"Mystery" Senator Puts "Secret Hold" On Bill To Open Federal Records
Submitted by Julia on August 24, 2006 - 5:38pm.
Aug. 23, 2006, 11:46PM
Senator who put 'secret hold' on bill to open federal records is a secret, too
By REBECCA CARR
Cox News Service
WASHINGTON — In an ironic twist, legislation that would open up the murky world of government contracting to public scrutiny has been derailed by a secret parliamentary maneuver.
An unidentified senator placed a "secret hold" on legislation introduced by Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., that would create a searchable database of government contracts, grants, insurance, loans and financial assistance, worth $2.5 trillion last year. The database would bring transparency to federal spending and be as simple to use as conducting a Google search.
The measure had been unanimously passed in a voice vote last month by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. It was on the fast track for floor action before Congress recessed Aug. 4 when someone put a hold on the measure.
Now the bill is in political limbo. Under Senate rules, unless the senator who placed the hold decides to lift it, the bill will not be brought up for a vote.
more at Link
Coburn-Obama Effort To Curb Wasteful Federal Spending
By Steve M. Lilienthal
Aug 17, 2006
snipped......
The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act was approved recently by a unanimous vote of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. This bill is receiving support from over 100 organizations, including the American Society of Newspaper Editors, Americans for Democratic Action, Concerned Women for America, Eagle Forum, Project on Government Oversight, National Taxpayers Union and the United States Chamber of Commerce. A similar bill passed the House of Representatives and Coburn is hopeful that his bill will be passed by the Senate this fall and signed by President Bush.
It is rare in Washington to assemble such a diverse coalition but a few examples demonstrate that there is good reason to demand greater transparency and accountability in contracting by the Federal government.
After Hurricane Katrina, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), relying on emergency authority, issued four no-bid contracts related to temporary housing to Shaw Group, Inc., Bechtel Corporation, CH2M Hill Construction Inc. and Fluor Corporation. R. David Paulison, Acting Director of FEMA, was quoted in an October 7, 2005 Cox News Service story by Julia Malone entitled “FEMA To Put No-Bid Contracts Up For Rebidding” as promising the Senate Committee, “We are going to rebid all the no-bid contracts.” Because one and one-half months later the contracts had not been rebid, Coburn and Obama were able to secure passage of an amendment to the tax reconciliation bill expressing in a Sense of the Senate resolution that FEMA without delay should rebid the contracts. Obama and Coburn then met with Paulison who, according to Obama, told the Senators the contracts would be rebid.
The Associated Press reported nearly six months later, in a March 24, 2006 story, “FEMA Breaks Promise On Katrina Contracts,” posted on MSNBC, that the contracts would not be rebid, “including three that federal auditors say wasted significant amounts of money.” FEMA officials cited good performance and said the contracts actually had been extended. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) had issued a report at the same time criticizing the performance on a number of Katrina-related contracts, including three of the four temporary housing-related contracts cited above.
Obama stated on May 2, 2006 on behalf of an amendment that he and Coburn sponsored to stop no-bid contracts for the Gulf Coast: “The abuse doesn’t stop with these four contracts. We learned just two weeks ago that the Army Corps of Engineers missed an opportunity to negotiate a lower price on a $40 million contract for portable classrooms in Mississippi. Instead, a no-bid and overpriced contract was awarded to an out-of-state firm.”
much more at link:
http://www.nationalledger.com/artman/publish/article_27267772.shtml
This should be turned into a BIG campaign issue! Where's WaPo's investigative reporters?
It's clearly a GOPer that cowardly blocked this! Well, unless Lieberman is on that committee, too. :/
Got a solicitation letter from Busby today. She doesn't even mention the recount.
I'm not sure I have any more cash for a repeat performance in CA-50 in November.
...but what about Iraq?
Congressional Oversight 101
...but what about Iraq?
In many cases, we are seeing "rule by one" as the way things are done in Washington DC. It's time we make them vote and explain their votes.
This "hold" process undermines the people's work. Whether it is on opening official documents or holding up nomination of officials, all it does is promote the old boy's network and secrecy that is rampant.
Make 'em vote and publish those votes for all to see.
Stem Cell Research - Blue State of Mind
Any guesses? I'd guess it is someone on on a commitee of some sort.
I'll take a wild guess and say Hatch. They haven't used him for any dirty jobs in a while.
Pete Dominci has not denied being the mystery man. It would not surprise me. :/
He loves government contracts.
Stevens has the biggest angst to grind against the Democrats for defeating ANWR. Besides, he's also iconic for BIG government wasteful spending as Chairman for the Senate Appropriation committee, via earmark his for the bridge to nowhere (Salon).
Let's compare who's on that committee: :)
=====================================
Republican Democrat
Susan M. Collins Chairman (R-ME) Joseph I. Lieberman Ranking Member (D-CT)
Ted Stevens (R-AK) Carl Levin (D-MI)
George V. Voinovich (R-OH) Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI)
Norm Coleman (R-MN) Thomas R. Carper (D-DE)
Tom Coburn (R-OK) Mark Dayton (D-MN)
Lincoln D. Chafee (R-RI) Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Robert F. Bennett (R-UT) Mark Pryor (D-AR)
Pete V. Domenici (R-NM)
John W. Warner (R-VA)
=====================================
Several names (GOPs) pop out as those who would clearly oppose legislation and oversight that exposes their abuses. Although Petey and Teddy do stick out as the principals behind this action, Teddy has clearly demonstrated how to blow off billion$, but also knows the means to hide his shameful misuse and abuse of government funding.
Pete V. Domenici (R-NM)
• Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
• Committee on Appropriations
• Committee on Budget
• Committee on Indian Affairs
• Committee on Governmental Affairs
versus,
Ted Stevens (R-AK) <----
• Committee on Appropriations::
* Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science
* Subcommittee on Defense (Chairman!!!)
* Subcommittee on Homeland Security
* Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies
* Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
* Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, the Judiciary, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
• Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation (Chairman)
• Committee on Rules and Administration (ie he knows how to 'administer' the parliamentary 'rules')
• Joint Committee on the Library of Congress
But hell, it could be any one of them Gophers, because they all love big bidness. And remember Domenici helped design and fights for ANWR. Hell, he drug out that old map to show how Eisenhower set aside that land in Alaska for well drillin'. I doubt Domenici has read any history but for oil well history.. and that includes reading any maps but for oil well drillin' maps. Ugh! (Oh! I forgot about Nuclear Power Plant history/maps!)
THanks for this Knight! :D
The senators still remaining on Porkbusters' list need to be getting calls from lots and lots of people to hold them accountable if they are responsible:)))
Plus, I think that's it's fair to edit the title. Maybe replace "Senator" with "GOP Senator" or "Repulican Senator", then perhaps open up a poll asking which Senate member listed below may have likely used this measure.
although I wouldn't disagree with Knightrider.....
"Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants."
Gen. Omar Bradley
If they didn't have to worry about an election, why would they need to keep their identity secret? Does Cheney have the authority to do it as president of the senate? Frist is leaving, but probably still thinks he's running in 08 so it could be him. Then there's McCain, he's running in 08 as well, along with Allen. It's somone either running this year or running for president in 08 or Cheney. That's my final guess.
snipped:
Where Did the Money Go?
Everyone who visits New Orleans asks the same question that locals ask -- where is the money? Congress reportedly appropriated over $100 billion to rebuild the Gulf Coast. Over $50 billion was allocated to temporary and long-term housing. Just under $30 billion was for emergency response and Department of Defense spending. Over $18 billion was for State and local response and the rebuilding of infrastructure. $3.6 billion was for health, social services and job training and $3.2 for non-housing cash assistance. $1.9 billion was allocated for education and $1.2 billion for agriculture.
One hour in New Orleans shows the check must still be in the mail.
Not a single dollar in federal housing rehab money has made it into a hand in Louisiana. Though Congress has allocated nearly $10 billion in Community Development Block Grants, the State of Louisiana is still testing the program and has not yet distributed dollar number one.
A lot of media attention has gone to the prosecution of people who wrongfully claimed benefits of $2000 or more after the storm. Their fraud is despicable. It harms those who are still waiting for assistance from FEMA.
But, be clear -- these little $2,000 thieves are minnows swimming on the surface. There are many big savage sharks below. Congress and the national media have so far been frustrated in their quest to get real answers to where the millions and billions went. How much was actually spent on FEMA trailers? How much did the big contractors take off the top and then subcontract out the work? Who were the subcontractors for the multi-million dollar debris removal and reconstruction contracts?
As Corpwatch says in their recent report, “Many of the same ‘disaster profiteers’ and government agencies that mishandled the reconstruction of Afghanistan and Iraq are responsible for the failure of ‘reconstruction’ of the Gulf Coast region. The Army Corps, Bechtel and Halliburton are using the very same ‘contract vehicles’ in the Gulf Coast as they did in Afghanistan and Iraq. These are ‘indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity’ open-ended ‘contingency’ contracts that are being abused by the contractors on the Gulf Coast to squeeze out local companies. These are also ‘cost-plus’ contracts that allow them to collect a profit on everything they spend, which is an incentive to overspend.”
We do know billions of dollars in no-bid FEMA contracts went to Bechtel Corporation, the Shaw Group, CH2M Hill, and Fluor immediately after Katrina hit. Riley Bechtel, CEO of Bechtel Corporation, served on President Bush’s Export Council during 2003-2004. A lobbyist for the Shaw Group, Joe Allbaugh, is a former FEMA Director and friend of President Bush. The President and Group Chief Executive of the International Group at CH2MHill is Robert Card, appointed by President Bush as undersecretary to the US Department of Energy until 2004. Card also worked at CH2M Hill before signing up with President Bush. Fluor, whose work in Iraq was slowing down, is one of the big winners of FEMA work and its stock is up 65 percent since it started Katrina work....
much more at link
http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Aug06/Quigley22.htm
Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota has raised many protests and questions over inflated prices. “It is hard to overstate the incompetence involved in all of these contracts -- we have repeatedly asked them for information and you get nothing.” Republican U.S. Representative Charles Bustany, who represents an area heavily damaged by Hurricane Rita, asked FEMA for reasons why the decision was made to stop funding 100 percent of the cost of debris removal in his district. FEMA refused to tell him. He then filed a Freedom of Information request to get the information, and was again refused. When he asked to appeal their denial, he was told that there were many appeals ahead of his and he would have to wait.
If a US Senator and a local U.S. Republican Representative cannot get answers from FEMA, how much accountability can the people of the Gulf Coast expect? There are many other examples of fraud, waste and patronage.
How did a company that did not own a truck get a contract for debris removal worth hundreds of millions of dollars? The Miami Herald reported that the single biggest receiver of early Katrina federal contracts was Ashbritt, Inc. of Pompano Beach, FL, which received over $579 million in contracts for debris removal in Mississippi from Army Corps of Engineers. The paper reported that the company does not own a single dumptruck! All they do is subcontract out the work. Ashbritt, however, had recently dumped $40,000 into the lobbying firm of Barbour, Griffith & Rogers, which had been run by Mississippi Governor and former National GOP Chair Haley Barbour. The owners of Ashbritt also trucked $50,000 over to the Republican National Committee in 2004.
How did a company that filed for bankruptcy the year before and was not licensed to build trailers get a $200 million contract for trailers? Circle B Enterprises of Georgia was awarded $287 million in contracts by FEMA for temporary housing. At the time, that was the seventh highest award of Katrina money in the country. According to the Washington Post, Circle B was not even being licensed to build homes in its own state of Georgia and filed for bankruptcy in 2003.
The company does not even have a website.
FEMA spent $7 million to build a park for 198 trailers in Morgan City Louisiana -- almost 2 hours away from New Orleans. Construction was completed in April. Three months later only 20 of the trailers were occupied. One displaced New Orleans resident who lives there has to walk three miles to the nearest grocery.
Hurricanes are now a booming billion-dollar business. No wonder there is a National Hurricane Conference for private companies to show off their wares -- from RVs to portable cell phone towers to port-a-potties. One long time provider was quoted by the Miami Herald at the conference that there are all kinds of new people in the field -- “Some folks here said, ‘Man, this is huge business; this is my new business. I'm not in the landscaping business anymore, I'm going to be a hurricane debris contractor.’”
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/8/25/101253/429
Please recommend this and help this story get more exposure!
How about Lieberman? He is on several comittees after all. We all know how this traitoress snake slithers. Would this be up his allie though? Hmmmmm........
alright! The story Julia posted here yesterday about an unnamed Senator placing a secret hold on the Obama/Coburn bill in a sneaky parliamentary move is now up on the front page at kos, covered by Susan, who gave the porkbuster's link with a photo-gallery of senate suspects as well as those in the clear. You aren't gonna believe your eyes.
Who is the secret holder?
http://porkbusters.org/secrethold.php
...but what about Iraq?
