Washington, DC - Concerned that the Bush administration is pouring money into Iraq with no way to measure its effectiveness, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has introduced one amendment to the Iraq and Afghanistan Supplemental Appropriations bill and co-sponsored yet another – both of which are designed to enforce accountability.

The Clinton amendment provides the General Accounting Office with the ability to conduct a detailed review of how American taxpayer money is spent in Iraq and Afghanistan. "The Wall Street Journal recently reported that the United States is literally sending planeloads of cash to Iraq with no system in place to track how it's being spent and whether it is being spent wisely," Senator Clinton said. "With so much U.S. taxpayer money being passed around in the form of cash payments we must make sure it is not being wasted."

Senator Clinton also worked with Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa on an amendment that calls for an examination of spending on government contractors who are hired to provide services in the two countries. Under this amendment, the Comptroller General will have the authority to examine profits, overhead, management fees and other aspects of contracts granted in excess of $40 million.

"I want contractors to be fairly compensated for their work. I just want to make sure no one engages in anything that smacks of profiteering," said the Senator. "An appropriation for Iraq and Afghanistan is not the end of Congress' responsibility to safeguard taxpayer funds, it is only the beginning."

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