to go to more current ones. longer term, i think it s continue to increase funding to the state and local governments so they have more capability to respond to disasters and we need to look at fema s workforce. fema hasn t really grown their permanent workforce since i was fema administrator, yet the workload continues to increase, and i think we need to, you know, have a frank conversation about fema size, the permanent workforce, and then the disaster reservists who, when you say reservists, you think of the military and they get all kind of benefits and protections, but fema s reservists don t have that. they only get called up when there s a disaster. they don t have any workplace protections. and there s not a lot of incentives between disasters to keep them current. so, i think fema needs congress to step in and look at making sure fema is adequately staffed, not for what s been happening in the past but for this increasing frequency of both natural hazards as well as other even
committees. good to see you, congressman, and i want to start by getting your reaction on what happened in the senate with that january 6th commission vote. where are we? thanks for having me on. the bottom line is, this vote did not absolve the republicans in the senate of their responsibility to do the right thing, to do what republicans and democrats have done in decades past, and that is identify a problem and work to resolve it so we can become better. we can identify our challenges and move beyond them. they still have that responsibility, so we have 54 votes before that commission. we believed there were three folks who were missing that would have voted for it had they been present. so the question is, can they get an additional two votes to get over the finish line? i think we re going to see that in the next couple of weeks but this needs to happen. there needs to be a bipartisan review. it needs to happen in the form of a commission. if it doesn t, we will do what we alway
she says there s no help. no help has arrived here. no help at all. none from the local government, residents say, nor from fema, which is only here to do an assessment, not to deliver aid. the people here are now in survival mode. waiting for their relief. so, layla, fema s only done an assessment. you say the local government hasn t simplied help yet. is there a plan, a timeline? did they tell the people there when they can expect things like food and water? you know, jim, part of the problem is communication. power is out. there s no water. that s why you saw them going to the mountain side, but there s also no communication. so, people are literally left in the dark. they have no idea what the plan is. when you talk to them and you say have you heard from the mayor, the governor, have you
heard from fema, they re in the dark. there s no communication. i left there feeling lucky because i m one of the few able to reach her family but i also left with several to dos. people handing me notes saying can you call my family. can you let them know that we are okay. they have no idea, jim, what the plan is. not for themselves. not for their families. certainly not for the town. nine days after the storm, 3.5 billion americans in puerto rico. outfront now from san juan, democratic congressman from illinois, luis gutierrez, still has family there. certainly a personal issue for him. thank you for being there, for joining us tonight. you heard the president say today that his team and his words is doing an incredible job and yet, we heard that very emotional comment from the mayor
situation much differently. i am begging, begging anyone that can hear us. to save us from dying. i am mad as hell. because my people s lives are at stake. people s lives at stake. layla is outfront in san juan. layla, very different respect there from the president and the mayor, you re on the ground there. tell what you say you re seeing. . you know, we have been to some of the most remote areas of this island, places where when we land, we are the first people that are in the area. fema hasn t been there. the government hasn t been there. i had a chance to fly over the place i call home. and i saw the devastation from an ariel point of view.