Accountability in Contracting

I support H.R. 1362 and strongly believe we must restore the American people's faith in our government.

This bill will help stop the abuses of the federal contracting system& a system that has deservedly come under fire recently, whether it is in Iraq, Walter Reed or many other places.

H.R. 1362 will increase transparency and accountability to help bring back integrity to a system that has lost so much of the public's trust.

And this is no wonder when we have government auditors testifying that an estimated $10 billion in Iraq Reconstruction spending had been wasted as a result of overcharging, poor tracking, and mismanagement by U.S. contractors.

But this is not only an issue about waste, abuse and fraud; it's about getting the job done right and ensuring we have the proper people in place to help those who need federal government services.

Recent hearings brought to light an Army memorandum showing that the decision to privatize support services at Walter Reed was causing an exodus of "highly skilled and experienced personnel," and as a result, the "patient care mission are at risk of mission failure."

So not only do we need to end the waste and ensure taxpayer's dollars are being used wisely, we need greater oversight and accountability on the contracting decisions that are being made.

And we need to tell these contractors that if they are going to get a contract with the federal government, they must play by the rules and they must fulfill their responsibilities in an effective and efficient manner.

Passing H.R. 1362 tomorrow and the other bills on the House floor today is an important step in our effort to restore the faith in government that has been lost with the American people.

I understand that additional legislation regarding contractor oversight and accountability is in the pipeline and I look forward to working with the Chairman and other members of the Committee on this most important issue.