What's happening to FEMA?

I don't know how many of you were paying attention, but there were a couple of actions in the U.S. Senate yesterday that just might affect the future of that agency we have known as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA.

Senate Amendment 4563 to HR 5441, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2007, sought to remove FEMA from DHS and re-establish it as a separate, autonomous agency.

That amendment, introduced by Sen. Hillary Clinton, was defeated on a 32-66 vote (2 not voting).

But you've gotta love how the Senate works (and I use that term lightly). The vote on S. Amdt. 4563 came after they passed Senate Amendment 4560, which re-invents FEMA as the United States Emergency Management Authority, on an 87-11 vote.

Thank Senators Joe Lieberman and Susan Collins for that.

As there were at least five bills introduced to remove FEMA from the Department of Homeland Security last fall, including S. 1615 by Sen. Clinton, and none have made it to floor votes. But the sad news for us, and for those people whose lives were upended by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita last fall, the Bush administration got just what they wanted all along in last night's Senate vote.

Collins introduced S. Amdt. 4560; Lieberman was the primary co-sponsor. In fact, the two jointly introduced S. 3595 on June 28, 2006. What they've managed to do is pass legislation that will amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002, keeping the functions of FEMA within the Department of Homeland Security, but establishing a new bureaucracy instead.

Just what the Heritage Foundation and Michael Chertoff wanted with their 2SR "Second Stage Review" of DHS, done just a year ago, that Chertoff began implementing right as hurricane season started (see What Will Happen to FEMA? - just what we feared would happen is happening).

And Joe Lieberman is the enabler, once again.

If your Democratic Senator voted to support the Lieberman-Collins amendment to the DHS Appropriations bill, contact them and let them know they made a mistake.

The New York Times is reporting today that the House is considering a bill by Rep. Don Young (R-AK) that would remove FEMA from DHS and elevate it to a cabinet-level position, in contrast to the Senate amendment approved last night.

Rep. Young's HR 5316 goes against the Bush administration's wishes, but is a Republican-written and sponsored bill, with 103 bi-partisan co-sponsors.

That bill will come up against HR 5351, introduced by Rep. David G. Reichert (R-WA), with 49 mostly Republican co-sponsors.

Don't let the Bush administration achieve its "Heritage Foundationization" of FEMA. Ask your Senators to re-think their position on S. Amdt. 4560; ask your Representatives to support HR 5316 and oppose HR 5351.