My goal is to review the organization and leadership of FEMA components, their emphasis on front-end accountability processes.

I ask that the quorum call be rescinded and that I be allowed to speak in morning business, although I believe we are in the Republican time. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________

in some ways, I hate to come to the floor and talk about this because I very seldom do, but I am announcing to all my colleagues and to the administration that I am putting a hold on all Treasury Department nominations until I get…

So to me, that is a breakdown in internal communication.

So I am not trying to justify for Hurricane Katrina, but it was almost like the mind set may have been that if you get 10 people that are asking for a need and 9 of them need it, let's get it to the 9.

You have people that are in severe need and they need it very quickly, but at the same time you want to make sure there is not fraud and people trying to abuse the system.

I think it is a combination that initially people were trying to get a lot of aid out to the survivors.

I think it is critical that FEMA maintain and expand their fraud awareness programs.

Is that a fair characterization?

I think it probably was the case there when James Lee Witt was there, and then it went through kind of a period in the wilderness.

FEMA actually has now turned this over to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for collection.

FEMA has wrongly paid out money to some people that have suffered damages and floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, et cetera.