With a response that took less than a minute, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano seemingly put to rest a debate that has been lingering in Washington for years.

She told House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson that both she and the President intend to keep the Federal Emergency Management Agency inside the Homeland Security Department.

Stewart Baker, a partner in the Washington office of Steptoe & Johnson and former Assistant Secretary for Policy at Homeland Security, offered some analysis about why the announcement might have been made the way it was, and what it means for the future of the agency.

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