FEMA v/v DHS
$52 billion for FEMA? I know. I know. It’s a knee-jerk reaction and in many ways a sincere effort by Congress to “do the right thing”, take action, and not fiddle while New Orleans drowns, but I’m sorry I don’t see it. FEMA is, actually, in fact, a wholly redundant organization. Or that is, it should be. I like Josh’s idea of a terminating corporation.
I agree with Dems who speak of James Witt and the fine work he did to build it up, and make it work. Fine. Good job. Let’s make him the head of DHS. If DHS is going to become what it was supposed to be and what it needs to be to justify its existence, it has to become a more fluid and more integrated thing. Hillary’s idea of removing FEMA is exactly the wrong thing.
When DHS was created it could have and should have assumed total control of FEMA and many other of its disparate agencies arms, and reorganized them under assistantships. These are then given to mid-level technocrats who only have/get their jobs due to experience in the field.
But without full budget control given to the director, and the guts (or permission) to swing an axe, this sort of necessary tanzimat was obviously unavailable and the lion’s share of all these agencies retained their upper tier level, or the political fiefdoms.
Just as the new National Intelligence Director, a half-ass pseudo fix of a deeply rooted institutional bias, is hobbled by the unwillingness of Congress or the Administration to bestow actual power, so too is a Director of Homeland Security buried in interdepartmental cross-agency protocols likely unable to affect real change and therefore get real results. (And in Chertoff's case, seemingly content to do neither.)
Just as the U.S. needs a real Secretary of Intelligence over single comprehensive Department of Intelligence (with a Domestic Directorate of agents operating within U.S. law, and a Foreign directorate of agents operating outside it, like um…every other civilized nation in the world?) the U.S. needs a single Cabinet Secretary in charge of any and all Homeland Security issues, period.
FEMA can and should be wholly consumed by DHS, but a DHS fully understanding of its mandate and responsibility to not just protect the country from attacks, but secure it afterwards as well. DHS is clearly the charge of an experienced logistics command and control expert. Let's get one.
I agree with Dems who speak of James Witt and the fine work he did to build it up, and make it work. Fine. Good job. Let’s make him the head of DHS. If DHS is going to become what it was supposed to be and what it needs to be to justify its existence, it has to become a more fluid and more integrated thing. Hillary’s idea of removing FEMA is exactly the wrong thing.
When DHS was created it could have and should have assumed total control of FEMA and many other of its disparate agencies arms, and reorganized them under assistantships. These are then given to mid-level technocrats who only have/get their jobs due to experience in the field.
But without full budget control given to the director, and the guts (or permission) to swing an axe, this sort of necessary tanzimat was obviously unavailable and the lion’s share of all these agencies retained their upper tier level, or the political fiefdoms.
Just as the new National Intelligence Director, a half-ass pseudo fix of a deeply rooted institutional bias, is hobbled by the unwillingness of Congress or the Administration to bestow actual power, so too is a Director of Homeland Security buried in interdepartmental cross-agency protocols likely unable to affect real change and therefore get real results. (And in Chertoff's case, seemingly content to do neither.)
Just as the U.S. needs a real Secretary of Intelligence over single comprehensive Department of Intelligence (with a Domestic Directorate of agents operating within U.S. law, and a Foreign directorate of agents operating outside it, like um…every other civilized nation in the world?) the U.S. needs a single Cabinet Secretary in charge of any and all Homeland Security issues, period.
FEMA can and should be wholly consumed by DHS, but a DHS fully understanding of its mandate and responsibility to not just protect the country from attacks, but secure it afterwards as well. DHS is clearly the charge of an experienced logistics command and control expert. Let's get one.
posted by JCH | 8:44 PM
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