“Today, I voted against H.Res. 437, legislation that would create a partisan committee, comprised of Members of Congress, to investigate the federal government’s response to Hurricane Katrina,” said Ross.  “Since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast more than two weeks ago, I have been calling for a non-partisan independent commission, not a committee consisting of Members of Congress to investigate what went wrong in the government’s response to this disaster.”

“This is why I have co-sponsored legislation, H.R. 3764, which would create an independent Katrina Commission, much like the 9/11 Commission, to evaluate the federal government’s response to the hurricane,” Ross continued.  “A 9/11 styled commission will provide answers for what went wrong so that we can learn from our past mistakes and be better prepared with a fast and effective response for future disasters on American soil, whether it is a natural disaster or a terrorist attack.  The creation of an investigative commission is not about politics or pointing fingers, it is about explaining to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, the residents of the Gulf Coast, and the American people where the breakdown in the local, state and federal response occurred and preventing an inadequate response to future catastrophes.  The American people deserve answers – and they deserve accurate, credible answers that would result from an independent investigation – just as the 9/11 Commission so effectively accomplished.”