Rice may be subpoenaed by Congress

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) , chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, discussed the influence his committee has on public policy in the United States at the National Press Club. Waxman discussed a number of topics including proceedings involving tobacco executives, steroids in Major League Baseball, Iraq, and Hurricane Katrina. Waxman said his committee is able to enact changes without passing laws due to its visible role in many aspects of American life.

Waxman emphasized the importance of congressional oversight and criticized Republicans for taking a partisan position on the topic. He said the Republican controlled committee investigated numerous trivial topics during the Clinton administration and failed to analyze large profile events during the first six years of Pres. George W. Bush’s administration. Waxman said the committee’s purpose is to monitor government decisions and to make government work for people, not to enhance party politics.

An example given by Waxman of the committee’s failure to better the lives of Americans involved the presence of formaldehyde in the FEMA trailers provided to those without homes following Hurricane Katrina. Waxman accused FEMA of “sitting on its hands” and ignoring its obligations to help those in need while criticizing the Oversight and Government Reform Committee for allowing such events to occur. He stated that FEMA failed to help those in need and that the committee’s indifference allowed FEMA to be run inefficiently.

When asked if Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would be subpoenaed by the committee to discuss when the Bush administration realized that Iraq had no nuclear weapons prior to invasion, Waxman said “maybe” and that the idea is under discussion. Waxman also suggested that the success of the Iraqi insurgency can be attributed in part to the American ambassador’s decision to distribute $8.8 billion to Iraqis without any form of accountability.

Mississippi official asks Congress to waive environmental regulations for Katrina relief

At a Committee on Financial Services subcommittee hearing on implementation of Hurricane Katrina relief funds, Director of the Mississippi State Governor’s Office of Recovery and Renewal Jack Norris asks Congress to “streamline or waive” the “cumbersome” environmental regulations that he says are the “number one impediment” to providing affordable housing for victims. (0:42)

Congress criticizes Mississippi use of Katrina relief funds

The House Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity of the Committee on Financial Services held a hearing to assess the implementation of Community Development Block Grant funds for post-Hurricane Katrina reconstruction among the states impacted along the Gulf Coast.


A main concern of Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Rep. Al Green (D-TX) was that Mississippi has allegedly used an unapproved portion of CDBG funds on construction of their main port as opposed to directly funding housing relief for low-income hurricane victims. It is unacceptable, Green said, to “put the port above the people” when there are so many victims still in need.

Jack Norris, Director of the Mississippi Governor’s Office of Recovery and Renewal, asked Congress to “streamline or waive” environmental regulations that he said have been the “number one impediment” to building affordable housing, which Waters said he was “exaggerating.” When criticized by Waters and Green for spending $600 million on port reconstruction as opposed to housing relief, he said that the port was essential to economic and job recovery and that Congress initially allocated the funds for holistic recovery. Norris said the state has spent over 70 percent of its $5.4 billion in funds directly on housing, with only $1.4 billion on “job recovery.” Green proceeded to ask representatives from other states, including Florida, Texas, and Louisiana, if they were spending CDBG funds on ports, and all replied they were not.

Derrick Johnson, President of the Mississippi State National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said that “discriminatory policies” towards hurricane victims are preventing a full recovery. He said that states should be required to track CDBG fund spending by zip code to determine how they are being allocated according to income and demographic.

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) said the public believes there was “intentionality” in how information about hurricane victims was gathered when considering relief appropriation and that since it was gathered online it targeted low-income people who did not have access to a computer. He also said relief was “badly skewed” towards the wealthy or better-off.

Witnesses Bill Johnson, Director of the Alabama Dept. of Economic and Community Affairs, and Deputy Executive Director of the Texas Dept. of Housing and Community Affairs, mentioned faith-based organizations that have provided substantial relief for victims, with Johnson requesting Congressional funding to these groups so they can deploy more aid.