Man, for those of us in hurricane alley, there was no better news than the Senate Homeland Security committee's unanimous vote endorsing Craig Fugate as head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. We need a FEMA head in place.
And what a choice! Head of emergency management for Florida, the most storm-prone state in the country, respected as the go-to guy by Republicans and Democrats. President Obama hit this appointment out of the park, winning praise from lawmakers as different as Mary Landrieu, Mario Diaz-Balart and Hayley Barbour.
Here's the briefest of bios:
Mr. Fugate has served as the Director of Florida's Division of Emergency Management since 2001, and has responded to eight major hurricanes since then. He also spent 10 years as a local emergency manager in Alachua County, Florida, and he is a certified firefighter and paramedic. Fugate's Florida tenure includes management of 11 federal disasters, 23 state emergencies and stewardship of more than $4.5 billion in federal disaster assistance.
Yeah, buddy. Get this guy in the driver's seat, pronto.
Oh, wait. It looks like Oh Davey's feeling slighted on the camera time.
"I have a hold on the FEMA nomination because I sent a list of hurricane recovery questions and projects to FEMA, many of which have not been adequately addressed," Vitter said. "I'm eager to get full responses and meet with the nominee immediately."
. . .
Vitter didn't detail his concerns with Fugate, but staffers say one relates to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's designation of "high-velocity flood zones," areas at high risk of flooding. Agency regulations bar FEMA from paying for new construction in such areas.
(Times-Picayune today)
With a less than a month before the "official" start of the Atlantic hurricane season, Oh Davey is putting a one-man hold on the nomination of the director of FEMA because the man hasn't met with him personally to reiterate the very same answers he gave to Landrieu and other senators in committee.
(No, really. Landrieu questioned Fugate extensively on the subject of high-V zones and construction permitting. Fugate answered at length.)
While some are praising Vitter's prudence in wanting more info out of Fugate, I'm not impressed. Oh Davey has made a big, public show of obstructing every Obama measure and nominee he could wave in front of a TV camera, from the stimulus to Hillary Clinton at State.
He's trying to make himself poster boy for the Party of No, calling on torturers and their memo-writers to go scot free, for Gitmo to remain open and stocked forever, and for anyone Barack Obama sends to the Senate to be advised and dissented.
Well, take a pass on this one Davey boy. We need FEMA staffed and fully functional yesterday if not sooner. I'm sure you can find some other way to make America forget your serious sins.