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Reconstruction of the Gulf Coast Must Not be Plagued by the Same Mismanagement And Lack of Oversight Demonstrated in Iraq
With the appropriation of more than $62 billion for Hurricane Katrina relief funds, the Administration has begun awarding contracts in the recovery and rebuilding efforts in the Gulf Coast region. The management of reconstruction in Iraq does not inspire confidence in the Administration's ability to manage the rebuilding process. As a New York Times report detailed last week, reconstruction efforts in Iraq have slowed and in some case failed due to poor planning and corruption. We cannot allow the victims of Hurricane Katrina to be victimized again with waste, fraud, and abuse in federal contracting.
The danger signs for corruption here at home are already evident. Just this week, the White House's top federal procurement official, David Safavian, was arrested for lying and obstructing a criminal investigation. Until his resignation, Mr. Safavian had been developing contracting policies for the multibillion-dollar relief effort after Hurricane Katrina. This week, Leader Pelosi and Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) introduced legislation designed to prevent fraud in federal contracting relating to Hurricane Katrina. The bill would establish a commission that would report evidence of waste and fraud, increase transparency and accountability to the public and Congress, and enact reforms necessary to prevent contract abuses and promote efficiency.
Learn more about the legislation -
http://democraticleader.house.gov/press/releases.cfm?pressReleaseID=1190