Ex-FEMA chief endorses Bush nominee
James Lee Witt, director in the Clinton administration, remains concerned about agency’s future within DHS.
The leader of the Federal Emergency Management Agency under President Clinton on Wednesday stated in a letter that he supports the nomination of R. David Paulison, the agency's acting chief, to be its permanent director.
James Lee Witt has been critical of FEMA's placement under the Homeland Security Department's control; Paulison backed President Bush's decision to remove the agency from Cabinet-level status and move it under the umbrella of DHS. In saying he supports Paulison, Witt still emphasized that change is needed for FEMA.
"We have the highest expectations that Paulison will return FEMA to its previous form," Witt said in an April 12 letter to the International Code Council, a group that develops safety regulations for construction of commercial and residential buildings. "In order to meet these expectations, the president will need to provide his complete support to Chief Paulison as he drafts plans to accomplish FEMA's mission of responding to and mitigating damage from disasters."
Witt, who guided FEMA through an overhaul that allowed it unprecedented White House access, stated a desire to see the acting director "lead FEMA out of its current predicament." He also asked that he, and the council, of which he is a member, be included in the agency's rehabilitation.
"As the organization whose members are primarily responsible for the planning and building of communities," Witt said, "we have a unique perspective on how to avoid unnecessary damage from predictable events."