WASHINGTON - As the federal government throws tens of billions of dollars into hurricane relief and reconstruction, the system to make sure taxpayers' money is spent properly is a mess.
The federal purchasing system has been plagued with scandal - its top buyer was arrested Monday. It has too few workers deciding exactly what to buy, and there may not be enough auditors to ensure taxpayers get their money's worth. Even now, rules designed to keep the contracting process fair and honest are being loosened to speed recovery and reconstruction.
"We are looking at billions going out there. It will be certainly hundreds of millions of dollars at risk," said Bunnatine Greenhouse, who was the Army Corps of Engineers chief contracting officer until last month when she was demoted after complaining about no-bid contracting in Iraq.
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"There's no doubt, no question, there's going to be fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement - there already has been," Comptroller General David M. Walker told Knight Ridder. He runs the Government Accountability Office, the watchdog arm of Congress.
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Fraud calls "are just starting to flow in these last two weeks," Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Richard Skinner said Friday. "We're getting a lot of calls. It's increasing daily."
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/12726524.htm
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