had the Director of Operations for FEMA and the Deputy 
Commandant of the Coast Guard appear before the Committee on Homeland 
Security and Government Affairs, but they would not appear in a public 
setting. The briefing was behind closed doors. The public and press 
could not witness what they had to say. We have not yet, on this 
committee or any other committee that I am aware of--certainly none on 
which I serve, including Armed Services--had a single administration 
official willing to appear before us in a public setting and provide us 
with the information we desire, to allow us to ask questions and to 
provide answers in front of the committee and the American people. I 
find that unacceptable.
  Again, I urge the Republican leadership of the Senate to authorize 
that committee to proceed as we are responsible to do, to join us and 
members of the committee, insist that the administration provide us 
their top officials. When they are not in New Orleans or Mississippi, 
when they are here in Washington, come up for an hour, an hour once, to 
begin with. Keep each of those Cabinet secretaries who were present 9 
days ago, ask each one of them to come up and tell us in a public 
setting what their agency is doing to respond, what do they need from 
us, whether it is funding, legislation, removal of regulations, 
restrictions--tell us what you need from us in order to be more 
responsive and more effective in the Federal response to the emergency 
that persists. Come before us in a public setting, as public officials, 
as those who are responsible for the Federal response. Let us ask the 
questions we must to fulfill our oversight responsibilities, and let's 
start providing some public answers to the American people.
  I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Bennett). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

                          ____________________