|
“This amendment would have allowed Congress to oversee exactly how the billions in taxpayer dollars are being spent in Iraq and in the Gulf Coast,” said Kaptur. “Though the Republican leadership did not allow a vote on this amendment, it remains critical that Congress curtail the opportunities for waste, fraud, and abuse in federal contracting.”
The Truman Committee, or the Select Committee to Investigate the National Defense Program, held 432 public hearings and 300 executive sessions, conducted hundreds of fact-finding missions, issued 51 reports and saved the taxpayers billions of dollars.
“The need for a modern-day Truman Commission could not be clearer. This amendment is a responsible, good government amendment. It provided a means for oversight that is thorough not anecdotal. This is a failure by Congress to exercise its most basic responsibility—the power of the purse.”
According to the Inspector General, $8.8 billion of Iraq funds intended for reconstruction are unaccounted for and as many as fifty investigations were opened involving contractor fraud, kickbacks, bribery, and waste.
Currently, no Committee in this House has full investigative authority to probe the growing public concerns. For the cost of war in Iraq see: http://nationalpriorities.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=182
|
