Former FEMA chief Michael Brown is no longer on the agency's payroll, the Homeland Security Department said Wednesday, ending nearly two months of compensation after he resigned under fire.

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Initially, Brown was permitted to continue collecting his $148,000 annual salary for 30 days after he resigned. Last month, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said he extended Brown's contract for an additional 30 days, until mid-November, to help the agency complete its review of the response to Katrina.

• On the morning of August 29, Hurricane Katrina made landfall near New Orleans, and within two days there was already discussion of the federal government's lack of preparedness.
  
• Within a week, there were serious questions about the federal response.
  
• On September 9, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Michael Brown, was relieved of control over Washington's response to Katrina. However, Brown remained at the helm of FEMA.
  
• Three days later, Brown resigned as administrator of FEMA.
  
• On September 26, word leaked out that despite his resignation, Brown was still receiving a salary from the federal government.
  
• On or before October 22, Brown's contract was again renewed and the former bureaucrat continued to receive a salary.
  
• Brown's federal salary is terminated on November 2.

Posted by: Jonathan Singer / 8:26 AM | Basie! Home