Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I rise today to urge my colleagues to work with me and all those who support the belief that only through strong leadership will government be able to respond to the need of its citizens. This week, I participated in the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on dealing with the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. I want to share a statement made by the Honorable Dan Coody, Mayor of Fayetteville, Arkansas, who said:
I've always believed that any program or process will succeed or fail based on the leadership in that program. And I think that from the very top to the very bottom -- speaking at the micro level -- there needs to be a system put in place where we hire the most qualified, most knowledgeable people for the job -- that want to do the job -- and put them in a position where they can lead.
Mayor Coody's remarks underscored my expectations that federal agencies must be led by experienced and qualified senior leaders in order to ensure that agencies meet their mission. The same evening as our Committee hearing, I was privileged to present the 2005 Service to America Medal Federal Employee of the Year award to Orlando Figueroa, the Deputy Associate Administrator for Programs, Science Mission Directorate, at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Mr. Figueroa led the Mars Exploration Rover Project to success under technical challenges and time constraints. He and his team at the Mars Exploration Rover Project created a mobile science lab was used to conduct remote exploration on the surface of another plant, which allowed the exploration of regions beyond the original landing site. This fantastic accomplishment has produced a wealth of scientific discoveries revealing Mars as a potential habitat, and I told Mr. Figueroa that to me, these discoveries spark the imagination, fuel the human spirit, and inspire us to pursue even greater things. Mr. Figueroa exemplifies leadership.
The federal government is fortunate to have a cadre of career executives selected for their leadership, who are members of the Senior Executive Service (SES). To become a member of the SES, a candidate must possess the following five executive qualifications: leading change; leading people; being results driven; having business acumen; and building coalitions or having communication skills.
SES candidates demonstrate these qualifications through experience in key executive skills such as leading others to rapidly adjust organizational behavior and work methods; supervising and managing a diverse workforce; developing strategic human capital management plans; establishing performance standards and plans; managing the budgetary process; overseeing the allocation of financial resources; and developing and maintaining positive working relationships with internal groups and external groups such as Congress, the Office of Management and Budget, and the White House.
These qualifications and experiences help ensure that the federal government's senior executives have the ability to establish a clear vision for the organization and to drive others to succeed. Political appointees are not required to meet these qualifications, however, but it would be difficult for any agency head to succeed without them.
A recent Princeton University review, authored by Mr. David Lewis, underscored the need for political appointees to have such skills. He used the Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) to analyze the relationship between political appointees and federal manager performance. As my colleagues know, PART was designed by the Administration to measure program performance at federal agencies. A PART review helps identify a program's strengths and weaknesses to inform funding and management decisions aimed at making the program more effective.
Mr. Lewis found that programs run by politically appointed managers receive systematically lower grades than those run by career managers and that the varied backgrounds of political appointees do not always translate into them being successful managers. Mr. Lewis' research shows the need for greater management experience and subject matter expertise for political appointees.
Comptroller General David Walker said in a September 21, 2005, interview with Federal Times that "for certain positions, given the nature of the position, there should be statutory qualification requirements for any nominee." I agree. Looking at the shortfalls in leadership at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the high number of political appointees at FEMA for the size of the agency, it is obvious that the political appointee-laden management structure may have created numerous problems, especially in the area of recruiting and retaining top emergency services personnel and the inability to stay focused on the agency's core mission of disaster preparedness and relief.
Mr. President, there must be trust and integrity in government -- and most of all in our leaders. The crises we face at home and abroad demonstrates the need for highly qualified individuals to lead our government. There must be the right people, at the right place, at the right time, with the right skills. This is especially true at federal agencies who need senior leaders, with management skills and subject matter expertise. More importantly, there should be an institutional loyalty and cultural sensitivity in working for the American people as a federal employee.
Thank you, Mr. President.
