Auditors pledge to investigate Katrina contracts(incl Halliburton,Bechtel)

[DeepModem Mom]

CNN/AP: Auditors pledge to investigate Katrina contracts
Gulf Coast governors to testify at hearings Wednesday
Wednesday, September 28, 2005


WASHINGTON (AP) -- A day after castigating the federal government's ousted disaster chief, a House panel is hearing pledges from government auditors that they will closely examine millions of dollars in contracts the Bush administration awarded to politically connected companies for Hurricane Katrina relief.

The inspectors general from half a dozen agencies, as well as officials from the Government Accountability Office, on Wednesday were addressing a House subcommittee on the Katrina cleanup and announcing several new audits to combat waste and fraud.

They are pledging strong oversight that includes a review of no-bid contracts and close scrutiny of federal employees who now enjoy a $250,000 -- rather than a $2,500 -- purchase limit for Katrina-related expenses on their government-issued credit cards....

***

In the weeks after the August 29 storm, more than 80 percent of the $1.5 billion in contracts awarded by FEMA for Katrina work were handed out with little or no competition or had open-ended or vague terms that previous audits have cited as being highly prone to abuse.

They included contracts such as a $16 million deal involving Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown & Root Services Inc. of Arlington, Va., that has been cited for overcharging the government for work in Iraq; and San-Francisco-based Bechtel Corp. Both companies have strong ties to the Bush administration....


http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/09/28/congress.katrina.ap/index.html

[The Backlash Cometh]

1. If the GAO is involved, I have a little more trust in it.

Does anybody know if the GAO has been infiltrated with crony appointments?

[asjr]

4. It would not surprise me to find out GAO has

been infected with cronyism disease. It is prevalent throughout this administration. Do we have enough time to find an antidote?

[patdem]

2. Halliburton has ALREADY been investigated and found GUILTY!

Guilty of overcharging, guilty of using sub standard quality food/water for our troops, guilty of everything they were investigated for..and yet...nothing happens! I want not only and investigation but a PROMISE to punish wrongdoers..or as I prefer to call them EVILDOERS! :grr:

On edit: THEN THEY WERE GIVEN A BOUNUS! double :grr::grr:

[Sin]

3. What was that noise

ya know that low humming.I guess just heard 20k paper shredders click on all at once.

[rodeodance]

5. greed --in the infection that has invaded so so so many.

[Mark E. Smith]

6. Auditors To Probe Katrina Contracts

WASHINGTON (AP) - A day after castigating the federal govt's ousted disaster chief, a House panel is hearing pledges from government auditors that they will closely examine millions of dollars in contracts the bush administration awarded to politically connected companies for Hurricane Katrina relief.

The inspectors general from half a dozen agencies, as well as officials from the Government Accountability Office, on Weds were addressing a House subcommittee on the Katrina cleanup and announced several new audits to combat waste and fraud.

They are pledging strong oversight that includes a review of no-bid contracts and close scrutiny of federal employees who now enjoy a $250,000 - rather than $2,500 - purchase limit for Katrina-related expenses on their government-issued credit cards.

The joint appearance of govt auditors Weds comes amid a flurry of legislation pending in Congress that would create additional layers of oversight to the Katrina contracting and awarding process.

It also comes amid growing charges of favoritism that critics say led to govt missteps in the wake of the katrina disaster.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050928/ap_on_go_co/katrina_congress_hk4

Is it OK to express a little skepticism?