Senate Democrats offer anti-war profiteering measure
By Rick Maze
Times staff writer
Senate Democrats unveiled an anti-war profiteering plan Thursday they said is aimed at making sure troops and taxpayers get their due.
Introduced after Democrats, without Republican support, held a series of hearings about contracting problems plaguing Iraq reconstruction efforts, the plan takes two approaches. First, it attempts to eliminate possible conflicts of interest and cronyism by prohibiting federal contracting officials from taking jobs with companies they once oversaw and requiring political appointees to have credentials and experience qualifying them for their jobs.
Second, it strengthens punishment, restoring a policy that prohibits contracts to companies displaying a pattern of noncompliance with contracting laws. It imposes new penalties of up to $1 million in fines and 20 years in prison for defrauding the government in connection with war or military action, something commonly known as war profiteering.
“Taxpayers deserve to know that their tax dollars will be spent wisely, not left wide open to be snatched up by fast-buck artists with friends in high places,” said Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, the Senate Democratic Policy Committee chairman who presided over hearings about contracting abuses.
There are 25 Democrat co-sponsors for what is being called the Honest Leadership and Accountability in Contracting Act, which is enough to get attention but not enough to pass the bill.
Among the complaints probed by Democrats are that contractors were paid for meals they never provided to troops and that spoiled food or food beyond its manufacturer’s expiration day were fed to troops. This included frozen chicken, beef, fish and ice cream.
A food production manager told Democrats that spoiled food was the result of poor refrigeration and long supply lines, and that there were times when food refused at one U.S. base was sent to another U.S. base in Iraq as long as the boxes and shipping records didn’t show why the food was rejected.
Link Here
Times staff writer
Senate Democrats unveiled an anti-war profiteering plan Thursday they said is aimed at making sure troops and taxpayers get their due.
Introduced after Democrats, without Republican support, held a series of hearings about contracting problems plaguing Iraq reconstruction efforts, the plan takes two approaches. First, it attempts to eliminate possible conflicts of interest and cronyism by prohibiting federal contracting officials from taking jobs with companies they once oversaw and requiring political appointees to have credentials and experience qualifying them for their jobs.
Second, it strengthens punishment, restoring a policy that prohibits contracts to companies displaying a pattern of noncompliance with contracting laws. It imposes new penalties of up to $1 million in fines and 20 years in prison for defrauding the government in connection with war or military action, something commonly known as war profiteering.
“Taxpayers deserve to know that their tax dollars will be spent wisely, not left wide open to be snatched up by fast-buck artists with friends in high places,” said Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, the Senate Democratic Policy Committee chairman who presided over hearings about contracting abuses.
There are 25 Democrat co-sponsors for what is being called the Honest Leadership and Accountability in Contracting Act, which is enough to get attention but not enough to pass the bill.
Among the complaints probed by Democrats are that contractors were paid for meals they never provided to troops and that spoiled food or food beyond its manufacturer’s expiration day were fed to troops. This included frozen chicken, beef, fish and ice cream.
A food production manager told Democrats that spoiled food was the result of poor refrigeration and long supply lines, and that there were times when food refused at one U.S. base was sent to another U.S. base in Iraq as long as the boxes and shipping records didn’t show why the food was rejected.
Link Here
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 12:28 AM
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