Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, my thoughts are with all those affected by Hurricane Katrina as they mourn the loss of family, friends, and neighbors. I know there are no words that can provide the needed comfort. I believe there must be an extensive examination of what went wrong with the government's response to this natural disaster.
As hundreds of thousands of Americans look toward rebuilding their lives, our first priority must be to ensure that all possible federal resources are at their disposal.
However, it is Congress's job to get to the bottom of what went wrong and to do whatever is necessary to ensure that it never happens again. I join those who say we must not engage in a "blame game," but rather we must come together to undertake responsible oversight.
I say this from an interesting vantage point because throughout the debate over the creation of the Department of Homeland Security in 2002, I repeatedly expressed my strong concern that non-homeland security functions of the federal government would be diminished if included in the new department. I said that eliminating the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) status as an independent agency to join this proposed department could seriously affect FEMA's traditional role of responding to natural disasters.
At Undersecretary Michael Brown's confirmation hearing to be Deputy Director of FEMA in June 2002 -- five months before the Homeland Security Act passed -- I spoke about the perils of converting FEMA into a homeland security-centric agency. At the time I said, "The President's proposal for a new Department of Homeland Security will include the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). A key question is how will this new role for FEMA in homeland security affect its traditional mission?
"....(M)any of the agencies impacted by this proposal, including FEMA, have a number of core responsibilities unrelated to their homeland security missions. Most of what FEMA does every day, and what Americans expect from FEMA, does not fall under the category of homeland security."
Because of my strong belief that the non-homeland security functions of FEMA, the Coast Guard, and other agencies that are now part of DHS would be diminished when merged into this massive agency, I successfully offered an amendment to the Governmental Affairs Committee's version of the Homeland Security Act, cosponsored by Senator Carper, that required all non-homeland security functions of each of the 22 legacy agencies to be identified, along with the resources needed to preserve these functions. Unfortunately, the version of the bill passed by Congress failed to include my amendment, which is one of the reasons that I was one of eight Senators who voted against the creation of DHS.
In a further effort to ensure the constancy of the non-homeland security functions of DHS, I introduced in April 2003 legislation that would have required the Department to identify annually the resources, personnel, and capabilities devoted to non-homeland security functions. My measure would have required DHS to include this information in its annual performance report, as well as required the Government Accountability Office to evaluate the Department's performance of essential non-homeland security missions.
When introducing my bill, S. 910, the Non-Homeland Security Mission Performance Act of 2003, I said that, "The cost of creating a Department of Homeland Security should not come at the expense of these essential missions. Agencies should strike the proper balance between new homeland security responsibilities and their critical non-homeland security missions. Enhancing traditional missions also enhances domestic security which depends on sound management strategies that ensure adequate resources and personnel."
S. 910 was reported favorably by the Governmental Affairs Committee but unfortunately was never considered by the full Senate.
I stand before my colleagues today to ask that we look at the disaster that has befallen the people of the Gulf Coast as a reminder that preventing terrorism is not the only business of the Department of Homeland Security. My colleagues and I must carefully reexamine whether critical non-homeland security missions have been compromised by their inclusion in DHS. I ask that my statement from the Governmental Affairs Committee hearing for Michael Brown's confirmation to be Deputy Director of FEMA on June 19, 2002, and my statement on the introduction of the S. 910, the Non-Homeland Security Mission Performance Act, on April 11, 2003, be included in the Record following my remarks. Thank you, Mr. President.
