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September 12, 2005
CONTACT: Kirstin Brost
(202) 225-3481
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WASHINGTON – Today David R. Obey (D-WI), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee, and Martin O. Sabo (D- MN), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff asking his agency hold off on a planned reorganization which would reduce the government’s focus on preparing for natural disasters.
In July Secretary Chertoff proposed a Department of Homeland Security reorganization that would abolish the Emergency, Preparedness and Response Directorate and the Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection Directorate as they were established in the Homeland Security Act. In their place Chertoff would set up a new Directorate for Preparedness, Office of Policy, Office of Intelligence and Analysis, and Office of Operations Coordination
In their letter to Secretary Chertoff they wrote:
“You justify creating a Directorate for Preparedness with the following statement: ‘While operational response and recovery programs have an ‘all-hazards’ approach, Federal preparedness efforts need to be targeted towards addressing gaps in our terrorism and homeland security capabilities.’ We have long believed that Federal preparedness efforts also need to address gaps in our natural disaster preparedness capabilities. Our conviction became even stronger as we saw the Federal response to Hurricane Katrina unfold.”
The letter is below: Attached please find a PDF of Obey and Sabo’s letter as well as Secretary Chertoff’s original letter outlining his plans for reorganizing DHS.
September 12, 2005
The Honorable Michael Chertoff
Secretary
Department of Homeland Security
Washington, D.C. 20528
Dear Secretary Chertoff:
On July 13th, you wrote to the Congress providing 60-day notification that you intend to reallocate functions within the Department of Homeland Security, pursuant to Section 872 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002. We note that this is the sixth such reallocation that has been notified to the Congress in the past two and a half years.
You propose to set up a new Directorate for Preparedness, Office of Policy, Office of Intelligence and Analysis, and Office of Operations Coordination. You propose to abolish the Emergency, Preparedness and Response Directorate and the Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection Directorate as they were established in the Homeland Security Act.
You justify creating a Directorate for Preparedness with the following statement: “While operational response and recovery programs have an “all-hazards” approach, Federal preparedness efforts need to be targeted towards addressing gaps in our terrorism and homeland security capabilities.” We have long believed that Federal preparedness efforts also need to address gaps in our natural disaster preparedness capabilities. Our conviction became even stronger as we saw the Federal response to Hurricane Katrina unfold.
Therefore, we request that you postpone indefinitely the reorganizations proposed in your July 13th letter. We note that even though the sixty-day notification period expires on September 13th, you do not intend to implement the reorganizations until October 1, 2005. Prior to any reorganization, Congress should have the opportunity to hear from those involved in the problems faced during Hurricane Katrina. The operational implications of your proposed reorganizations on those problems should be thoroughly assessed. That assessment would obviously take time beyond October 1st.
We would appreciate a prompt response to our request.
Sincerely,
| David R. Obey Ranking Democratic Member Committee on Appropriations |
Martin Olav Sabo |
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