February 15, 2006
“Yesterday, the House released an incomplete report on Hurricane Katrina. It only confirms what we’ve always known, that the administration ignored the people of the Gulf Coast.
“But this report doesn’t get at the larger questions like why the levees in New Orleans failed, who’s accountable, and how do we ensure that it doesn’t happen again. And that’s why I agree with my Democratic colleagues, we must have a 9/11-style independent commission.
“We’re here today highlighting not only the failures of the Bush administration in preparation and response to the disastrous hurricanes, but also the inadequacy of the administration’s plan to rebuild the region.
“Let me say that the Congressional Black Caucus has been active legislatively and we have been in regular contact with the people of the Gulf Coast region. We are in the planning stages of scheduling another visit to the region and holding a hearing in Washington around our legislation and related topics.
“We will also be holding the people in decision-making positions, like the President, Secretary Chertoff, the FEMA director and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the Congressional leadership in the House and Senate accountable for their actions.
“Last month I had the opportunity to tour New Orleans and parts of Mississippi and participate in two field hearings as a member of the House Financial Services Committee Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity.
“We heard from the Mayor of New Orleans, and the office of the Governor of Mississippi, and we heard about mismanagement and delays at FEMA and HUD.
“Most importantly, we heard directly from affected people who were struggling to rebuild their lives and wade through complex bureaucratic rules and regulations surrounding the emergency assistance.
“Folks want electricity, trash pick up, phone service, their roofs repaired, the mold in their homes removed, food on the table, a way to earn a living, and a way to get their lives back.
“It’s outrageous that six months since Katrina hit, the Federal government doesn’t have a recovery plan in place yet. We can’t afford to wait another six months.
“Last November the under the leadership of Chairman Watt, the Congressional Black Caucus put together H.R. 4197, a bill that has all the elements necessary to get this recovery process started right now. We need to work together to get that bill on the agenda and to get it passed.
“We need to ensure right now—not tomorrow, but today—that the Mayor of New Orleans, and mayors throughout the gulf know where their citizens are.
“We need to ensure that the homeless know about and are receiving Katrina disaster assistance right now.
“We need to incorporate mental health services in HUD and FEMA assistance programs right now.
“We need to aggressively enforce the fair housing act right now to prevent discrimination based on race and disability.
“We need to fight outrageous price gouging in the gulf coast that’s pricing people out of their homes right now.
“We need to ensure access to food stamps right now, and we have to competitively rebid FEMA’s no-bid contracts right now to ensure that the people were affected by the hurricanes are the ones who actually benefit.
“We need to get the people of New Orleans and the entire Gulf Coast back on their feet again. Right now.”
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Barbara Lee, Colleagues Respond to Report on Katrina Failures, Call for Independent Investigation, Quick Action on Recovery Bill
(Washington, DC) – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) joined members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) to respond to a recent Congressional report on the failures of the government’s response to hurricane Katrina at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol today. Lee and members of the CBC, CHC and CAPAC condemned the report on Katrina response as inadequate, called for an independent commission to investigate, and insisted that Congress move quickly to consider gulf coast recovery legislation drafted by the CBC. The following is Congresswoman Lee’s statement:“Yesterday, the House released an incomplete report on Hurricane Katrina. It only confirms what we’ve always known, that the administration ignored the people of the Gulf Coast.
“But this report doesn’t get at the larger questions like why the levees in New Orleans failed, who’s accountable, and how do we ensure that it doesn’t happen again. And that’s why I agree with my Democratic colleagues, we must have a 9/11-style independent commission.
“We’re here today highlighting not only the failures of the Bush administration in preparation and response to the disastrous hurricanes, but also the inadequacy of the administration’s plan to rebuild the region.
“Let me say that the Congressional Black Caucus has been active legislatively and we have been in regular contact with the people of the Gulf Coast region. We are in the planning stages of scheduling another visit to the region and holding a hearing in Washington around our legislation and related topics.
“We will also be holding the people in decision-making positions, like the President, Secretary Chertoff, the FEMA director and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the Congressional leadership in the House and Senate accountable for their actions.
“Last month I had the opportunity to tour New Orleans and parts of Mississippi and participate in two field hearings as a member of the House Financial Services Committee Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity.
“We heard from the Mayor of New Orleans, and the office of the Governor of Mississippi, and we heard about mismanagement and delays at FEMA and HUD.
“Most importantly, we heard directly from affected people who were struggling to rebuild their lives and wade through complex bureaucratic rules and regulations surrounding the emergency assistance.
“Folks want electricity, trash pick up, phone service, their roofs repaired, the mold in their homes removed, food on the table, a way to earn a living, and a way to get their lives back.
“It’s outrageous that six months since Katrina hit, the Federal government doesn’t have a recovery plan in place yet. We can’t afford to wait another six months.
“Last November the under the leadership of Chairman Watt, the Congressional Black Caucus put together H.R. 4197, a bill that has all the elements necessary to get this recovery process started right now. We need to work together to get that bill on the agenda and to get it passed.
“We need to ensure right now—not tomorrow, but today—that the Mayor of New Orleans, and mayors throughout the gulf know where their citizens are.
“We need to ensure that the homeless know about and are receiving Katrina disaster assistance right now.
“We need to incorporate mental health services in HUD and FEMA assistance programs right now.
“We need to aggressively enforce the fair housing act right now to prevent discrimination based on race and disability.
“We need to fight outrageous price gouging in the gulf coast that’s pricing people out of their homes right now.
“We need to ensure access to food stamps right now, and we have to competitively rebid FEMA’s no-bid contracts right now to ensure that the people were affected by the hurricanes are the ones who actually benefit.
“We need to get the people of New Orleans and the entire Gulf Coast back on their feet again. Right now.”