A Republican senator from Louisiana, David Vitter, has put a hold on the senate confirmation of Craig Fugate, President Obama’s nominee to be the new director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
On March 4, Wildfire Today covered the nomination, writing this about Mr. Fugate:
Fugate has served as a volunteer firefighter, a paramedic, as a Lieutenant with Alachua County Fire Rescue, and was the Emergency Manager for Alachua County in Florida. In 1997 he became the Chief of the Bureau of Preparedness and Response with the Florida DEM and in 2001 was appointed by Governor Jeb Bush to be the Director of the DEM.
Senator Vitter is blocking the confirmation over a longstanding dispute with FEMA over emergency housing and reconstruction.
This is ridiculous, holding up the appointment of the Director of FEMA because the Senator disagrees with something FEMA did months or years ago. It’s time to set politics aside and do the job you were elected to do, Senator Vitter.
There is a chance that next week the Senate could use procedural rules to get around Senator Vitter’s opposition if enough senators agree to override the hold.
