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U.S.
Senator Member of the Agriculture, Energy and Veterans Affairs
Committees |
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For Immediate
Release September 6, 2005 |
CONTACT: Cody Wertz – Press Secretary 202-228-3630 Jen Clanahan – Deputy Press Secretary 303-455-7600 |
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| SEN. SALAZAR ASKS PRES. BUSH TO SEEK FEMA DIRECTOR’S RESIGNATION
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to his failure to prepare emergency services even though information was presented outlining the probable affects of Hurricane Katrina, U.S. Senator Ken Salazar sent a letter to President Bush requesting he seek the resignation of Mr. Michael Brown, Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Included below is the letter Senator Salazar sent to President Bush today:
The President Dear Mr. President: I am writing to request that you seek the resignation of Mr. Michael Brown, Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and immediately replace him with someone with the experience and expertise that this challenge demands. I have been very concerned about the federal government’s reaction to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. Nothing, however, has concerned me as much as the efforts of Mr. Brown. In particular, I was surprised by his unfortunate statements that seemed to suggest that some of the victims of Hurricane Katrina were responsible for their own suffering because they did not evacuate the affected areas. As we all now know, many of those individuals simply could not, for a variety of reasons, evacuate. Earlier this morning, however, I confirmed something which leads me to conclude that Mr. Brown should no longer remain in this important job. Specifically, Mr. Brown represented to the public that he could not have imagined the levees being breached in New Orleans, even though he had been briefed by federal government experts nearly a day and a half before Hurricane Katrina made landfall that those levees could indeed be breached by the hurricane surge. Having received such information, Mr. Brown should have acted more quickly than he did – and should not have suggested to the American public that he was given contrary information. In the interests of accountability as well as sending a message to the affected Gulf States, I urge you to seek Mr. Brown’s resignation.
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