This Thursday, September 15, U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-La.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship (SBC), will hold a hearing entitled, “An Examination of the Federal Response and Resources for Louisiana Flood Victims.”
Administrator Craig Fugate of the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) refused to testify before the Committee, and last Friday, Chairman Vitter urged him to reconsider, saying, “Louisianians have long felt that FEMA is a big bureaucracy that simply goes through the motions, and so it is very disappointing that the hundreds of thousands of Louisiana small businesses and homeowners who have lost everything will not have the opportunity to hear an update on the flood recovery directly from the horse’s mouth—it is a chance to make things right.”
SBA Administrator Contreras-Sweet is confirmed to testify before the Committee as a panel witness this Thursday, and HUD Secretary Julian Castro has also been invited to attend.
On August 25, 2016, Vitter hosted Administrator Contreras-Sweet and Secretary Castro in South Louisiana as they, along with several state and local leaders, toured flood-impacted areas in Livingston, Ascension, and East Baton Rouge parishes. During the visit, Vitter urged SBA and HUD to provide additional recovery resources, including opening more recovery centers for businesses, families, and individuals. Click here to read more.
Yesterday, The Advocate wrote about concerns that FEMA Administrator Fugate is not attending Congressional hearings regarding the Louisiana flood recovery.
The Advocate
Where's Fugate? Louisiana leaders question FEMA chief's absence from congressional hearings
By Elizabeth Crisp | September 12, 2016
Excerpts below…..
The absence of Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate, who has led FEMA since 2009, has stirred ire among some of Louisiana's congressional delegation, as well as lawmakers from other states. Regional Administrator Tony Robinson appeared in his place.
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U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-Metairie, is also weighing in. Vitter penned a letter to Fugate venting his frustration over the FEMA chief's decision to skip the U.S. House hearing last week and miss a hearing Thursday in Vitter's Small Business Committee.
“Louisianians have long felt that FEMA is a big bureaucracy that simply goes through the motions, and so it is very disappointing that the hundreds of thousands of Louisiana small businesses and homeowners who have lost everything will not have the opportunity to hear an update on the flood recovery directly from the horse’s mouth—it is a chance to make things right,” Vitter said.
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