Posted on 09/03/2005 5:12:38 AM PDT by My Favorite Headache
Wexler: Bush Administration's Response to Hurricane Katrina a Disgrace
(Washington, D.C.) - Today, Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL) issued the following statement from the floor of the House of Representatives in response to President George Bush's failed handling in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina:
Mr. Speaker:
Like all Americans, my heart goes out to the millions of people displaced and suffering from one of the largest national catastrophe in our nation's history. I hope all the victims of Hurricane Katrina know that our prayers are with them in this most difficult hour. I strongly support today's initial aid package to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
However, the Administration's response to this catastrophe is nothing short of a national disgrace. How is it possible that the Administration did not realize earlier what a catastrophe this is? There is a 90,000 square-mile footprint of disaster; and yet, last night FEMA's director Michael Brown admitted that the Administration had no idea exactly how bad the situation was. Even worse, he had previously characterized the security situation in New Orleans as "pretty darn good" and stopped just short of blaming the residents of New Orleans themselves for not evacuating.
The Bush Administration failed the American people in advance of the hurricane by cutting critical funding in spite of pleas by the Army Corps of Engineers -- money that would have been used to reinforce the very levees that broke and flooded New Orleans. We had plenty of money to pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans but none to save the poorest Americans with an ounce of prevention.
And in terms of the response to the disaster itself, what we have seen there is unquestionably too little too late. While the President today said the relief efforts so far were "not acceptable," how can he possibly be surprised by this deplorable response? How can he say that the flooding wasn't anticipated? Quite to the contrary, it was expected. It was predicted. What is not acceptable is the President's response.
One year ago we had the opportunity to learn from the disasters in Florida. Floridians experienced the consequences of FEMA's failure to deliver aid to communities who needed it the most. We saw the most vulnerable in our society - the elderly and the poor - being left out or overlooked. Last year we had the opportunity to prevent this from happening again. At that time, I called for the resignation of FEMA head, Michael Brown because of his grievous mismanagement. The President did not heed that call, nor did he see fit to make any substantial changes in FEMA.
Last year, when the President's election was in question, his response to the hurricanes in the swing state of Florida was tremendously fast -- even passing out ice in the immediate aftermath. Where was he in the immediate aftermath for Gulf coast? Where were the trucks of food? Where were the water buffalo? Where were the tents of aid that are just now being established? The President and Congress dropped everything and flew back to Washington on Palm Sunday to intervene on behalf of Terri Schiavo. Why did the President delay so long for an entire American city in crisis? These are desperate people who need food, water, shelter and safety, not a photo op - which even itself comes 5 days late. Every asset of the American military in this hemisphere should have been devoted to America's humanitarian crisis starting on Monday at 5 PM.
I was in Aceh in Indonesia last month. I saw first-hand the greatness of the American aid efforts. Our response in the aftermath of the tsunami was one of America's finest hours. I was extremely proud as an American to see all the work our country had done to stave off famine and disease. Our aircraft carrier was off the Aceh coast within two days. If we can do that thousands of miles away in Indonesia, why not New Orleans? If we had even just met that same standard, help would have been in New Orleans on Wednesday. It should have been self-evident on Monday that now is the time to use our strength for the benefit of our own people.
Hurricane Katrina is another tragic wakeup call for America. After the immediate crisis has passed, we must create a national disaster fund. We must restructure FEMA. And, we must do more than talk about disaster preparedness. We must do everything possible to ensure that we are fully prepared for a national disaster and the possibility of a terrorist attack.
Congressman Wexler is a senior member of the House International Relations Committee and is a member of the House Judiciary Committee.
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Lale M. Mamaux Communications Director Office of Congressman Robert Wexler 213 Cannon House Office Building (202) 225- 3001 lale.mamaux@mail.house.gov
Yeah brilliant, have a power struggle while a killer hurricane approaches. You think the Governor and Mayor would have stepped aside quietly?
His little statement about paying for "tax cuts for the wealthiest" instead of taking care of the poor is opportunistic. I believe that opportunism during a national emergency is UNPATRIOTIC.
Resources mean diddly if the people who are tasked to use them properly are incompetant(i.e nagin and blanco).
The fact remains that the Feds were given a double whammy, the hurricane intself and the dictionary definition of a "dysfunctional city" even with no hurricane.
The buck stops with the NO and LA local and state govts.
You say "some 20 something black man pictured holding a sign and yelling "nobody's doing anything to help me and my family!"
Welfare checks aren't making it either, you know!
That's what this unprecedented barrage of lies and incitement is really about, folks.
The Dems in Louisiana are crude crooks and rabble-rousers, they have no capacity for dealing with any realtity, let alone a major disaster. They dropped the ball and they are trying to divert all attention to the far-away White House.
Huey Long owed his political career to the New Orleans flood of 1927.
want to know where all the Republican leaders are and why they are not countering these ridiculous statements - they let the Dems spout off day after day and say nothing to defend the President - they should be ashamed and I hope people remember this at the polls."
The only action by the RINOs will be to bash Bush also. I no longer consider myself a Republican because of the Party's unwillingness to stand up to the hysterical RATS.
teddy and Chucky will come out swinging tomorrow on the Sunday talk shows and then blood will be in the water. The lunatic RATS are controlling the airwaves globally thanks to the silence of the RINOS. The Republicans are unfit to lead.
Where is my Senator Howdy-Doody Lugar? I got a call from his re-election committee yesterday, and I'm certain they will never call my house again
Bush! Bush! Bush!
NOLA has dealt with hurricanes since its founding. Why haven't the local and regional governments developed better competency for dealing with this much predicted disaster? The NOLA government knows the makeup of its population. If there are tens of thousands too poor to afford transportation out of the city, why didn't the local government prepare for these services? Why are over one hundred NOLA school buses sitting in a flooded parking lot? Why weren't they used to evacuate some of the residents? Where was the food and sanitary supplies for the people dumped in the Superdome? Is this good planning or did the local officials not understand the severity of the approaching storm? They had access to the same weather forecasts as the Bush administration.
If the Bush administration was slow to respond to this disaster, I wonder how much of the delay was caused by over estimating the competence and preparedness of the local governments.
"Wexler isn't just a pantload, he's two pantloads and a matching vest."
Worse than knee deep! ;D!
"Yup, I'll remember it at the polls and will vote for a Republican over a Dumb-o-crat! As for the Republicans responding to the outrageous allegations and lies it will come in due time. Right now they are busy handling a disaster and and their actions speak louder then words!"
I primarily agree with you, except that not all Pubbies are handling the disaster and they need to get their hineys out there and start discussing what other Pubbies are doing and the failure of the NO Mayor and the Gov of LA. Otherwise, they're going to be more and more on the defense (as they often find themselves). They need to get out there on the offense for a change. I think they've tried to be Mr Nice-Guy and above the fray, like they ususally are, but it doesn't work w this. While I'll agree that there's plenty of time for finger pointing and blame later, the Dims have come out swinging and politicizing this and the Pubbies need to respond now.
Maybe because the attack was planned, and nothing was planned in NO thanks to their idiot mayor and Governor.
I can't remember the last time RINOs effectively and propmtly responded to the hysterics of the Left. Usually the hysterics are just repeated so much that they become truth.
Even during the 2004 election, the Swift Boats were the only ones fighting the SPIN machine.
2006 is going to be a Waterloo for the GOP.
Happiness would be finding the top-one-thousand Democrats in the country floating face down in the Potomac River.
Mrs. Wexluh's little boy Bobbie is a steaming turd....panderer to the Century Village prunes, blue-hairs and "greatest generation" entitlement whores.
I won't hold my breath while waiting for this to happen. For some reason, the GOP just can't handle the media and loudmouthed dem's. They have a very poor media/pr department.
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