Providing for Consideration of H.Res.437, Establishing the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane...
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H. RES. 437, ESTABLISHING THE SELECT BIPARTISAN COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE THE PREPARATION FOR AND RESPONSE TO HURRICANE KATRINA -- (House of Representatives - September 15, 2005)
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Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to House Resolution 437. This resolution puts a partisan congressional committee in charge of the investigation.
The rule that has been offered does not allow for meaningful debate. It also does not allow for an amendment offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings) that would create an independent commission to investigate this catastrophe. I am also an original cosponsor of that amendment. Letting Congress investigate the government failures of Hurricane Katrina is like letting the fox guard the hen house. We are not protecting what we need to protect, and there will be a lot more questions than answers in the end.
More than ever, the last 2 weeks have shown that we need an independent assessment of what happened. Where did the Federal Government go wrong? What could the State and locals have done better? What happened to citizens' preparedness?
In my role as ranking member of the Committee on Homeland Security, I have looked for answers and have tried to put together a timeline of events. I am submitting with my statement today for the RECORD a timeline that the staff of the committee has put together for me showing what happened compiled from public sources. This document shows the complexity of the issues and the need for an independent assessment of what happened.
I do not understand the opposition from the other side of the aisle against creating an independent commission that the American people have asked for. It was done, with opposition from Republicans, after 9/11; it was done after Pearl Harbor; and after the Khobar Towers terrorist attacks. We have always had it. Indeed, the type of commission proposed by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings) and others has historically been used after large events that affect the country. Why not here? What does Congress want to protect? What is Congress trying to hide?
After 9/11, Congress did the right thing. On September 20, they sent the largest contingent ever to travel to New York City to view the devastation of the World Trade Center and console the families of the victims. It has been nearly 3 weeks since Hurricane Katrina hit the gulf Coast, and there have been no official congressional delegations to the region.
Mr. Speaker, what do we have to hide? Indeed, I have twice requested the Committee on Homeland Security to travel to the area and was refused. I was told that it did not make good sense for Congress to go down and conduct oversight and fact-finding missions at the time. Yet we went to New York, but now we cannot go to my area of the country.
Now we want Congress to take charge of this investigation. For the good of the Nation, let us put aside partisan politics and not create a strawman committee. I encourage a vote against the rule so we can consider the independent commission option, give it a vote and let the American people know we are listening to their requests.
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