WASHINGTON - Governmental Affairs Committee Ranking Member Joe Lieberman, D-Conn. - who last month asked the Defense Department Inspector General to investigate Halliburton's inflated oil importation charges - issued the following statement Friday in response to a separate DOD audit that found Halliburton may have overcharged the government by as much as $61 million for fuel deliveries to Iraq:
"The news of this audit, and its conclusion that Halliburton may have overcharged the federal government, should be like a douse of cold water for the Bush Administration. For months it has defended the Halliburton contract and other contracts like it that were awarded with little or no competition. Now, the Defense Department has learned what many of us in Congress have said from the beginning - that no-bid, sole-source contracts often lead to waste and abuse.
"More than a month ago, when allegations about Halliburton=s overcharges for fuel began to surface, I called on the Defense Department to seek reimbursement from Halliburton for the amounts it has overcharged the United States government. Today, I am renewing my call for Halliburton to reimburse the government. At a time of soaring federal deficits, we can ill afford to line the pockets of well-connected corporations at the expense of the American taxpayer."
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