House leaders wait as panels feud over FEMA reforms
Disagreement centers on whether the beleaguered agency should be removed from the Homeland Security Department, and associated costs.
Efforts by the House Homeland Security Committee and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to broker a consensus on how to change the nation's emergency management system so far have been unsuccessful, with House Republican leaders unwilling to endorse either of the competing bills written by the panels.
"We met once last week. We're going to meet again this week. We're trying to find common ground," said an aide involved in the talks. The major sticking point in the negotiations is what should be done with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, aides said.
The Homeland Security Committee's bill would combine FEMA and other agencies into a new directorate, but leave it within the Homeland Security Department. The Transportation Committee's bill would remove FEMA from the department and make it an independent Cabinet-level agency, which it was before the department was created.
Another contentious issue is the cost of the bills. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the Homeland Security bill would cost $1.3 billion from 2007-2011. Its estimate for the Transportation Committee's bill originally was $9.8 billion over the same period, but the panel protested that figure, prompting CBO to issue a dramatically lower estimate Friday that the bill would cost $1.1 billion over the five years.
The Homeland Security Committee is contesting the new estimate. "We're not convinced that the CBO re-score is accurate," said a committee aide. The aide added that the Homeland Security Committee is scrubbing its bill to determine if the CBO estimate for it should also be lower.
The House GOP leadership has essentially left it up to the committees to try to work out their differences, aides said. But one aide said leaders will likely have to weigh in or face a "bloodbath" between Republicans over what legislation to send to the House floor.
A congressional source who has reviewed both bills said there is enough significant difference between them that finding common ground would appear difficult. "I want them to slow down," said the source, who is not part of either committee. "There's just so much in these bills. It's such a tough issue and the organizational aspect is just one component . . . If they insist on putting this on a fast track, then so be it, but just think of the battles that have yet to be fought."
Emergency management and first responder organizations are also weighing in on the two bills.
The Homeland Security Committee has received several letters of support for its bill, including endorsements from the National Volunteer Fire Council, the International Brotherhood of Police Officers and the International Association of Fire Fighters. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee did not present any letters of support or endorsements, despite repeated requests from CongressDaily.
Barry Kasinitz, legislative director for the International Association of Fire Fighters, said the Homeland Security Committee's process for drafting its bill "was one of the most open processes I've ever seen in the development of a piece of legislation."
"We certainly do not want to create a situation where you pull FEMA out with only very vague directives about what programs get pulled out," Kasinitz added. "Then you could be inviting a prolonged turf war between FEMA and DHS about who gets to run which program, and that certainly would not serve anyone."
Other organizations are staying neutral. The National Emergency Management Association plans to release a report later this week outlining what its members believe should be the principles for making reforms, but is not taking a position on either bill or what should be done with FEMA, said Kristin Robinson, the organization's director of government relations.
She said the association has been in discussions with both panels for months and plans to meet this week with staff from the Homeland Security Committee. "Both bills have provisions that would be helpful in strengthening the emergency management functions in this country," she said.