A report “Dollars, Not Sense: Government Contracting under the Bush Administration” is a report that is the first comprehensive assessment of federal contracted under the Bush administration.
 
Some of the findings are: georgesays
 

1) Procurement Spending Is Accelerating Rapidly. Between 2000 and 2005, procurement spending rose by 86% to $377.5 billion annually. Spending on federal contracts grew over twice as fast as other discretionary federal spending. Under President Bush, the federal government is now spending nearly 40 cents of every discretionary dollar on contracts with private companies, a record level.


2) Contract Mismanagement Is Widespread. The growth in federal contracts has been accompanied by pervasive mismanagement. Mistakes have been made in virtually every step of the contracting process: from pre-contract planning through contract award and oversight to recovery of contract overcharges.


3)The Costs to the Taxpayer Are Enormous. The report identifies 118 federal contracts worth $745.5 billion that have been found by government officials to include significant waste, fraud, abuse, or mismanagement. Each of the Bush Administration’s three signature initiatives — homeland security, the war and reconstruction in Iraq, and Hurricane Katrina recovery — has been characterized by wasteful contract spending.


Sole-source and other non-competitive contracts rose by 115%.  38% of federal contract dollars were awarded in 2005 without full and open competition. 
 
Federal spending on Halliburton contracts shot up an astonishing 600% between 2000 and 2005.
 
http://www.democrats.reform.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1071
 
 
What should be done?  Well, the Democrats tried to get some oversight on the wasteful spending and abuse.  BUT:
 
For the second time in less than a week, Republicans  killed an amendment called the Honest Leadership and Accountability in Contracting Act of 2006. For the record, every single no vote was cast by a Republican.  The amendment stipulated that if a contractor did any of the following, they would be in BIG trouble:
 

1) "Executes or attempts to execute a scheme or artifice to defraud the United States or the entity having jurisdiction over the area in which such activities occur."

2)"Falsifies, conceals, or covers up by any trick, scheme, or device a material fact."

3)"Makes any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements or representations, or makes or uses any materially false writing or document knowing the same to contain any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or entry."

4)"Materially overvalues any good or service with the specific intent to excessively profit from the war or military action."


What would be the big trouble?  Well, they could be imprisoned for up to 20 years and be subject to a fine of up to $1,000,000. 
 
Senator B. Dorgan of N.D. said . "We have direct testimony from physicians, Army doctors, and others about contractors providing nonpotable water for shaving, brushing teeth that is in worse condition than the raw water coming out of the Euphrates River."


Also, there is very good evidence that expired food that was served to our soldiers. 


The Republicans said that the amendment wasn’t necessary because John Warner R-IDIOT, who chairs the Armed Services Committee was on top of it.  Really, anyone seen any kind of action?


So the fraud and abuse continues.  Halliburton and other contractors make out like bandits, American dollars are wasted, our troops are being shortchanged, and the Republicans killed TWO amendments in less than a week that could have given oversight to the contracts.


Why do Republicans hate America?