Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee Statement on the Resignation of Brock Long as the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
For Immediate Release Contact: Robin Chand
February 13, 2019 (202) 225–3816
Press Statement
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee Statement on the Resignation of Brock Long as the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Jackson Lee—"Director Long has indicated that his resignation was fueled by a desire to go home to his family. I wish him well in his endeavors and I expect that whomever is nominated by the President to succeed Director Long is subjected to a fulsome, searching inquiry."
Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, a senior member of the House Committees on the Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Budget, released this statement following the announcement of the resignation of Brock Long as Director of FEMA:
"Earlier today, Brock Long announced his resignation from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, after less than 21 months as its Director.
"Director Long leaves FEMA after a dubious tenure that included multiple lethal wildfires across the nation, and no fewer than five major hurricanes, including Hurricane Harvey, which ravaged my hometown of Houston, and dumped close to 60 inches of rain, claiming 68 lives, and causing upwards of $125 billion of damage. Indeed, Texans are still reeling from this calamity, as evidenced by the countless individuals and families still displaced from the storm, almost a year-and-a-half after the disaster made landfall.
"To be certain, Director Long's tenure at FEMA was not without its problems. The damage wrought by Harvey, and FEMA's response to it, led me to conclude that FEMA needed wholesale reorganization, which is why I will reintroduce the FEMA Reorganization and Modernization Act. Unfortunately, Director Long's tenure was marked by other episodes of incompetence. Hurricane Maria was another moment where FEMA did not do its best. Spurred, assuredly, by the President's incessant need to minimize any of his wrongdoing, FEMA produced an undercount of the fatalities caused by Maria. When the nonpartisan George Washington University promulgated its own study, the true number of fatalities was revealed to be thousands more than what was disclosed by the Administration. And, as the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria drew closer and another hurricane bore down on the United States, Director Long presided over a $10 million diversion of FEMA funds to the Immigration Customs Enforcement agency. And, consistent with the monumental graft that has epitomized this administration, Director Long was accused of using government vehicles for personal use.
"Director Long has indicated that his resignation was fueled by a desire to go home to his family. I wish him well in his endeavors and I expect that whomever is nominated by the President to succeed Director Long is subjected to a fulsome, searching inquiry."
Congresswoman Jackson Lee is a Democrat from Texas's 18th Congressional District. She is a senior member of the House Committees on Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Budget.