{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-presses-dhs-inspector-general-on-federal-government-s-shamefully", "Norton Presses DHS Inspector General on Federal Governments Shamefully Slow Response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands", "2017-11-15", "2017", "2017-11", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.\u2014Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today at an Oversight and Government Reform Committee (OGR) hearing questioned Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General John Roth regarding the federal government\u2019s slow response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands following Hurricane Maria, which made landfall there eight weeks ago.\u00a0 DHS has jurisdiction over the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which has responsibility for disaster response.\u00a0 Norton requested that the committee subpoena documents regarding the Administration\u2019s response to Hurricane Maria because the White House is withholding information from Congress and the public.\nNorton first asked Roth what grade, from one to 10, he would give the Administration for its hurricane response.\u00a0 Roth said his office is currently looking into that very issue and to assess how the situation has been handled.\nNorton raised serious concerns about the future of disaster responses after the allegations surrounding a $300 million contract with Whitefish Energy, which had only two employees when Hurricane Maria made landfall.\u00a0 She asked Roth if there are any measures in place to flag such an inappropriate selection, emphasizing that the contract was ultimately canceled due to press reports and ensuing public outcry, not because of executive or congressional oversight.\u00a0 Roth said there is an ongoing investigation led by federal auditors into FEMA\u2019s involvement in the contract selection process in Puerto Rico.\nNorton said after there was an eight-day delay in appointing a three-star general to lead recovery efforts in Puerto Rico, now, to make matters worse, Lt. General Jeffrey Buchanan is already being withdrawn, along with his military equipment, despite his acknowledgement that \u201cpeople still need help.\u201d\u00a0 Norton asked Roth how Buchanan\u2019s withdrawal is justified and whether his office is looking into the military\u2019s decision to withdraw.\u00a0 Roth said he would take Norton\u2019s request into account as he examines the role DHS played in the decision to withdraw Buchanan and military equipment.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-presses-dhs-inspector-general-on-federal-government-s-shamefully"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9510922245681286, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}