[House Hearing, 116 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
FEMA'S NATURAL DISASTER PREPAREDNESS
AND RESPONSE EFFORTS DURING
THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND REFORM
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
JULY 24, 2020
__________
Serial No. 116-107
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Printed for the use of the Committee on Oversight and Reform
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available on: govinfo.gov,
oversight.house.gov or
docs.house.gov
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
41-186 PDF WASHINGTON : 2020
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COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND REFORM
CAROLYN B. MALONEY, New York, Chairwoman
Eleanor Holmes Norton, District of James Comer, Kentucky, Ranking
Columbia Minority Member
Wm. Lacy Clay, Missouri Jim Jordan, Ohio
Stephen F. Lynch, Massachusetts Paul A. Gosar, Arizona
Jim Cooper, Tennessee Virginia Foxx, North Carolina
Gerald E. Connolly, Virginia Thomas Massie, Kentucky
Raja Krishnamoorthi, Illinois Jody B. Hice, Georgia
Jamie Raskin, Maryland Glenn Grothman, Wisconsin
Harley Rouda, California Gary Palmer, Alabama
Ro Khanna, California Michael Cloud, Texas
Kweisi Mfume, Maryland Bob Gibbs, Ohio
Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Florida Clay Higgins, Louisiana
John P. Sarbanes, Maryland Ralph Norman, South Carolina
Peter Welch, Vermont Chip Roy, Texas
Jackie Speier, California Carol D. Miller, West Virginia
Robin L. Kelly, Illinois Mark E. Green, Tennessee
Mark DeSaulnier, California Kelly Armstrong, North Dakota
Brenda L. Lawrence, Michigan W. Gregory Steube, Florida
Stacey E. Plaskett, Virgin Islands Fred Keller, Pennsylvania
Jimmy Gomez, California
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York
Ayanna Pressley, Massachusetts
Rashida Tlaib, Michigan
Katie Porter, California
David Rapallo, Staff Director
Britteny Jenkins, Chief Counsel
Cameron MacPherson, Clerk
Contact Number: 202-225-5051
Christopher Hixon, Minority Staff Director
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Subcommittee on Environment
Harley Rouda, California, Chairman
Rashida Tlaib, Michigan Mark E. Green, Tennessee, Ranking
Raja Krishnamoorthi, Illinois Minority Member
Jackie Speier, California Paul A. Gosar, Arizona
Jimmy Gomez, California Bob Gibbs, Ohio
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York Kelly Armstrong, North Dakota
Fred Keller, Pennsylvania
C O N T E N T S
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Page
Hearing held on July 24, 2020.................................... 1
Witnesses
Peter T. Gaynor, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management
Agency
Oral Statement................................................... 5
Written opening statements and statements for the witnesses are
available on the U.S. House of Representatives Document
Repository at: docs.house.gov.
Index of Documents
----------
No additional documents were entered into the record during this
hearing.
FEMA'S NATURAL DISASTER PREPAREDNESS
AND RESPONSE EFFORTS DURING
THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
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Friday, July 24, 2020
House of Representatives
Subcommittee on the Environment
Committee on Oversight and Reform
Washington, D.C.
The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:08 a.m., in
room 2154, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Harley Rouda
(chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.
Present: Representatives Rouda, Tlaib, Speier, and Comer.
Also present: Representatives Maloney, Velazquez, and
Plaskett.
Mr. Rouda. The committee will come to order. I would like
to point out that we are glad to have Representatives Velazquez
and Plaskett join us today and join us in the questioning as we
pursue this hearing.
I now recognize myself for a five-minute opening statement.
I am con seeing today's subcommittee hearing to examine
preparations by FEMA for responding to and helping our Nation
recover from natural disasters, which this year will overlap
with the Nation's ongoing efforts to combat the coronavirus
pandemic.
FEMA is the lead Federal agency responsible for
coordinating preparation, prevention, mitigation, response, and
recovery efforts for all domestic disasters, including the
ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
In event years, FEMA has struggled to anticipate the
severity of multiple disasters due, in part, to climate change,
secure advanced contracts for supplies, and retain and deploy
key personnel. As the United States continues to respond to the
coronavirus pandemic in a recent surge in cases across the
country, it is clear that this unprecedented moment has left
all of us, including FEMA, in unchartered territory.
People have often called the year 2020 apocalyptic,
although some say that is an exaggeration or said in jest, it
certainly, at times, does feel like we are not too far off from
the truth. More than 140,000 Americans have lost their lives
due to the current administration's lack of leadership,
distrust of science, and continued hesitation to meet the
seriousness of the challenges associated with the coronavirus
pandemic and because of this complete lack of leadership and
inept response by the managers, tens of thousands more will
die.
All of this is a horrifying loss of life, wasn't tragic
enough. We know that climate change is increasing the frequency
and intensity of extreme weather events, setting that stage to
lose even more American lives as a result of natural disasters
in coming months, therefore, it is absolutely imperative that
Congress and the American public understand the steps that FEMA
is taking to prepare for and respond to natural disasters,
including hurricanes, wildfires, flooding, and extreme heat, on
to have of nationwide effort to slow and stop the spread of the
coronavirus.
The 2020 hurricane condition began on June 1 and the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasters
expect 13 to 19 named storms, increasing six to ten hurricanes,
and three to six major hurricanes. Residents in states known to
be hit hardest by hurricanes like Florida and North Carolina
are facing some of the highest rates of confirmed cases of
COVID-19 and this year's predicted higher-than-average
hurricane season increases the chances of large evacuations of
people to northern states like New York and New Jersey; areas
previously hit hard by the virus, which would cause the
potential for an increase in the spread in those states.
For those who are low-wealth and forced to stay and seek
emergency shelters since they do not have the means to
evacuate, overcrowded shelters, from school gyms to convention
centers, risk becoming infection hotspots. The current serious
lags in COVID-19 testing, if not fixed, could very well lead to
asymptomatic people who have coronavirus staying in the
shelters. And many of the same people who have less access to
health care, less health insurance are more likely to have
unknown or uncontrolled comorbidities, may be at higher risk of
death or complications from COVID-19. These are prime examples
of how climate change acts as a threat and multiplier during
public health crises.
Over the last five years, the U.S. has seen more federally
declared disasters for wildfires than in many previous prior
years. In 2017 and 2018 California experienced the deadliest
and most destructive wildfires of its history and this year's
weather patterns are lining up to result in above-average fire
activity.
Wildfire-related risks are particularly high in places like
my home state of California, and in recent weeks, these areas
have also seen staggering COVID-19 case numbers continue to
rise. This is of significant concern because both, smoke and
COVID-19, negatively impact our respiratory and cardiovascular
systems. In fact, we know that wildfires exacerbate respiratory
and lung conditions, especially for children, older adults, and
those with underlying conditions, such as asthma, chronic heart
disease, and diabetes, many of the comorbidities known to
increasing negative health outcomes and mortality rates among
those infected with the coronavirus.
And while cloth masks can help prevent the spread of
coronavirus, these kinds of face coverings do not offer
protection from smoke; only properly fitting N95 masks filter
out dangerous particles. And we have seen those remain in short
supply in many places, including wildfire-prone regions.
Then there is the extreme heat. No other year in recorded
history has been as hot as the years between 2014 and 2019 and
2020 has a high likelihood of being the hottest year on record
and this is likely to pose additional challenges to COVID-19
mitigation efforts. When it gets incredibly hot, low-wealth
households who do not have access to air-conditioning or who
cannot afford to turn it on, may flock to cool and crowded
indoor areas, which could result in an increase in coronavirus
cases.
As we sit here today, every state in the United States is
currently facing a budget shortfall; as a result, many states,
territories, and local governments may be more dependent on
FEMA for supplies and personnel than in recent years. In the
middle of a respiratory pandemic, we need to know what steps
are being taken to safeguard the lives of both, FEMA personnel
and disaster survivors. We need answers as to whether or not
critical medical supplies will be accessible for communities in
need. We need to understand how plans are being adapted to
account for simultaneous disasters. We need to be ready, able,
and willing to address increasingly likely worst-case
scenarios, and we need to help FEMA so they can be fully
prepared to meet their mission.
As the saying goes, by failing to prepare, you are
preparing to fail. In this moment, our Nation's challenges are
unprecedented and extraordinary, and our plans and actions must
rise to meet the seriousness and grave reality we face now and
in the coming months and years.
Let me put it bluntly, the topics we are discussing today
are literally matters of life and death.
I appreciate FEMA Administrator Gaynor's participation in
this hearing, and I hope that today's discussion will help
inform and support the critically important work FEMA is tasked
with, because the stakes truly could not be higher. Thank you.
I invite ranking member of the committee and acting ranking
member of the subcommittee, Mr. Comer to give a five-minute
opening statement.
Mr. Comer. Thank you, Chairman Rouda.
For the second time, I am not going to fact-check all the
slanderous, op-ed opinions that were made about the Trump
administration in the beginning of your opening statement,
because this is an important hearing.
I am very glad to participate in person for this hearing.
The business of this committee cannot be done virtually, and I
hope we will continue working for the American people, here in
D.C., as we promised to do.
I want to thank Administrator Gaynor for testifying today.
I know that you are an extremely busy man, but I am interested
to learn about the good work that FEMA has been doing in
response to COVID-19.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected more than 3.8 million
Americans and has tragically killed more than 140,000. Through
President Trump's leadership, FEMA has responded swiftly to
this virus. On March 13, President Trump declared a national
emergency, pursuant to Section 501(b) of the Stafford Act.
After this emergency declaration, all states and U.S.
territories requested major disaster declarations. To date, all
50 states, five U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia
have been approved for major-disaster declarations.
According to FEMA, a major-disaster declaration provides a
wide range of Federal assistance programs for individual and
public infrastructure, including funds to both, emergency and
permanent work.
As head of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, Vice
President Pence designated FEMA as the lead agency for Federal
response to the pandemic on March 19. FEMA transitioned into
this new role seamlessly and prioritized to protect the health
and safety of all Americans by utilizing a Whole-of-Government
and Whole-of-America approach.
After this announcement, FEMA activated the National
Response Coordination Center, NRCC, to its highest level. The
NRCC became the focal point of Federal interagency coordination
efforts.
FEMA has done a tremendous job in their response to the
COVID-19 pandemic and I want to highlight a few numbers to
support that. As of July 17, FEMA, HHS, and the private sector
coordinated delivery of or are currently shipping 189 million
N95 respirators, 784 million surgical masks, 33 million face
shields, 341 million surgical gowns, coveralls, and over 20
billion gloves. As of July 21, FEMA delivered 29,891 medical
supplies to nursing homes in 52 states and territories.
With regards to testing, as of July 20, CDC, state, local,
public health labs, and other laboratories have tested more
than 48.6 million samples. While these numbers are impressive,
I look forward to hearing more about plans for the United
States to produce more life-saving equipment for frontline
workers. This equipment has traditionally been manufactured in
other countries, which FEMA has described as a national
security issue.
Federal funding has also played a large part in the
response to this crisis. As of July 17, FEMA and HHS have
combined, have committed to $135.9 billion in support of COVID-
19 efforts.
In terms of staffing, as of July 22, FEMA has 2,245
employees supporting COVID-19 pandemic response out of a total
of 20,831 agency employees ready to respond to any other
potential emergencies. These are truly staggering numbers and I
applaud the work that FEMA has done as the lead agency in
charge to the Federal Government's response to COVID-19.
FEMA is currently responding to 114 active disasters and 97
emergency declarations concurrently. I look forward to hearing
more specific details about how FEMA will continue to prepare
for the natural-disaster season while maintaining its good work
battling COVID-19.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I look forward to today's
testimony.
Mr. Rouda. Thank you, Ranking Member Comer.
Now, I would like to introduce our witness. It is my honor
to recognize our witness, the honorable Peter T. Gaynor, who is
the Administrator at the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The witness will be unmuted so we can swear him in. Please
raise your right hand.
Do you swear or affirm that the testimony you are about to
give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth
so help you God?
Mr. Gaynor. I do.
Mr. Rouda. Thank you. Has please sit down.
Let the record show that the witness answered in the
affirmative.
Without objection, your written statement will be made a
part of the record.
With that, Administrator Gaynor, you are now recognized for
your testimony.
STATEMENT OF PETER GAYNOR, ADMINISTRATOR, FEDERAL EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT AGENCY, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Mr. Gaynor. Thank you, sir.
Good morning, Chairman Rouda, Ranking Member Comer, and
distinguished members of the subcommittee. My name is Pete
Gaynor and I am the FEMA administrator.
Thank you for this opportunity to discuss the actions taken
by FEMA to protect the health and safety of the American people
during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the agency's ongoing
efforts to enhance disaster preparedness within a COVID-19
environment.
On behalf of the men and women of FEMA, I would like to
begin by offering my condolences to the loved ones of the
144,305 Americans who have lost their lives to COVID-19. One
life lost is one life too many and our hearts go out to all
those that have been affected by the pandemic. This has been a
trying time for our country and FEMA has been working around
the clock to help our Nation respond to this global pandemic
and recover from other natural disasters.
As the FEMA administrator, it has been my honor to work
alongside dedicated professionals of FEMA. Today I want to
acknowledge that work force and our many partners for their
commitment to the Nation during this response. The response to
COVID-19 pandemic and other natural disasters will continue to
be locally executed, state-managed, and federally supported.
The President has made an unprecedented decision to declare
a nationwide emergency on March 13 and since that time, the
entire team has worked tirelessly to make a positive impact;
many have risked their own health and safety to do so. For the
first time in American history we have a major disaster in
every state, territory, the District of Columbia, and one tribe
concurrently.
Today, FEMA has responded to 114 active disasters, 97
emergencies from the Pacific island of Saipan, to the U.S.
Virgin Islands, and all across the American Heartland.
The magnitude of this pandemic and other concurrent
disasters has required FEMA to both, re-examine our past
practices and reduce risks to our staff as much as possible
while accomplishing our mission.
During more common natural disasters, FEMA typically
manages an abundance of resources for events that are limited
in geographic scope and impact. In responding to COVID-19 and
other natural disasters in 2020, FEMA has met the more
difficult task of managing finite medical supplies and
equipment; rather than managing resources, we are managing
shortages.
We have worked tirelessly to find medical supplies and
equipment across the globe and rapidly move them to America
with the goal of providing temporary relief until supply chains
could begin to stabilize. In addition to expediting supplies
into the United States, the Federal response has focused on
stabling the lives of Americans in many impactful ways.
Since March 13, we have provided over $8.4 billion in
obligations under the Stafford Act to states for COVID-19
related activities with the first $1 billion obligated in just
11 days. Over $1 billion has been allocated to both, California
and New York, alone. And $1.7 billion has been allocated in
support of Title 32 National Guard troops, as well as the
deployment of 5,300 DOD, Title 10 medical professionals who
have provided critical medical support to numerous hospitals
under stress.
While we continue to respond to COVID-19, we want to ensure
that we are using all available resources to address these
critical shortfalls. To do so, the Federal Government has
utilized the Defense Production Act to increase the amount of
medical equipment manufactured domestically to ensure our
Nation's future preparedness is not overly reliant on foreign
producers.
This increase of domestic manufacturing will also allow
FEMA to pivot toward hurricane season preparations, as well as
other natural disasters. Operating in overlapping disaster
environments will create new challenges. Evacuating people
within the COVID-19 environment would require the widespread
availability of non-congregate sheltering so that social
distancing can be observed wherever possible. Critical supplies
like ventilators, PPE, and other key pharmaceuticals located in
the path of hurricanes, will have to be secured to ensure they
remain available for use.
As part of this pivot to prepare for other disasters, FEMA
recently released a planning guide for the 2020 hurricane
season to help local officials best prepare for more common
disasters within the context of a pandemic. The operational
guidance is scalable, flexible, and functions as an all-hazards
planning document. While this document focuses on hurricane
season preparedness, these planning considerations can also be
applied to any disaster operation in the COVID-19 environment
to include no-notice incidents and wildfire responses.
To further increase FEMA's readiness to support partners
during overlapping disasters, our agency continues to expand
its work force. Since the beginning of this fiscal year, the
FEMA has successfully onboarded more than 2,300 new disaster
personnel, which is an increase of over 22 percent from Fiscal
Year 2019. Many of these new personnel have been onboarded
during our COVID-19 response while adhering to pandemic-safety
protocols.
Additionally, last year, FEMA introduced a requirement for
states and territories to develop a distribution management
plan under the Emergency Management Performance Grant Program.
As a result, all 56 states and territories have individualized
plans that focus on commodity distribution, transportation best
practices, and as a result, FEMA personnel will be better-abled
to expeditiously contract and distribute goods and services to
disaster survivors.
In addition to preparing for future disasters within the
context of a pandemic, FEMA also remains committed to helping
our partners recover from past events; for example, FEMA and
its Federal partners have provided historical levels of support
for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico during the ongoing recovery
from Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
Since 2000 or mid-2000 to 2019, FEMA has gone from funding
between 10 and 15 permanent work projects per month to an
average of 550 projects per month. FEMA has obligated more
funding for emergency work in Puerto Rico than in Texas from
Hurricane Harvey and Florida from Hurricane Irma, combined.
Our streamlined services have accelerated the awards
process and to date, the Federal Government has provided more
than $25 billion toward the response and recovery efforts in
Puerto Rico.
Regardless of the challenges that FEMA will continue to
confront, the bedrock of our mission remains constant: to
protect the American people before, during, and after
disasters.
The framework by which we accomplish this remains
unchanged. Responses are most effective when locally executed,
state-managed, and federally supported.
The Nation is counting on us to accomplish our mission and
we will do so in accordance with our core values of compassion,
fairness, integrity, and respect. This unprecedented response
to the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to require a Whole-of-
America effort and FEMA looks forward to coordinating closely
with Congress as we work together to protect the lives of the
American people.
I would like to thank the committee for the opportunity to
testify today and I look forward to any questions you may have.
Thank you.
Mr. Rouda. Thank you, Administrator.
Without objection, the gentlewoman from the state of New
York and the gentlewoman from the U.S. Virgin Islands shall be
permitted to join the subcommittee on the dais and be
recognized for questioning the witness.
With that, I would like to recognize the vice chair of the
subcommittee, Congresswoman Tlaib for five minutes of
questioning via WebEx.
Congresswoman Tlaib?
Ms. Tlaib. Thank you, Chairman, and thank you so much to
the administrator for joining us, especially during this very
difficult time for so many Americans across the country.
I do want to just be really direct with you, Administrator,
you know, I had this line of questions to talk about national
disasters, but I feel just compelled to tell you, as I hear my
colleagues talk about the approach and the fact that, you know,
we have done all this work to try to combat the pandemic, one
of the statistics in my state is very alarming and I want to
talk about this, specifically, since we are talking about
vulnerable communities.
You know, more of my Black neighbors died of COVID than in
any other community; 40 percent of those that died from COVID
in Michigan were African American, even though they make up
less than 15 percent of the total population in the whole state
of Michigan. I am just curious as to what have you all done,
how intentional are you in making sure that you are covering
communities that are predominantly black and brown, in regard
to how you approach this pandemic?
Mr. Gaynor. Yes, ma'am. Thank you for the question.
So, as an emergency manager, I've been doing this for
almost 13 years at the local, state, and now Federal level, and
I've learned that when there's pre-existing challenges in a
community before a disaster and whether it's poverty or
homelessness, unemployment, medical care, the disaster that
comes next, and it can be any disaster, it just makes all of
those conditions much worse.
We knew that early on in COVID-19 and that's why I think we
took an aggressive approach with our authorities, and so some
of the things we've done across the country include, and one of
the first things, and this is one of the things that we had not
done in a disaster before, is we issued a--I have an Office of
Equal Rights--we issued a civil rights bulletin early on that
made sure that individuals, communities, advocacy groups had
ample----
Ms. Tlaib. I understand.
Mr. Gaynor [continuing]. Opportunities to raise concerns
and receive information. We also have food programs----
Ms. Tlaib. Administrator----
Mr. Gaynor [continuing]. That states----
Ms. Tlaib. Yes.
Mr. Gaynor [continuing]. Are using, housing programs, and
testing programs across the country, so----
Ms. Tlaib. I understand.
Administrator, one of the things--and I am so glad you are
talking about the conditions that existed prior to the pandemic
and the fact that we have these broken systems that are
structurally racist and do not include every single person that
lives in the United States--I do want to ask you, but, you
know, I heard in a different committee, I cannot remember when
it was, but we heard one of the folks come in and say that
during Katrina, they were very aggressive, and this was during
the Obama Administration, just very aggressive about giving
people direct debit cards to get food assistance to be able to
get, you know, diapers and formula, was a huge barrier during
that time.
So, even though we want to claim that we want civil rights
for everyone, that we are going to have this policy with these
task financial advisors to study us, I do not think it is
actually resulting in taking care of our most vulnerable that
have already been, as you just recognized, already not having
access to health care, environmental racism with pollution and
pre-existing conditions, all of those things, which have, you
know, homelessness or a lack of assisted housing, all of that
is to say that we need to be--and this is a pandemic--that FEMA
should be doing a lot more direct contact with these
communities, beyond just statements that you don't want them to
get hurt more than anyone else.
The fact of the matter is they are and you have
acknowledged that there is all these other conditions and,
really, they are systems; they are systems that have been
broken for a long time and no one has paid attention to them.
And I think that is why we see this uprising across our
country.
But, Administrator, I want to urge you as someone that
represents not only a part of the city of the Detroit, but even
11 communities throughout Wayne County, I hear all the time, if
it is not just alone on the flooding, that I know you all have
been working closely with me and part of my community, but it
is also during this pandemic, acknowledging that you all have
access to resources to waive, you know, cost-sharing
requirements for the SAFER grants. You didn't do it
retroactively.
So, communities like Inkster, which is predominantly black,
are now having to cut city services and keeping our citizens
safe because you all decided not to do that, or to push against
this whole 100 percent reimbursement. Again, when we do that
and help local governments, which are really touching the lives
directly to communities of color, we are short-changing them.
They are already in survivor mode, Administrator, and you know
this.
We have to be doing more and it has to be beyond just, you
know, statements and Civil Rights Division and so forth, and I
appreciate that, but this is time and years we can't get back.
People are dying and they are getting sick and they don't have
access to resources, as you acknowledged, because of the
systems that have been set up against them.
So, I just really appreciate this, Chairman, and
Administrator, I hope you hear me, this is very genuine, please
help black and brown communities. They are dying at a higher
rate and we need to do more in this country.
Thank you and I yield.
Mr. Gaynor. Thanks, ma'am.
If I could just followup on a couple of questions. First of
all, I used to live in Detroit, so I understand some of the
challenges, locally, that they have. So, cost share, we are
looking actively. It's under active examination; again,
unprecedented response to COVID-19. Never before in the history
of the country or the history of FEMA have we had every single
state, territory, a tribe, and the District of Columbia with a
major disaster. So, we're looking at cost share and I'm in
active conversations with the task force and with the
administration.
As for the SAFER grant reference, we actually waived, and
I'll be happy to get you this bulletin, the Secretary of
Homeland Security waived Fiscal Year 2019 and 2020, blanket
waivers for those grants. So, we waived cost share, we waived
salary cap, we waived supplanting for all of those grants to
make sure that we could retain and rehire our firefighters.
So, if your staff reaches out to me or my staff, we'd be
happy to help you understand what we did for SAFER grants.
Thank you, ma'am.
Mr. Rouda. Thank you. The Chair now----
Ms. Tlaib. Thank you.
Mr. Rouda [continuing]. Recognizes Ranking Member Comer for
five minutes of questioning.
Mr. Comer. Thank you.
Administrator, can you briefly describe the early actions
taken by FEMA at the onset of the COVID outbreak.
Mr. Gaynor. Yes, sir.
Again, an unprecedented time for the country and for FEMA.
On March 13, the President declared a nationwide disaster,
which, again, gave everyone a major disaster. Actually prior to
that, more than a month, FEMA had been in support of Health and
Human Services in their fight against COVID.
As we transitioned, as we learned more, as the disease
progressed and became larger, the President directed FEMA to
lead Federal coordinating operations. That was on March 18. On
that very night I moved all HHS, CDC, and other members to our
National Response Coordination Center. I also did that out in
the 10 regions that I have across the country, as far west as
American Samoa and as far east as the U.S. Virgin Islands to
make sure that we had a coordinated response to COVID-19.
Mr. Comer. Great. How has FEMA evolved its response from
the middle of March to today?
Mr. Gaynor. Yes, sir.
So, we're in a, you know, this is a dynamic situation. The
disease has changed over time. If you remember back to March
and April, you know, the epicenter was New York, New Jersey,
Connecticut, some New England states, Detroit, Chicago,
Louisiana, Los Angeles. So, all that happened and then now
it's, and, again, when you look at how we dealt with COVID-19,
we actually did it by counties and that's where we focused our
effort, not just generally by state, but by counties.
Mr. Comer. Right.
Mr. Gaynor. And now we look at the Sunbelt outbreak; it's a
different kind of outbreak----
Mr. Comer. Right.
Mr. Gaynor [continuing]. Where it's seated in most
counties, so it's much wider than it is, and so, we've adapted,
as we move through it, and we'll continue to adapt as we
understand it more.
So, where the initial outbreak, and I'll just use New York
as an example, you know, we needed surge capacity, we needed
PPE, we needed pharmaceuticals, we needed vents. Today it's
really, and I have talked to most all the Governors in the
outbreak states and their emergency managers, it's really about
staffing, staffing and hospitals to give some relief to those
critical frontline workers that we depend on.
Mr. Comer. Can you detail the most important strategies
discussed in FEMA's 2020 hurricane season operation guidance?
Mr. Gaynor. Yes, sir.
One of the things we knew early on, you know, in March,
that hurricane season was coming and we made a deliberate
effort to collect lessons learned, partnered with CDC and ASPR
and other medical professionals to collect best practices, look
at planning in detail, and in mid-May, May 20, we issued the
2020 operational guidance for the COVID-19 and hurricane
season.
And what we have been encouraging since then is that
states, tribes, territories, local governments look at their
existing plans and apply the lessons learned of COVID-19. And
I'll just give you a couple of examples, you know, it is a
complicated response on a good day for a hurricane, not in
COVID-19, it can be complicated. It will be further complicated
by the considerations of COVID-19 when you think about
evacuations, sheltering, and needing more space, needing more
time.
Mr. Comer. Right.
Mr. Gaynor. So, we're asking everyone to lean in. I just
came back from a seven-day, a six-day tour of the Gulf Coast,
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and checking out how those
states were doing. It is pretty impressive how much work has
been done at the local, state, and tribe levels.
So, I have confidence that emergency mayors across the
country, whether it is hurricanes or wildfires, flooding, or
tornados are embracing those best practices.
Mr. Comer. So, these planning operations can be applied to
any disaster operation during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Mr. Gaynor. Yes, sir. And, you know, we did a couple
different things. We'd like to think of ourselves as flexible,
so we built a pandemic guide for hurricane season, but we also
took a deeper dive with an additional guide a couple of weeks
later entitled, Mass Care, Assistance Pandemic Planning
Considerations, things that will be probably most problematic
in a disaster.
So, you're thinking about wildfire evacuations----
Mr. Comer. Right.
Mr. Gaynor [continuing]. Wildfire disasters, it's going to
be about mass care. What do you, you know, how do you move
those people? How do you shelter those people? How do you keep
them safe?
So, you're moving them out of the threat of a wildfire, but
you don't want to put them into a bigger threat of a congregate
sheltering operation. So, all those considerations, all those
frameworks we provide to state and locals so they can update
their plans.
Mr. Comer. Well, keep up the good work.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
Mr. Rouda. Thank you, Ranking Member Comer.
It is now my privilege to recognize the chair of the full
committee, the honorable Carolyn Maloney for five minutes of
questioning.
Mrs. Maloney. Thank you. And I want to thank so much
Chairman Rouda and the ranking member for calling this, and a
very special welcome to my colleague from the great city of New
York, Nydia Velazquez. I had the honor of joining her, going to
Puerto Rico to review FEMA's work on the island and, of course,
have been watching all that you have done in New York.
It was shortly after the first time you testified before
this committee, by that afternoon, at our request, you had
declared New York a disaster zone, thank you, and shortly after
that, the President declared the entire country a disaster
zone.
But one of the areas where we continue to have challenges
is the shortfalls in PPE during a disaster. We couldn't get PPE
in New York and our medical professionals were going to work in
garbage bags. At one time, one hospital had 250 people out sick
because I would say they didn't have the right protective
equipment and I certainly don't want to ever see that happen
again.
In response, New York started manufacturing our own PPE
because we could not get it and our supply chain, our foreign
developers wouldn't send it to us or they didn't have it. And
we had four manufacturing plants we set up. They are now in the
process of disbanding them.
I personally believe that we should never be dependent on
other countries for our PPE; we should manufacturer a certain
portion of that here in our country. And I have put in a bill
that would require that 35 percent of our Strategic National
Stockpile be manufactured in America and that we give tax
breaks and incentives to our manufacturers so that we can
prepare a certain percentage of PPE here in our own country so
that people will not die or become sick because they could not
have access to it.
I would like to send a couple of this proposal to you and
your team to look at and to get back with us with your
suggestions of whether or not it should be strengthened or how
it should be changed or any other ideas that you have.
And I would also like to call upon Ranking Member Comer to
take a serious look at it. I also serve on the subcommittee
that later that is looking at this issue and other things with
Jim Clyburn, who is chairing it, but very telling, both
Republicans and Democrats, have called for manufacturing PPE
here in our own country. I think it could be a goal that we
should all support.
But I do want to get back to the supply chain with a few
questions. One of your internal documents from FEMA's Supply
Chain Stabilization Task Force for at least in June, show that
the task force was projecting critical shortages of more than
30 million N95 respirators and a hundred million gowns in July.
These projections were developed before the recent surge that
we are now seeing in coronavirus cases in our country, so the
situation is likely much worse. And I think it point to the
need that we should have some production here at home.
So, Administrator Gaynor, yes or no, does the
administration now have updated projections of supply and
demand for mass gowns, gloves, and other supplies for the rest
of the year?
Mr. Gaynor. Ma'am, I think if I could just give a more
detailed answer because it----
Mrs. Maloney. OK. Certainly.
Mr. Gaynor [continuing]. Gives some context----
Mrs. Maloney. OK.
Mr. Gaynor [continuing]. To all these numbers.
Mrs. Maloney. Go right ahead.
Mr. Gaynor. And I thank you for--we would be happy to look
at that proposal and give it technical assistance, and I think
you're right on about how critical PPE is to national security
and making it here is important, so I applaud you for taking
that initiative.
Mrs. Maloney. And it is life-saving----
Mr. Gaynor. Absolutely.
Mrs. Maloney [continuing]. Absolutely life-saving, and to
think that our essential workers were going to the frontline of
this war against the virus not with the equipment they needed
to protect themselves. It is outrageous.
We should at very least, be able to ensure that our medical
professionals, every worker, janitors, administrators, nurses,
technicians, have the protective equipment they need.
Mr. Gaynor. Yes, ma'am. And I agree, it's about life-saving
and minimizing suffering. And I think we're in a much better
place today than we were back in March and April, and for
context, you know, the majority of PPE, so whether it's mass
gloves, gowns, not made in the U.S.
There's more made in the U.S. now than there was a couple
of months ago. And N95 masks, we're making those today.
Companies like 3M, Moldex, Honeywell, O&M Halyard all have
either increased their production or started new production,
like Honeywell.
So, we get healthier every day. N95 masks is like the
premium standard that everyone wants, and we realize that, and
so as we move through increased production, you know, we will
close that gap. And just, again, just for what we, how we see
supply and demand, we recently pulled, talked one-to-one to all
the state emergency manager directors about how much PPE they
have on hand, and for the most part, every state has a 60-, 90-
, 120-day stockpile, which is a really great statistic.
Hospitals have done the same, have went out bought PPE and
stockpiled it and, again, we track this day-by-day. I have Rear
Admiral Polowczyk who works on the Supply Chain Task Force,
that this is his sole job, to make sure that we fill all the
requests from states when we see a PPE shortage and, again,
it's one of the things that we've been doing from day one.
Mrs. Maloney. Unfortunately, my time has expired. I request
to Chairman if I could submit questions to him in writing and
that we can continue this conversation going forward, and I
yield back.
Mr. Rouda. Thank you, Madam Chair.
The Chair now recognizes the gentlelady from New York,
Representative Velazquez.
Ms. Velazquez. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and Ranking Member.
I really appreciate the opportunity to be here today to ask the
administrator some questions regarding Puerto Rico.
As a Puerto Rican woman who has most of my family in Puerto
Rico, I care deeply, and the fact that Puerto Rico has been
facing a financial crisis, Hurricanes Irma, Maria, earthquakes,
and now the pandemic. Puerto Rico has a surge on infections
that is one of the highest, if not the highest in the mainland.
So, today, AP has a story and it says, Thousands in Puerto
Rico still without housing since Maria. It is great to hear you
as to how much money has been obligated, but my question is,
why is it that thousands of families in Puerto Rico still do
not have a home, especially during this hurricane season?
Mr. Gaynor. Yes, ma'am. So, we have, first of all, our
commitment, FEMA's commitment to Puerto Rico, I think, is
demonstrated by the number of employees we have on the ground
today, more than 2,000 FEMA employees----
Ms. Velazquez. And I recognize that, sir.
Mr. Gaynor. Yes, ma'am. But that----
Ms. Velazquez. I really appreciate the great work and the
staff of FEMA. I was there, I have been there like three or
four times. I am not questioning that.
I am questioning the fact that since Maria, still, there
are thousands of families who might be confronting another
hurricane and they don't have any place to go.
Mr. Gaynor. Yes, ma'am. So, this has been a partnership
from the beginning. I think the partnership with Puerto Rico,
the Governor and her staff, has never been stronger. And
there's no easy, simple answer. It is a partnership between
FEMA, who does temporary work to keep people in their homes and
it is a partnership with HUD to do permanent work on houses.
So----
Ms. Velazquez. Excuse me, reclaiming my time.
And it is a reality that HUD has imposed certain
requirements that have not been asked from any other locality
in the Nation. And so, it is a very difficult task for them to
be able to repair, to make the repairs on those homes.
So, let's talk about Vieques; Vieques, where the Navy was
operating, the U.S. Navy for so many years until finally they
have Vieques and left behind an environmental degradation.
There was a commitment to clean up Vieques and no one can
question the fact that in Vieques, we have the highest rate of
cancer compared to any other municipality in Puerto Rico.
So, there might be a correlation between the fact that
bombs were exploded there and the health of the people of
Vieques. So, seven weeks, seven months ago, money was
appropriated, approved for a hospital that was promised to the
people of Vieques and this happened after the speaker called a
meeting between FEMA, myself, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the
CHC. A young lady, 16 years of age, lost her life because they
don't have a hospital and here, we are seven months later.
Transportation between the people of Vieques to the main
island to get health care services is impossible because it is
so poor that the infrastructure and the vessels are not
reliable. So, given the fact that what we have is low-income
people living in Vieques that are cutoff from the main island,
with the COVID pandemic, what are we saying to the children and
the elderly in Vieques, seven months after the money was
approved?
Mr. Gaynor. Yes, ma'am. So, early on FEMA built a temporary
hospital. We actually----
Ms. Velazquez. I know, I have been there.
Mr. Gaynor. Yes, ma'am. But $4.1 million dollars to build a
temporary hospital. We'll continue to fund that until we begin
to fund the permanent hospital, which has been funded to almost
$40 million, $39.5 million to fund a new hospital.
That process is underway, and we are committed to make sure
that there is health care for those living on Vieques that need
it.
Ms. Velazquez. Sir, FEMA has been telling me this for so
long. Seven months ago, the money was approved.
Mr. Gaynor. Yes, ma'am.
Ms. Velazquez. Why is that difficult to break ground in
Vieques that we send a message to the people of Vieques that
their lives matter?
Mr. Gaynor. Yes, ma'am. I mean, so, again, it doesn't
happen overnight. So, there's design, there's environmental
issues, and, again, we do this in partnership with the
Government or the municipality of Vieques. This is just not
FEMA building the Hospital; this is actually the local
government building the hospital and we're----
Ms. Velazquez. But what are you doing to provide capacity
and technical assistance so that they could get their act
together?
Mr. Gaynor. We are.
Ms. Velazquez. What are you?
Mr. Gaynor. Through the Governor of Puerto Rico, COR3 was
our partner, and the many Governors across the--or the many
mayors across Puerto Rico to include the mayor of Vieques, we
are providing assistance today.
Ms. Velazquez. I know. I talked to the mayor last Friday.
Mr. Gaynor. Yes, ma'am. But it is a partnership and to
build a forty-million-dollar hospital does not happen
overnight. But we are committed to make sure that we have
adequate health care on Vieques as long as it takes until----
Ms. Velazquez. We are the most powerful country in the
world and whenever there has been natural disaster in other
countries, we move Federal assets to make it happen.
Make it happen to the people of Vieques because they serve
a purpose in terms of our national security by having the Navy
operations there. They deserve the fire, the power and fire of
the United States. The will, if there is a will, we can do it.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Rouda. Thank you. And I support the comments from the
gentlelady from New York regarding the Americans in Puerto Rico
still in desperate need of help.
The Chair now recognizes myself for five minutes of
questioning.
Administrator Gaynor, there has been a lot of discussions
about the pandemic, the challenges facing FEMA as we enter into
the hurricane season and the wildfire season. I just want to
start off with a simple question.
Does FEMA get this? Do you have America's back as we go
into these challenges over the next few months?
Mr. Gaynor. Well, sir, I hope we've demonstrated over many
years that FEMA is an organization that's committed to the
safety of America and the response to those most in need after
a disaster.
And for context, since we have been responding to COVID-19,
early on, we responded to a hurricane or an earthquake in
Puerto Rico. We responded to flooding in Michigan. We responded
to tornados in southern states.
We're ready every day. There's no doubt that COVID-19 makes
this more complicated----
Mr. Rouda. But you are confident that you have got this?
Mr. Gaynor. Sir, this is not just FEMA responding; this is
Whole-of-Government response.
Mr. Rouda. I understand.
Mr. Gaynor. I have many partners----
Mr. Rouda. But you guys are the tip of the spear and that
is why I am encouraged to hear you say that, because that is
what America wants to hear. They want to hear that FEMA is
ready to take on these challenges.
Mr. Gaynor. Yes, sir.
Mr. Rouda. Let me ask you a few other questions here. I
want to focus on the wildfire season, because it is of
particular interest to my home state of California and, of
course, other western states, such as Oregon and Washington,
who could be facing frequent, severe, and life-threatening
wildfires.
How many wildfires is FEMA currently prepared to respond
to?
Mr. Gaynor. Yes, sir. Well, we issue, I'm sure you're
familiar with FMAG's Fire Management Assistance Grants. We've
issued a host of, I don't know the number off the top of my
head, but we've issued a host of those grants and the purpose
of those grants is to get early intervention when a fire
outbreaks so it doesn't turn into a major disaster.
So, we have, typically in a year, hundreds of FMAGs, again,
intervening early on----
Mr. Rouda. Right.
Mr. Gaynor [continuing]. So, it doesn't get out of control.
Mr. Rouda. But even with that being said, there has to be
some sense that you are prepared for more major wildfires
during the season.
Do you have an estimate as to what those anticipated
numbers might be?
Mr. Gaynor. I can't give you what the forecast for are; I'm
not sure that one exists. But we are an all-hazards agency, so
we're ready for not only wildfires, hurricanes, tornados, you
name it, to include our response and Federal coordination of
COVID-19.
I have a tremendous work force that works for me and I have
many great partners.
Mr. Rouda. I know you do. You have got great partners and a
fabulous work force at FEMA. I know that everyone is fully
committed and for that, America is grateful.
One of the things that I would like to ask you about is
evacuation orders; again, I am kind of focused on wildfires
here because of a particular interest to my home state. Unlike
other major disasters, along the lines of hurricanes, where we
have the ability to plan for evacuations, we don't necessarily
have that advanced warning when it comes to wildfires.
So, in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, what
type of screening does FEMA anticipate having in place for
evacuees due to wildfires to make sure that they are not going
into shelters where potentially being asymptomatic or infected?
Mr. Gaynor. Yes, sir. And, again, just some context, the
way a response works the best is when it's locally executed,
state-managed, and federally supported; so, all of those
elements working together. So, I was a local emergency manager
for seven years, I was a state emergency manager for four
years, and now I am the Federal administrator.
All those things have to work together and its levels. We
don't--so, I'm going to use my time as a local emergency
manager. I'm responsible, as a local emergency manager, I'm
responsible for all the hazards and response plans at the local
level.
Mr. Rouda. Yes. And I am just talking testing, I just want
to know about testing right now.
Mr. Gaynor. OK.
Mr. Rouda. So, if you have infected individuals going to
shelters and it is FEMA's position that that is a
responsibility of the state or the local municipalities, yet we
don't have sufficient testing in place, how is FEMA going to
address the spread of COVID-19 in shelters if there is not
adequate testing available?
Mr. Gaynor. So, again, sir, local and states have plans to
have screening, testing, or not use non-congregate, or
congregate shelters----
Mr. Rouda. So, the responsibility in FEMA's mind and in the
administration's, mind is that it does sit with the state and
local municipalities to have appropriate testing to ensure that
shelters are not being infected?
Mr. Gaynor. Again, this is an all-of-America response. So,
we're partners in all of that----
Mr. Rouda. I understand.
Mr. Gaynor [continuing]. And so, if there's a shortfall in
a local government or a shortfall at the state, a tribe, or
territory, FEMA will address that. So, we provide frameworks
and guidance, technical assistance.
I have 10 regions out there who coordinate plans for those
states in each region. We have the Federal Interagency
Operational Plan that lays out how----
Mr. Rouda. Let me ask you one more question here just
because we are limited time. In 2019, President Trump cut
FEMA's budget, which often supports state's tasking with
fighting wildfires.
Does FEMA have the financial resources to support states
like California in their efforts to meet the response and
recovery challenges associated with the anticipated wildfires
of the upcoming year?
Mr. Gaynor. Yes, sir. Great question.
And I want to thank Congress for passing supplementals that
allowed FEMA to double its capacity for resources funding. So,
typically, we would start a, I will use hurricane season, a
hurricane season year with about $45 billion in the Disaster
Relief Fund.
Due to the efforts by the administration and Congress,
Congress passed another 45, nearly $45 billion in assistance
for COVID-19 response. So, today, I spent about $8.5 billion,
that's just FEMA alone, and I have about $70 billion in the
DRF, probably twice as much that I would have in any other
season.
So, we are responding to COVID-19, we are responding to
earthquakes and tornados. We're doing recovery, at the same
time, we are doing a tremendous recovery in Puerto Rico, and
we're ready to respond to anything that's in front of us.
And, again, thanks to Congress, you have fully funded us to
make sure that we are ready for whatever disaster comes to us.
Mr. Rouda. Well, Administrator Gaynor, thank you so much
for coming in. I have to go vote, so I am going to turn the
chair over to Representative Speier, but I do appreciate you
taking the time to come in.
Your job, I do not think anyone in America envies the
challenges that are facing you, and we are very appreciative of
you and your entire team's efforts to try to keep America safe
during this time.
At this time, the chair will recognize Representative
Plaskett from the United States Virgin Islands for five minutes
of questioning and I will allow Representative Speier to come
up and take over the chair. Thank you.
Ms. Plaskett. Thank you very much to my colleague, Mr.
Rueda. This has been an excellent hearing thus far.
And, Mr. Gaynor, thank you so much for coming before
Congress and for giving us an update. I know that you all have
so much work to do. It is a tremendous task ahead for all of
us.
I appreciate the COVID-19 pandemic operational guidance for
the 2020 hurricane season that FEMA has prepared, but I wanted
to know, I would appreciate further details on your plans for
the Virgin Islands if it were to be struck by another hurricane
this year.
As you are aware, our hospitals are still damaged and not
able to operate at full capacity. Our schools, businesses,
hotels are still being repaired.
In recent weeks, we have also seen exponential growth in
COVID infections here in the territory, unfortunately.
How would FEMA plan to provide non-congregate sheltering
after a storm in the Virgin Islands, especially if COVID cases
continue to grow here in the Virgin Islands?
Mr. Gaynor. Yes, ma'am, thank you. And thank you for your
support on USVI. We do appreciate it.
And so, there's a number of questions and I will try to get
to all of them. I actually was in the USVI, I visited all three
islands in early January. I met with the Governor and the team
to make sure that we were addressing all the issues that the
territory was experiencing, to include, at the time was getting
schools reopened. And through a great partnership with the
Governor and the team, we drove that forward.
I actually placed one of my most talented Federal
coordinating officers down there to lead that effort. Today, in
preparedness for hurricane season and looking back at the
lessons that we learned from 2017, we have commodities on all
three islands. We have more commodities on the continental U.S.
We have more commodities on Puerto Rico than we ever had
before.
When it comes to COVID-19, we've been working with, again,
with the Governor and the team building surge capacity to make
sure if a hospital runs out of capacity, that they have surge
capacity, make sure they have adequate ventilators, and, again,
if there's a need to shelter, we are working with the territory
to make sure that they have all the capability that they
require.
Ms. Plaskett. And what is that capability that they have
discussed with you, in terms of non-congregate sheltering after
the storm, what is the plan?
Mr. Gaynor. I would have to talk to the FCO and the Virgin
Islands emergency manager to see what specifics they have down
there, but if you allow me, I'll followup and get you a detail
of what the territory's plan is for that and how we're
supporting it.
Ms. Plaskett. Thank you.
You talked about surge capacity in terms of COVID. And as
you know, everyone is concerned with PPE funding. The President
has stated that this response was preeminently the
responsibility of the Federal Government.
In the Virgin Islands, we have learned that FEMA has
decided to Plexiglass is not eligible for reimbursement under
the Public Assistance Program.
Why does FEMA feel it is not responsible for reimbursing
the costs for protective equipment like Plexiglass, which adds
an emergency protective measure? Do you all not see it as an
emergency protective measure?
Mr. Gaynor. Ma'am, that's the first I've heard of that
issue; again, I will personally look into that and get back to
you with an answer.
Ms. Plaskett. I really appreciate that.
One of the other things that I wanted to ask you about was
in terms of cost share. Now, I understand that we probably
won't agree on how much is the Federal Government's
responsibility and how much is the state, but absent that, I
would appreciate a commitment from you that in a short period
of time within, you know, two weeks or so, that you will
jointly issue guidance with HHS to much more clearly explain
what activities will be the responsibility of HHS and which
will be the responsibility of FEMA.
I know that you all are working on an MOA. This pandemic
continues, ravaging stronger than ever, and Congress has
appropriated 45 billion for the Disaster Relief Fund under the
CARES Act, which was supplemented funding for your agency's
response effort.
Can I get an, do you have an update or is there a
commitment from you with regard to the--?
Mr. Gaynor. Yes, ma'am. You are absolutely correct that,
you know, we have a bulletin for COVID response, and we have a
bulletin for natural disasters under, you know, hurricane
season, as an example. And we're in the process of merging
those two, so it's a little bit clearer to jurisdictions under
the COVID-19 major or on a potentially new major for a
hurricane or tropical storm, so we are working out those
details.
You know, one of the challenges is there's lots of
supplemental funding across the Nation for lots of different
things and we want to make sure it's clear and people
understand how to use it so when the accounting happens, we
don't have to clawback any money or have duplication of
benefits. So, we want to be deliberate about that and when
there's an update, I'll absolutely share it with you.
Ms. Plaskett. You know, I am just hoping that like the
other issues that we have had, particularly the STEP Program,
that that guidance will be sooner, rather than later, so that
our government has a clearer delineation of what the guidance
is.
And with the Chair's indulgence, I would ask Mr. Gaynor, I
am really looking for you, I understand that you have recently,
you had a commitment from you personally, but any outstanding
issues with closing out the STEP Program in the Virgin Islands
would be resolved by August of this year.
Is FEMA still on track to honor that commitment, to resolve
the outstanding issues with closing out the shelter and
temporary essential power, the STEP Program by next month?
And there are other questions that I will submit for the
record and after your response, I yield back. Thank you so
much.
Mr. Gaynor. Yes, ma'am. On STEP, we've had numerous
conversations with the territory on it and I think from our
point of view, it really is, and we have provided technical
support and assistance, as required, and, you know, that STEP
Program, Public Assistance Program is reimbursable for eligible
expenses. I think the issue now is between the government of
Puerto Rico and the vendors that they hired, making sure all
that paperwork has been submitted, make sure it is proper, and
then when it's proper, we'll absolutely reimburse for eligible
costs for the STEP Program. But I think for right now, the ball
is in the Government's court with the contractors that they
hired.
Ms. Plaskett. So, I am not asking about Puerto Rico; I am
asking about the Virgin Islands.
So, my understanding is that the local government of the
Virgin Islands has given you all of the information and right
now, it is for FEMA to finalize the outstanding issues so that
it can be resolved by August.
Mr. Gaynor. Again, ma'am, I may have a little bit of dated
information, 30, 45 days old, but the last up check I got was
still waiting on paperwork so we could actually, you know, we
have no problem with identifying the funding to pay out on it;
it's really making sure all the costs are eligible and
reasonable and proper and I will absolutely pay on those, you
know, when that criteria is met.
But from my latest understanding, and I'd be happy to go
back and get an update on it, but my latest understanding is
that the territory and its vendors are still working those out.
Ms. Speier.
[Presiding.] I thank the gentlelady.
Ms. Plaskett. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Ms. Speier. Mr. Gaynor, we are very appreciative of you
being here today and you have one of the most profound tasks, I
think, of anyone in the Federal Government right now with the
exception of Dr. Fauci.
I would like to speak about the DPA. I am really astounded
that we have not taken full advantage of the DPA. I can tell
you that in California in my district, they are grappling with
that problem on a daily basis and are always in need.
So, how can we better use the DPA to get the resources we
need? This particular pandemic is going to be with us for
another year.
Mr. Gaynor. Yes, ma'am. And I've said this publicly a
couple of times before.
So, to date, FEMA, just FEMA alone, we've used the DPA at
least 14 times, and then there's other agencies that have other
DPA authorities that have used it. One of the things early on,
March and April, as I understand the environment we were
operating in and one of--and I have probably the finest supply
expert in the world, Rear Admiral Polowczyk, that works on this
every day.
But we wanted to make sure that we did no harm to the
existing landscape, to make sure that if you----
Ms. Speier. What do you mean by do no harm?
We have people dying in this country.
Mr. Gaynor. Yes, ma'am. And I'll give you an example.
Everyone needed more N95 masks. The material that you use to
make N95 masks is the same material that you make a gown with,
so they stopped making gowns and they make under more N95
masks, and then we have a gown shortage.
So, all these unintended consequences, we want to be
thoughtful and meaningful about it. When we actually used it,
we used it in a deliberate way to get the best result.
Ms. Speier. So, let me see if I understand.
You have the authority to exercise DPA as the director of
FEMA?
Mr. Gaynor. Yes, sir--yes, ma'am.
Ms. Speier. That is fine.
So, you can call upon manufacturing companies that don't
engage in this kind of work to do this kind of work, correct?
Mr. Gaynor. We can and we have. And there are many
manufacturers and I'll just use, I listed some earlier, but
there are new manufacturers in the United States now that had
not produced N95 masks. There are producers like 3M that have
increased their production. There are new manufacturers like
Honeywell and Moldex that have started new production lines.
So, it is happening, and, again, back to, for context,
global competition for all of these medical supplies, 90
percent of medical supplies not made in the U.S. And this is a
national security issue.
Ms. Speier. It is.
Mr. Gaynor. Our goal is to move those critical supplies
that save lives, minimize suffering, back to the United States,
and we are doing that.
One of the challenges----
Ms. Speier. All right. Let me----
Mr. Gaynor. It's not a switch; it's a rheostat. So, it
takes time to make all that happen.
Ms. Speier. Here is my point, though----
Mr. Gaynor. Companies----
Ms. Speier. Excuse me, sir. Let me just make this point.
I have companies in my district that took advantage of PPP,
that is the Payroll Protection Plan. They got million-dollar
loans to become the middleman in buying PPE from China.
So, they actually bought N95 masks from China, brought them
to the United States, and an 80-cent N95 mask, they were
charging our Government $8 for and getting a Payroll Protection
Plan loan on top of it. So, it has gotten so twisted and I
think we are misusing the taxpayers' money when we don't do
virtually all of that here in the United States.
Let me move on to another----
Mr. Gaynor. If I could just, again, give some more context,
through the CARES Act, the Congress passed a billion dollars to
increase production in the United States. So, our partners in
DOD and DLA are working on a host of initiatives to increase
production of pharmaceuticals, N95 masks, other----
Ms. Speier. I appreciate that, but my hospitals are still
clamoring for PPE. They are struggling to get it. They are
paying high prices for it. It shouldn't have to happen.
Mr. Gaynor. Yes, ma'am. Again, we're in a much better
place. We still have a ways to go, but we have come a long way
since March and April.
I have no doubt that the prices are not what they once were
pre-COVID at 70 cents a mask; those days are probably long
gone. But, nonetheless, we get healthier every day, and I will
just use N95 masks, whether we import a little bit more from
overseas until we can catch up in the United States, but we
have to build it in America and we have to make sure we just
don't build it in America for a couple of years and forget
about how important it is, but to fund those companies, those
great American companies that are doing it for us today, for
the long haul.
And we are focusing on that, so we don't fall into this
trap in five years or 10 years or 15 years. We want to make
sure that we learn the lessons learned, the hard lessons
learned, right, over the past five months, that we don't repeat
those again.
Ms. Speier. So, the price-gouging that is going on here in
the United States, which is happening as well, you are saying
those 70-cent N95 masks are long gone.
Why should they be long gone if we can get the production
up?
And if we are paying U.S. companies now to do the
production, why shouldn't they be providing those masks at 70
cents a mask?
Mr. Gaynor. I'm not an economist or a supply chain expert,
but it is about a lack of supply and they're in high demand, so
those prices go up.
I'm not saying it is right or it's wrong; I think it's just
the environment we live in and I think if you make it in
America, it's probably going to cost a little bit more than
making it in China, for example.
And, you know, part of the way we live, we live in a ``just
in time'' world where we really don't warehouse these things
anymore; it's just, you know, we need it today and it comes
from China tomorrow and we have it the next day.
We need to change that dynamic to make sure that we are
self-sufficient as a Nation, so we don't fall into this trap.
And it's just not only PPE, it is all those other things that
we really have to take a deep dive into to make sure the Nation
is ready not only for the next pandemic or something that
equals that stress on the Nation.
Ms. Speier. All right. I think my time is sort of expired,
but since I am the last person here, I am going to take
advantage of asking you one more set of questions.
Can I just ask you this straight out, do you believe in
climate change?
Mr. Gaynor. Ma'am, I believe that, well, first of all, I'm
not a scientist, but I believe that the climate has changed.
And I'll just use hurricanes, and you can look back at the
history of hurricanes over the last 75 years or more, more
frequent, more costly, more damage.
So, the climate has changed, but FEMA's role in this is no
matter the cause of a disaster, so whether it's a hurricane or
a tornado, our response and our responsibility to the Nation is
to respond to all those----
Ms. Speier. Precisely.
Mr. Gaynor. Yes, ma'am.
Ms. Speier. So, it would make sense, would it not, that you
would have climate change as something that you would consider
in your strategic planning, possibly to improve your ability to
assist when these calamities occur.
Mr. Gaynor. And you're referencing the 2018 strategy,
strategic plan?
Ms. Speier. Yes.
Mr. Gaynor. Yes, ma'am. Well, we did not reference climate
change, or we didn't even reference any----
Ms. Speier. Well, you removed it is my understanding.
Mr. Gaynor. Well, I wasn't here for 2017, so I can't speak
to that.
But what I do know is, you know, we didn't even speak to
hazards in that plan. It was really more of a thought piece
about what is important to the Nation.
And let me just give you, again, context--I was a state
director--FEMA requires every state to have a hazard mitigation
plan that addresses changing conditions; things like that
demographics, land-use, infrastructure, climate in that plan.
So, we are fully embraced in making sure we understand all the
things that impact readiness in states for innocent locals and
readiness as a Nation.
So, it may not be in there, but, again, we----
Ms. Speier. It should be. It has to be considered, correct?
Mr. Gaynor. Well, we consider it.
Ms. Speier. The last question I have deals with whether or
not you are training those who are going to be called into the
work force during the fire season, are you training them in
virus-containment techniques, in terms of their interactions
with each other on the firelines?
Mr. Gaynor. Well, I can't speak specifically to
firefighters on a fireline, but what I can say is the CDC has
numerous guidelines about how to keep safe when dealing with
COVID-19. So, whether you're a firefighter or a police officer
or a nurse in a hospital, there is guidance out there that you
can use to keep yourself safe.
And I'll just give you the four basic things that I think
everyone needs to do, whether you're on a frontline firefighter
or just at home, you know, watching TV.
Wear a mask. If everyone did that, we would continue to
flatten the curve.
Keep your hands clean. Every time you walk by the Purell
pump, wash your hands. Don't wear gloves. It doesn't help.
Third is social distancing 6 feet away or more.
And, last, don't go into crowded bars and don't go into
crowded restaurants.
If we could do those four basic things, every American,
because this is an all-America response, can work toward
beating COVID-19 as fast as we can. And I got those four from
Dr. Fauci, so I'm proud to quote him on that.
Ms. Speier. Well, Mr. Administrator, thank you.
It is important for the message to get out about gloves,
too. Every time I see people with gloves on, I worry that they
don't appreciate that they are actually making things worse for
themselves.
Mr. Gaynor. They are.
Ms. Speier. So, thank you, again, very much for being here
today.
In closing, I want to thank you, again, for your remarks
and your willingness to engage with us.
Without objection, all members will have five legislative
days within which to submit additional written questions for
the witnesses to the chair, which will be forwarded to the
witnesses for their response, and I ask that you promptly
respond as you are able.
This hearing is adjourned.
Mr. Gaynor. Thank you, ma'am.
[all]