Michael Burgess: “we are starting to hear a lot of talk about where is the proper place for the investigation into the response and the…”

“we are starting to hear a lot of talk about where is the proper place for the investigation into the response and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Madam Speaker, I submit that the proper place for that investigation is here in the United States Congress. We have the responsibility, indeed, we have the constitutional obligation to be the ones responsible for this oversight investigation. In fact, my committee, the Committee on Energy and Commerce, maintains a standing subcommittee called the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, a committee that already has subpoena power, a committee that has a history of bipartisanship. No matter which party was in power, this committee does have a history of bipartisanship, and I think it is the correct committee to investigate the response in the aftermath to the hurricane. An independent commission, as we have already seen in the last year, can become a side show for partisanship, and yet we still have to convene our own congressional committees in order to write the legislation. No, the correct path for this Congress to take is to use an already established committee for the investigation of the response and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. ____________________”