Appropriations Bills

WASHINGTON - Billions of dollars in Iraq reconstruction funds have been wasted. They have been lost, they have been stolen, and over $8 billion are simply “unaccounted for.” Already, we have reports that millions of dollars of Katrina funds have been wasted as well. And yet, today the House considers a $91 billion emergency funding bill - one of the largest in its history - having not held a single hearing on the President’s request.

Democrats want to create a select committee to oversee just how the billions in taxpayer dollars are being spent in Iraq and in the Gulf Coast. It is modeled on the “Truman Committee” that studied and investigated contractor mismanagement during World War II. From 1941 to 1948, that committee held 432 public hearings and 300 executive sessions, conducted hundreds of fact-finding missions, issued 51 reports and saved the taxpayers billions of dollars. Today’s headlines scream for the need to bring back that kind of action.

This same emergency bill blocks the Dubai ports deal. The deal exposed serious flaws in the system.

Democrats offered a plan to bring order to a chaotic process. Their plan would ensure that the government is informed anytime a transaction like this is going to occur. It would require a review of all transactions for national security concerns. It also would force the President to take responsibility for these deals by requiring that he approve or disapprove every deal and inform Congress of his decision. Finally, it would set up a mechanism to ensure that Congress has an opportunity to weigh in.

We are stuck in a situation where there isn’t enough responsibility and there isn’t enough oversight.

Today, in their first vote on this bill, republicans voted to keep things that way.

Both Democratic proposals died when republicans voted against allowing their consideration 224 to 192.

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