U.S. Representative Christopher Shays (R-Ct) Holds a Hearing On Counterterrorism Cost Estimates

Political Transcript Wire › August 11, 2009

Linked as:

Extract

U.S. Representative Christopher Shays (R-Ct) Holds a Hearing On Counterterrorism Cost Estimates

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM: SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL SECURITY, EMERGING THREATS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS HOLDS A HEARING ON COUNTERTERRORISM COST ESTIMATES

JULY 18, 2006

SPEAKERS: U.S. REPRESENTATIVE CHRISTOPHER SHAYS (R-CT) CHAIRMAN U.S. REPRESENTATIVE KENNY MARCHANT (R-TX) VICE CHAIRMAN U.S. REPRESENTATIVE DAN BURTON (R-IN) U.S. REPRESENTATIVE ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN (R-FL) U.S. REPRESENTATIVE JOHN M. MCHUGH (R-NY) U.S. REPRESENTATIVE STEVEN C. LATOURETTE (R-OH) U.S. REPRESENTATIVE TODD RUSSELL PLATTS (R-PA) U.S. REPRESENTATIVE JOHN J. DUNCAN JR. (R-TN) U.S. REPRESENTATIVE JON C. PORTER (R-NV) U.S. REPRESENTATIVE CHARLES W. DENT (R-PA) U.S. REPRESENTATIVE THOMAS M. DAVIS III (R-VA) EX OFFICIO

U.S. REPRESENTATIVE DENNIS J. KUCINICH (D-OH) RANKING MEMBER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE TOM LANTOS (D-CA) U.S. REPRESENTATIVE CAROLYN B. MALONEY (D-NY) U.S. REPRESENTATIVE CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D-MD) U.S. REPRESENTATIVE LINDA T. SANCHEZ (D-CA) U.S. REPRESENTATIVE C.A. "DUTCH" RUPPERSBERGER (D-MD) U.S. REPRESENTATIVE STEPHEN F. LYNCH (D-MA) U.S. REPRESENTATIVE BRIAN HIGGINS (D-NY) U.S. REPRESENTATIVE HENRY WAXMAN (D-CA) EX OFFICIO

U.S. REPRESENTATIVE BERNARD SANDERS (I-VT)

WITNESSES: DAVID WALKER, U.S. COMPTROLLER GENERAL, GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE

JOHN ROTH, DEPUTY COMPTROLLER, U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

BRADFORD HIGGINS, ASSISTANT SECRETARY AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

JAMES KUNDER, ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR FOR ASIA AND THE NEAR EAST, U.S. AGENCY INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

DONALD MARRON, ACTING DIRECTOR, CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE

AMY BELASCO, DEFENSE BUDGET SPECIALIST, FOREIGN AFFAIRS, DEFENSE AND TRADE DIVISION, CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE

[*] SHAYS: I'd like to call this hearing to order. And before we begin the hearing, I just would like to have a dialogue with David Walker, comptroller general. Mr. Walker, you testified at a hearing on national security on April 25th. We're going back a few months ago. And in the hearing, Mr. Ruppersberger raised some very real and disturbing questions about contracts and the fact that we need to address this issue.

And at one point in the hearing, I asked Mr. Ruppersberger to yield. I said, "Would the gentleman suspend for just a second?" And Mr. Ruppersberger said, "Yes, I will."

And Mr. Shays -- that's me -- "I will say to you that you give us a list of some contractors" -- talking to you, Mr. Walker -- "some areas within DOD that need a look. And we will have a hearing or a series of hearings on that. And the sooner you provide it to us, the sooner we will do it."

Your response, Mr. Walker, was, "I'll give you a list." And then Mr. Shays, "Let me just tell you something," and then I spoke for -- made some comment that, "I want you, whatever it is, if it's Halliburton that's on the list, whatever it is, I want you to give this subcommittee a list of things that have just irritated you, you're outraged by, or whatever, or suspect things, we will have a hearing. And I'll pledge to this committee that we'll call them in, whatever it is, and let's get the politics out of it to the extent that we can and go for it."

And, Mr. Walker, your response was, "I'll do that." I'd like to know if you've yet provided the committee with a list.

WALKER: No, I haven't. You and I agreed, Mr. Chairman, that by Friday you will have the following. Number one, you will have three to four examples of contracting problems. In addition to that, as part of that, you will have example of contracts that are a problem.

Furthermore, you will also have specific contractor and/or governmental challenges that contribute to those contracting problems, and you'll have it by Friday.

SHAYS: Thank you, sir. Would you also rate them in terms of which deserves to be looked at first, second and third? In other words, I don't know how long your list will be, but if it's whatever, we would like to just prioritize it. And we will follow your list, however you prioritize it.

WALKER: I'll do that. And the thing that I think is important, Mr. Chairman, is, while we will give three to four specific examples, in some cases, the government shares part of the responsibility for these contracting problems. And that's where I think there was a miscommunication, so I will provide that by Friday.

SHAYS: Let me just say there's no miscom...

See the full content of this document