RYAN UNCOVERS EGREGIOUS WASTE OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS AT THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD   Task Force on Waste, Fraud, and Abuse Continues to Expose Misuses of Federal Funds

WASHINGTON – At a special House Budget Committee task force hearing today on waste, fraud, and abuse in federal spending, First District Congressman Paul Ryan blasted the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) for failing to establish needed reforms to the Board’s financial operations.  Ryan’s criticisms were leveled following a review of the Department of Transportation Inspector General’s report outlining years of financial misconduct on the part of NTSB employees.

In particular, Ryan singled out what is known as the Rapidraft Payment System that provides investigators with a mechanism to pay authorized expenses associated with on-site investigations. In a random sample of one thousand FY99 Rapidrafts, the Inspector General found 902 noncompliant drafts – comprising over 90 percent of all drafts. Worse yet, the audit found that only 5 percent of the $3.6 million in allocated funds were used in on-site accident investigations for which they were intended.

Upon further review, Ryan found that a similar audit performed in 1992 discovered that over 90 percent of the drafts at that time were also found to be noncompliant.  Throughout this period, no reforms had ever been established to end this abuse of taxpayers’ money.

Attached is a copy of Congressman Ryan’s opening statement from today’s hearing.

For additional information, or to schedule an interview with Congressman Ryan on today’s hearing, please contact Doug McGinn at (202) 225-3031.

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