[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 1546]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   POINTING FINGERS WHILE ROME BURNS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that, while 
Rome burns, the administration spends its days pointing fingers at each 
other. As the continuing disaster in the Gulf region continues to burn 
and to fuel its own fire, we now have administration officials, both ex 
and those who are still in office, raising the question of who knew 
what when, while those of us in the Gulf region, in Texas, Louisiana, 
Mississippi and Alabama, are continuing to contend with the tragedy of 
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In fact, there are 44 States around the 
Nation where Katrina survivors languish without opportunities to return 
home.
  Rather than the administration having real concrete solutions, such 
as the right of return to the region, where FEMA provides a return 
ticket to all those families who are desiring to come and be reunited 
with their family members or to come home, there is no answer at the 
end. Rather than offering non-concrete solutions, solutions that are 
just whitewashing, of course, the administration protects its own.
  They protect Secretary Chertoff, who for one was not in charge, not 
because former FEMA Director Brown said so, but because I know so. 
Because within 2 days of the storm, I dialed, as a member of the 
Homeland Security Committee, Secretary Chertoff's number over and over 
again. As someone familiar with the region, I understood that disaster 
was at hand. You could not get one return phone call from the Secretary 
to a member of the Homeland Security Committee.
  It might be that I was a Democrat and therefore did not count. But 
thousands upon thousands of people were being sent to their death if 
they could not get any additional help. We lost 1,000-plus. There are 
4,000 still missing, and there has been no definitive response from 
this administration.
  Testimony of former FEMA Director Brown in the last 48 hours has 
indicated that this administration, along with the President of the 
United States, well knew that the levees were spilling over. They knew 
how catastrophic the storm was going to be 48 hours out, and it was 
sufficient time for this administration to call for military resources 
and other resources. We know that there were deployed military vessels 
off the coast that could have provided for evacuation of thousands upon 
thousands of individuals. We also know that no response was given. In 
fact, according to the testimony, under oath I understand, of former 
Director Brown, one of the staff persons of the FEMA office flew over 
the levees and saw them spilling over.
  The irony of all this the response was ``we didn't know whether it 
was just a leak or whether or not the levees had broken.'' My friends, 
there are those who can drown in a teaspoon of water. The fact that the 
water was spilling over was enough reason for them to act.
  What about the aftermath? What about the fact that now in Hope, 
Arkansas, isn't it interesting, quite funny, if you will, hope, hope 
and dreams of Americans, in Hope, Arkansas, 10,000, 10,000 mobile homes 
are now languishing in disaster. $431 million was spent for these 
mobile homes that are now sitting there, the wrong size, sinking in the 
mud. And now, in addition, adding insult to injury, the $431 million, 
which no one knows whether there was any bid criteria, any criteria 
whatsoever for the purchase of these particular mobile homes, was there 
any bidding, was this a no-bid contract, was this another waste of 
money from the taxpayers, by FEMA, these homes are now languishing in 
Hope, Arkansas, as indicated by our colleague from Arkansas, 
languishing there, not being able to be utilized by the thousands who, 
one, want to come home and, two, are in the region.
  Mr. Speaker, it is both a crime and it is a shame. As I said earlier, 
Rome is burning. The administration was at fault, Secretary Chertoff 
was at fault, as were all of those who sat and did nothing while people 
died.
  It is imperative that we not whitewash the House of Representatives 
report, that we have a full 9/11 inquiry report and that we immediately 
address the question of removing FEMA from the Homeland Security 
Department and making it a full, free-standing department.
  Unlike Mr. Brown, I am not interested in pitting natural disasters 
against man-made disasters. 9/11 stands as a horrific disaster in the 
history of America. What I am looking forward to is that they stand 
equal in the eyes of this administration, equal in the eyes of 
resources, equal in the eyes of Americans being able to count when they 
are in need that there will be the Federal Government to provide them 
with resources, to provide them with assistance.
  All of this name calling and finger pointing and who was in charge 
and who was not gives no comfort to those who are still suffering, such 
as Alvin, who is not getting any money for rebuilding his house.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe Mr. Chertoff should be held accountable and, 
if necessary, should resign; and, likewise, FEMA should be moved out 
into an independent, free-standing department.

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