DeLauro: We Need Accountability for Katrina Failures, Secretary Michael Chertoff Must Resign

DeLauro: We Need Accountability for Katrina Failures, Secretary Michael Chertoff Must Resign

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (Conn.-3) today called on the Bush Administration to provide accountability in the wake of Hurricane Katrina by calling for the resignation of Homeland Security Department Secretary Michael Chertoff. The secretary has come under fire for his lack of preparedness before the storm and is today facing questions about his department's actions from the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.

"As Homeland Security Secretary, Mr. Chertoff was responsible for overseeing FEMA's response to Hurricane Katrina. New details of the department's preparations in the days leading up to and immediately following the storm prove both he and FEMA Director Michael Brown failed to understand the urgency of this catastrophe - the worst natural disaster in our nation's history. With 1,300 people dead, thousands displaced, billions of dollars in damage to the Gulf Coast, and billions of dollars mismanaged, we must demand accountability. Secretary Chertoff's lack of attention to the Katrina disaster reveals an arrogance and incompetence that is unacceptable for the agency that Americans depend upon to protect our shores.

"Allowing Secretary Chertoff to continue to run the Department of Homeland Security would be a serious error in judgment and failure of leadership by President Bush. If Secretary Chertoff does not resign, the president must set aside personal loyalty and do the right thing for the American people by firing him."

http://www.house.gov/delauro/press/2006/February/chertoff_resign_2_15_06.html