Berkley continues recovery from surgery

Suzanne Struglinski

Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2005 | 10:50 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., will miss this week's expected vote on Hurricane Katrina aid because she is continuing to recover from cosmetic surgery on her neck.

Berkley had the procedure done on Aug. 15, and was told a three-week recovering period would be fine, she said. But on the advice of her doctor, she will remain in Nevada longer than she anticipated, she said. She expects to return to Washington on Monday.

The House is expected to vote on at least $40 billion in additional aid for Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts this week. Berkley said the vote is likely to be unanimous but she will enter a statement of her support into the Congressional record.

She is also among the many lawmakers who are criticizing the way the government agencies handled the disaster.

"I don't think anyone who has been watching this crisis unfold could be proud of the government response to this crisis," said Rep. Shelley Berkely, D-Nev., "The question now is where do we go from here."

Berkley said that since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, she has voted for billions of dollars in federal money to go toward emergency supplies and improved communication.

She said everyone was "keenly aware" of communication problems when no one could notify firefighters who went into the World Trade Center to get out.

"This problem is rampant," Berkley said. "I don't know where these billions of dollars have gone."

Berkley also said Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Mike Brown should be fired "in a heartbeat."

"He should have never had the position. This is the perfect example of cronyism," she said. "This is not a position for on-the-job training."

She said her call for him to step down is not partisan but based in reality.

"We watched his incompetence unfold on television," she said. She could not believe when he said he did not know how much help people needed in New Orleans as all of American watched the devastation on their TVs or computers.

After the dust settles, Berkley said she will meet with first responders in Nevada to make sure they know what would happen in a similar crisis.

She said one of her key questions is: "Are we prepared in Nevada?"