Allbaugh At FEMA
Allbaugh was confirmed as Director of FEMA in February 2001 by the Senate in a unanimous vote. Unlike his predecessor, he was not raised to cabinet rank. Allbaugh gained some attention that April for remarks questioning whether taxpayers should have to cover the cost of rebuilding properties that suffer repeated flood damage, just as the Mississippi River was flooding. This turned into a public disagreement with the mayor of Davenport, Iowa, one of the affected cities, and brought up policy issues that would arise again under Allbaugh's successor after Hurricane Katrina. The Bush administration also proposed cuts to FEMA's budget and the National Flood Insurance Program. After Tropical Storm Allison hit Texas in June, however, Allbaugh said the budget cuts would affect the agency's ability to respond to future disasters.
In May, Bush announced that FEMA would expand its responsibility to include government response to terrorist attacks. Allbaugh explained that this mission, dubbed "homeland defense", would focus on dealing with the effects of such attacks, but not extend to gathering intelligence to prevent them. This left the agency as one of the most visible responders in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks. At the time of the attacks, Allbaugh was attending a conference in Big Sky, Montana, on the subject of emergency response.
As the September 11 attacks eventually led to a cabinet reorganization placing FEMA in the newly created Department of Homeland Security, Allbaugh elected to leave the agency. He made his resignation effective March 1, 2003, the date the reorganization was to take effect. His successor was Michael Brown, another Oklahoma native and an old friend from Republican state politics. Allbaugh had hired Brown as general counsel, and he went on to become deputy director before taking over the top post at the agency.
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