Press Release

Rogers, Meek: 9/11 Report Shows Fraud, Misuse of Taxpayer Funds

WASHINGTON, DC — Millions of dollars in Federal recovery aid allocated to New York City after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 were used to purchase televisions and other high-end electronics instead of critical recovery items, a Homeland Security Committee report revealed today.

The report details a summary of the hearings and findings from Alabama Congressman Mike Rogers and Florida Congressman Kendrick Meek’s six-month bi-partisan examination following allegations of improprieties that surfaced in the New York Daily News in December of 2005.  Homeland Security Chairman Peter King (R-NY) called for the investigation and asked Chairman Mike Rogers and Ranking Member Kendrick Meek to take the lead on the oversight subcommittee.

The report is entitled: An Examination of Federal 9/11 Assistance to New York: Lessons Learned in Preventing Waste, Fraud, Abuse and Lax Management.

“I was deeply disturbed by the waste and fraud we identified after one of the worst tragedies in our nation’s history,” Rogers said. “I hope this report will help highlight lessons learned post-9/11, and serve as a roadmap for helping the Federal government better prepare for the next disaster.”

The report also detailed incidents of fraud related to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s post-disaster recovery and rebuilding efforts.

“There’s nothing new here about waste, fraud and abuse.  We saw it in Florida after Hurricane Frances in 2004, and we see it now in the post-Katrina Gulf,” Meek said.  “Our report lays out the best practices to ensure that the next time disaster hits, money is put in the right hands and there’s accountability all the way down the line.  This is a public administration issue and this report sends a clear message to congress that we need to hold more oversight hearings and to insist that weaknesses are corrected.”

The investigation also revealed allegations of mob influence in the early stages of debris removal at Ground Zero in Manhattan.  Chairman Rogers said he and Ranking Member Meek are finalizing legislation that will soon be introduced based on their findings from this investigation.

The report can be read at http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/house/cp109-c.pdf.

Rogers is the Chairman and Meek is the Ranking Member of the Homeland Security subcommittee on Management, Integration and Oversight.

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