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 )  , 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 )  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 .  