Bush seeks to federalize emergencies

[Guest guest]

A

Fri, 30 Sep 2005 23:52:07 -0500

Bush seeks to federalize emergencies

 

 

 

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20050927-121122-3262r.htm

 

 

Bush seeks to federalize emergencies

 

By Bill Sammon

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

September 27, 2005

 

 

President Bush yesterday sought to federalize hurricane-relief

efforts, removing governors from the decision-making process.

" It wouldn't be necessary to get a request from the governor or

take other action, " White House press secretary Scott McClellan said

yesterday.

" This would be, " he added, " more of an automatic trigger. "

Mr. McClellan was referring to a new, direct line of authority

that would allow the president to place the Pentagon in charge of

responding to natural disasters, terrorist attacks and outbreaks of

disease.

" It may require change of law, " Mr. Bush said yesterday. " It's

very important for us as we look at the lessons of Katrina to think

about other scenarios that might require a well-planned, significant

federal response -- right off the bat -- to provide stability. "

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) accused Mr. Bush of

attempting a power grab in the wake of fierce criticism that he

responded too slowly to Hurricane Katrina a month ago.

" Using the military in domestic law enforcement is generally a

very bad idea, " said Timothy Edgar, national security policy counsel

for the ACLU. " I'm afraid that it will have unforeseen consequences

for civil liberties. "

Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco and Mississippi Gov.

Haley Barbour declined the president's offer to federalize the state's

National Guard troops in the aftermath of Katrina. So Mr. Bush wants

Congress to consider empowering the Pentagon with automatic control.

Currently, the lead federal agency responsible for disaster relief

is the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which has just

2,500 employees and is a division of the Homeland Security Department.

Mr. Bush has suggested that a more appropriate agency is the

Department of Defense (DoD), which has 1.4 million active-duty troops.

" I was speculating about was a scenario which would require

federal assets to stabilize the situation -- primarily DoD assets --

and then hand back over to Department of Homeland Security, " the

president said.

But stabilizing a crisis might require federal troops to arrest

looters and perform other law-enforcement duties, which would violate

the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878. The law was passed in the wake of the

Civil War and Reconstruction to prevent the use of federal troops from

policing elections in former Confederate states.

The White House wants Congress to consider amending Posse

Comitatus in order to grant the Pentagon greater powers.

 

 

Read the rest at:

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20050927-121122-3262r.htm