Executive Session

EXECUTIVE SESSION

DISASTER ASSISTANCE

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, it is very clear from Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Katrina that America is now learning how to be prepared for disasters. Many more positive things happened as a result of the threat of Hurricane Rita than happened just a few weeks before in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. We now know that it is not a question of pointing the finger of blame, but those of us in leadership in Washington need to get to the bottom of this--not so we can decide who was wrong in days gone by but, frankly, to make sure this doesn't happen again.

The American people do not want to know who wins the game of ``gotcha'' here; they want to know if America is ready for the next disaster. We were clearly not prepared for Hurricane Katrina. The scenes we all saw night and day on television of helpless victims in New Orleans and other communities remind us over and over again that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was not prepared for this challenge. We came to that realization when Mr. Brown was asked to leave FEMA. I believe that was the right decision.

But I was stunned to learn that he is still on the payroll. It is hard to imagine that this man who was at FEMA with such a thin résumé and such limited experiences dealing with disasters was asked to leave and be replaced and then continues on as a consultant to FEMA. He is going to be scrutinized today by a panel in the House of Representatives that may ask him some questions about what he did. The first thing they should ask him is by what standard is he still on the Federal payroll. Why is this man still being paid by the Federal Government? The administration clearly cannot investigate itself when it comes to Hurricane Katrina, and this decision to keep Mr. Brown on the payroll reflects on what he did in the past but, more importantly, what he might do in the future. He doesn't have the skill set needed for the disasters that could come as soon as tomorrow. Why is he still there? I don't believe this is the right way to approach a natural disaster or a terrorist disaster. We need to put people in place who understand how to deal with it.

I believe the President was right in removing Mr. Brown and putting in his place Commander Allen from the Coast Guard. I have met with him in New Orleans. He is a man who apparently takes control of the situation and does it very well, and I believe we should give him a chance to lead--to make certain that we handle that past disaster but also that we are prepared for the next one.

But this is a recurring problem. It isn't just a question of Michael Brown being replaced by Commander Allen. It is a question of whether there are people in other key spots in this Government who do not have the qualifications to lead.

Make no mistake about it: Every President brings in people of their own political persuasion and friendship. This happened from time immemorial. It is understandable that sometimes these people do an excellent job. I can recall when President Clinton suggested that Jamie Lee Witt from Arkansas, his emergency management director, was coming up to run FEMA in Washington. I want to tell you that when I heard that, I thought: Here we go again, an old political friend is going to come up here and run this important agency. This could be awful. I am happy to report I was wrong. Jamie Lee Witt did an extraordinary job. I never heard a word of criticism about the job he did for 8 years in Washington. He had skills, extraordinary skills, and brought them to the job. But we need at this moment in time to ask critical questions as to whether there are men and women in this administration such as Michael Brown who are not prepared to deal with the next challenge to the United States.

I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the RECORD an article from Time magazine of this week entitled ``How Many More Mike Browns Are Out There?''

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
[From TIME Magazine, Sep. 25, 2005]

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I will tell you, when we hear about the contracts that are being let for Hurricane Katrina and other natural disasters, it raises similar questions. Just last week, the head of procurement in the White House, Mr. Safavian, was arrested. He was the top man in the White House when it came to procurement and contracts. Because of some misrepresentations that he apparently made--it has been alleged that he made these misrepresentations--he has been asked to step down from this spot in the White House.

But we have to ask about the contracts that are being let now for Hurricane Katrina. The Senate and House approved some $60 billion for emergency aid. So far, 80 percent of the contracts that FEMA has let are no-bid contracts. They have just awarded them to companies without any competitive bidding whatsoever.

The New York Times on September 26 said as follows:

More than 80 percent of the $1.5 billion of contracts signed by FEMA alone were awarded without bidding, or with limited competition, government records show, provoking concerns among auditors and government officials about the potential for favoritism and abuse. Already questions have been asked about the political connection of major contracts.

And the article goes on:

Questions are being raised as to whether this money is actually going to the victims and is actually being well spent. It raises a question of compensation, not just to make certain these victims and communities get back on their feet as quickly as possible but to make certain we are prepared for the next disaster that may face the United States. We have seen and read of serious problems which have occurred with Hurricane Katrina. Some of the same occurred with Hurricane Rita.

In Texas, in Express News on September 26, it is written that:

Jefferson County Texas Judge Carl Griffith said the county has encountered problems gaining access to troops, equipment and supplies needed to help rebuild the storm-battered region. The judge said local authorities weren't able to use about 50 generators the State had prepositioned at an entertainment complex until late Sunday night because no clearance had been given to release them. Mr. Johnson, Jefferson County Administrator, said he had asked for generators to supply power to St. Elizabeth's Hospital and was told there were none available. Then he said, ``I had to show the FEMA representatives the generators were sitting in the parking lot.''

So there clearly is a need for us to increase the level of competency and performance when it comes to dealing with these disasters.

The bottom line is this: If we want to find out what went wrong and learn how to avoid it in the future, there is one thing that we can do and do now as a Congress which will reach that goal--an independent, nonpartisan commission, not a commission created by Republicans or Democrats in Congress of their own Members, nor an investigation initiated by the administration to look at wrongdoing that it might have committed itself, but an independent, nonpartisan commission. Some have argued against it, saying we waited a year for the 9/11 Commission, why shouldn't we wait a year to look into the problems of Katrina? We waited a year because the White House opposed the creation of that Commission. Ultimately, it was created and did a great service to this country.

The force that kept the 9/11 Commission moving--this independent, nonpartisan commission--was the families who were victims of 9/11. That same force needs to come forward here. The victims of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita should be the moving force for the creation of an independent, nonpartisan commission.

The Republican leadership in Congress and the Democratic leadership in Congress should acknowledge the obvious: If we are going to get clear answers as to what went wrong so those mistakes will not be made again, we need an independent, nonpartisan commission. We shouldn't be fearful of them. If they point a finger of blame at Congress, so be it. If they point a finger of blame at State and local leaders, so be it. The important thing is not who was wrong before, the important thing is let us make certain that America is safe in the future.

I yield the floor.

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