mr. speaker , i rise in opposition to the rule and to the underlying resolution . 
the federal response to hurricane katrina was absolutely unacceptable . 
the american people deserve to know what went so terribly wrong and what we must do to make sure it never , ever happens again . 
unfortunately , the partisan committee being proposed by the republican majority will not give the american people any confidence that congress is asking tough questions and demanding straight answers . 
apparently , mr. speaker , after the flood comes the whitewash . 
for over 4 years , the republican majority has refused at every turn to hold the bush administration accountable for its mistakes . 
there has been no meaningful oversight , no tough investigations on anything . 
instead , congress has turned a blind eye , and the bill we have before us represents more of the same . 
the gentleman from florida ( mr. hastings ) xz4001701 , our colleague , has a different approach , a better approach . 
the commission established by his legislation would be truly independent , and its recommendations would carry far more weight . 
this independent commission would be similar to the 9/11 panel that was such an effective , meaningful force for change . 
because what the american people deserve at the end of this process is a document that does not necessarily agree with everything i say or does not cover the president 's back , which is what the republicans are trying to do today , but that actually helps fix the problems that hurricane katrina exposed . 
let me be clear , mr. speaker . 
the purpose of the commission established by the gentleman from florida 's ( mr. hastings ) xz4001701 bill is not simply to assign blame . 
rather , an independent commission would take a tough , honest approach to an incredibly complicated problem . 
pre-identifying vulnerable areas , strategically deploying resources , anticipating potential stumbling blocks as we prepare for disasters , these need to be the guiding principles of our national response plan . 
an independent commission would produce recommendations that enhance our national response plan and enable fema to be structured appropriately . 
furthermore , this commission will show whether or not , as i believe , fema lacked appropriate leadership , leadership with experience in disaster management , and then recommend ways in which the agency can be better prepared , both in terms of personnel and resources . 
unlike the president , i do not think brownie did a heck of a job . 
an effective response to a disaster or crisis can not happen unless the best qualified people are coordinating the efforts , equipped with the best resources . 
the partisan committee put forward by the republican majority just does not cut it . 
instead , it would be made up of members of congress , and there are three problems with that approach : first , there are some members whose time would be better spent dealing with the immediate recovery and reconstruction needs created by the hurricane . 
second , republican politicians would be `` investigating '' other republican politicians . 
and , third , some of the problems we saw in the gulf coast include bad funding choices made by congress itself . 
mr. speaker , the federal government 's response to hurricane katrina was a national disgrace . 
the job of this congress is not to run interference for the bush administration ; it is to do what is best for the american people . 
seventy-six percent of the public want an independent commission because , quite frankly , they do not trust the republican majority to do it right . 
they have a pattern of sweeping problems under the rug , of turning everything into a political fight . 
that pattern has to stop , and we can stop it today . 
mr. speaker , i urge my colleagues to reject this rule . 
