Making Appropriations for Science, the Departments of State, Justice, and Commerce, and Related Agencies for Fiscal Year 2006

MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR SCIENCE, THE DEPARTMENTS OF STATE, JUSTICE, AND COMMERCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES FOR FISCAL YEAR 2006

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Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I have offered an amendment to create an independent commission, known as the Katrina Commission, to investigate with outside experts the situation we have confronted for the last 2 weeks in the Gulf Coast. This vote is on a motion to suspend the rules to consider this amendment. I hope that we have bipartisan support to do just that. There are a number of committees that have a role in this Congress to conduct oversight, to ask questions, but just as with 9/11 we did not get to the point where we believed we understood what happened until an independent investigation was conducted.

This legislation is modeled on the 9/11 Commission. The President appoints the chairman. The Republican and Democratic leaders appoint the members. This will provide us an opportunity to do the investigation away from the work that needs to happen in this Congress and in the administration, to meet the immediate needs of the people in the Gulf Coast. I hope we will vote to support the Katrina Commission.

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