'It's absolutely ridiculous': Sen. Hawley TORCHES FEMA nominee over agency failures at FIERY hearing

[0:00] This is a neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri last May. This is following a series of massive [0:06] tornadoes in the St. Louis region. You've got buildings completely destroyed, homes absolutely [0:11] razed to the ground, churches whose roofs were lifted off, whose sanctuaries were completely [0:15] destroyed. Problem is, is that many of these neighborhoods don't look a lot different now [0:20] because in some cases they're still waiting for relief. FEMA at the time was very slow. [0:25] I kid you not, went to the farmer and said, you know, actually, we know that you applied and we [0:31] approved it and we gave it to you several months ago, but we changed our minds and we want it all [0:35] back. I mean, you can't make this stuff up. It is absolutely ridiculous. And we owe you answers, [0:40] I think, much faster. Good. That's music to my ears. Senator Holling. Thank you very much, [0:45] Mr. Chairman. Congratulations to the nominees and thank you for being here. Mr. Hamilton, [0:49] I'm going to show you a picture if I could just to get started here. It's over my shoulder. This [0:55] is St. Louis. This is a neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri, last May. This is following a series [1:03] of massive tornadoes in the St. Louis region. We also had quite a few tornadoes in southeast [1:08] Missouri. As you can see, the devastation is absolutely unbelievable. I walk these streets [1:12] myself. You've got buildings completely destroyed, homes absolutely razed to the ground, churches [1:17] whose roofs were lifted off, whose sanctuaries were completely destroyed, streets that were ripped [1:22] up. And the problem is, is that many of these neighborhoods don't look a lot different now [1:27] because in some cases they're still waiting for relief. Now, FEMA, I'm glad to say that the [1:32] president approved Missouri's disaster relief for FEMA and it did go out the door, which is terrific, [1:36] but we had to wait a long time for it. And the reason for that was FEMA at the time was very slow [1:43] in getting on the ground, in doing their damage assessments, and then making the recommendations to [1:48] the White House that under the statute are the necessary prerequisite for unlocking that aid. [1:53] And I wish I could say that this was a one-off, but it's not in my experience. In my experience in [1:57] the state of Missouri, when we have a natural disaster, FEMA is slow. FEMA is often ill-informed. [2:03] FEMA does not interface well with residents. I remember one incident when we had severe flooding, [2:08] excuse me, flooding in the state a few years ago, where FEMA not only took forever to get on the ground [2:13] and get a disaster declaration ready to go for the president, but also when it came to awarding [2:18] individual aid, which was needed in these tornadoes too, by the way, when it came to awarding [2:22] individual aid, FEMA awarded individual aid to some farmers whose houses have been completely destroyed [2:27] and then later tried to claw it back. I kid you not, went to the farmer and said, you know, actually, [2:34] we know that you applied and we approved it and we gave it to you several months ago, [2:38] but we changed our minds and we want it all back. [2:40] I mean, you can't make this stuff up. It is absolutely ridiculous. [2:44] So here's my question to you. I think what your agency does is hugely important. We know it is [2:50] in the state of Missouri. And by the way, we just had a bunch more tornadoes just a few weeks ago for [2:54] which we need aid and relief. My question is, will you come in and take the reins of this agency and [3:00] make it actually work for the people of my state and every state who, when they're facing these disasters, [3:05] they need quick relief, they need quick responses. Our citizens need to know what's available to [3:11] them, how to apply, how to get the relief they need. Will you take the reins on this agency and [3:16] start making it work? [3:18] Yes, Senator. It would be my privilege and honor to serve the American people and to do just that. [3:22] Good. I think it's absolutely vital and I can't emphasize enough to you how important it is in my [3:26] state. I just want to ask you before I move on, I wrote to the president along with every other member [3:31] of the Missouri delegation just a week and a half ago, supporting my governor's request for [3:37] disaster relief for those April tornadoes that I mentioned. This is in process now, I believe, [3:42] with the agency. Will you work to expedite this, to cut red tape, to get these disaster declarations [3:48] when they're requested to get them approved, to move them on up the chain so that this relief that [3:53] is statutorily available can flow to neighborhoods like this who need it desperately? [3:56] Absolutely, Senator. I think the disaster declaration process and also the federal mentorship that goes [4:03] into it needs to be improved. I believe states need to receive better customer service. I have [4:08] full faith and confidence in the female workforce, but we can do better. And there's a significant [4:12] amount of areas where that process should be simplified, better understood, and we owe you [4:17] answers, I think, much faster. [4:18] Good. That's music to my ears. That's music to my ears. And I know it will be to the citizens of [4:22] Missouri. We do need better service. We need it faster. We need clearer direction. [4:27] And folks need to be able to apply for their individual assistance, understand what they're [4:31] getting and when they're going to get it. So I'm counting on you to make changes in all of those [4:35] areas. Mr. Cummins, it's great to see you. Thank you for being willing to do this job. I just want [4:40] to give you a chance to respond to something that the Biden administration was doing that at the time, [4:46] a year and a half ago now, two years ago, that at the time I thought was so ridiculous. [4:50] I actually wrote to the administrator at the time of TSA about this. The Biden administration [4:55] administration was allowing illegal aliens who did not have ID to use warrants for their arrest, [5:04] to use actual civil immigration arrest warrants as a valid form of identification to get on [5:12] commercial flights. Let me just say that again. They were allowing illegal aliens to use immigration [5:18] arrest warrants as a form of ID to get on commercial flights. Meanwhile, your everyday law-abiding [5:28] citizens who maybe don't come from a state that had real ID or what have you, they're having to [5:32] wait in absurdly long lines. They're having to go through all kinds of process, which your [5:36] administration, assuming this Congress confirms you, that your administration was having to process, [5:40] you know, your agents are having to do all this extra screening because somebody doesn't have a real [5:43] ID tag. But if you're an illegal immigrant and you have an arrest warrant right up to the front of [5:48] the line, I mean, that's just absurd. Wouldn't you agree, number one? And number two, tell me about [5:53] how you intend to make this agency work better for the American people. Thank you for the question, [5:59] Mr. Senator. And I do agree. And I thank you on your office and the chairman's office for [6:04] investigating the weaponization that was going on in TSA, for investigating these fraudulent ID [6:13] verification that was happening. And that is definitely going to stop and has already stopped [6:18] under this administration. And we can continue to work with you all in the oversight of our agency. [6:23] Very good. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Senator Kim. Thank you, Chairman. Mr. Hamilton, I mean, I think [6:31] you're hearing from a lot of my colleagues just the importance that FEMA plays and the concerns that we [6:35] have when it comes to disaster response. As you mentioned, we have the FEMA Review Council [6:41] moving forward on some recommendations saying full well that FEMA should exist, that it's important [6:47] that it exists, but that there are real reforms that could happen. I wanted to ask if you can commit [6:52] to this committee that you will work with Congress, work with us, even for some of the things that [6:58] don't necessarily require legislative fixes, but that we can make sure we're doing this together and to be [7:03] able to make sure that it is in line with congressional intent. Thank you, Senator. [7:08] It would be my honor to. If confirmed, I plan to release a 30-day report on my analysis and [7:15] recommendations for the future, areas where FEMA can reform, as well as also to take insight from both [7:21] senators and members of Congress on potential avenues for collaboration, further partnership. And then in [7:27] addition to that, I plan to have regular meetings and intervals with meeting with members and senators to [7:31] ensure that they have their answers questioned, excuse me, their questions answered on a timely basis. [7:36] We've dealt with a lot of issues over the course of the time that I've been in the Senate so far, [7:41] but I will say I really do believe that even in this time of great political divisiveness, [7:47] that the issues about disaster response and about FEMA remain one of the ones that I feel most hopeful [7:54] that we can find some bipartisanship here. We've had a number of good conversations amongst the senators [8:00] in a bipartisan way. It remains top of so many people's agendas. So I just share that with you [8:06] because I get it. There are a lot of problems that are out there. But when I think about what is it that [8:11] government can do that no one else can do or that its priorities should be, I can think of nothing [8:16] really more important than being there for Americans on their hardest days. And when I hear from these [8:22] families, those that survived Superstorm Sandy and other problems that we've encountered in New Jersey and [8:29] around this country, I think that this is just so important that we get right. And we can't wait [8:33] for some future Congress or some future administration to be able to take action on this given the dynamics. [8:40] So I just urge you on that front.