TANNER AND BLUE DOGS DEMAND
FISCAL ACCOUNTABILITY IN IRAQ

WASHINGTON -- It is time for the Bush Administration to be held fiscally accountable for its operations in Iraq, Congressman John Tanner and other members of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats said in a new resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“We have to bring accountability, transparency and honesty to the way these military operations are run by the civilian leadership at the Pentagon,” said Tanner, a founding member of the Blue Dog Coalition and chairman of the U.S. delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, the legislative branch of the NATO alliance.

“The American people deserve to know how their tax dollars have been spent – and in many cases, wasted – toward a goal that is increasingly impossible to achieve if the Iraqi people are unable or unwilling to work together politically to stabilize their own country.”

The Government Accountability Office recently reported that the Pentagon and multinational forces may not be able to locate 170,000 guns they issued to Iraqi security forces, and that the Pentagon cannot fully determine how much it depends on contractors in Iraq, among other findings. (See more.)

The resolution focuses on four crucial points for demanding fiscal responsibility in Iraq: transparency on how Iraq war funds are spent; the creation of a Truman Commission to investigate the awarding of contracts and whether private companies are profiteering; a need to fund the Iraq war through the normal appropriations process instead of through “emergency” spending bills; and requiring the Iraqi people to improve their own security.

The resolution also honors U.S. service members and their families in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Tanner, who helped author the resolution with other members of the Blue Dog Coalition, including Rep. Patrick Murphy of Pennsylvania, an Iraq War veteran. The 43-member Blue Dog Coalition adopted the resolution as an official policy priority.

Congressman Tanner represents Tennessee’s 8^th district in West and Middle Tennessee. He serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and as chairman of the U.S. delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, the alliance’s legislative arm. 

Recent Findings on Waste, Fraud and Abuse in Iraq Operations

The Department of Defense and Multinational forces may not be able to account for about 90,000 rifles and about 80,000 pistols issued to the Iraqi security forces in October 2005. (Government Accountability Office report, Jan. 18)

The special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, Stuart Bowen, said about 20 percent of U.S. funding appropriated for Iraq reconstruction projects has been wasted. Comptroller General David Walker estimated the amount is closer to 30 percent and will likely be even higher. These figures represent about $4 billion to $6 billion in waste. (House Armed Services Committee hearing, Jan. 18)

Iraq had more than $6 billion in unspent capital project funds as of August 2006. For example, $3.6 billion was budgeted to repair Iraq’s dilapidated oil infrastructure, crucial to restoring that country’s future revenue, but only $4 million of it had been spent by August. (GAO report, Jan. 18)

Due to its auditing practices, the Pentagon is unable to “develop a complete picture of the extent to which it relies on contractors to support its operation,” according to the Government Accountability Office. Previous census reports indicate there are about 100,000 government contractors operating in Iraq, not including sub-contractors. (GAO report, Jan. 18; media reports)

The Defense Department relies heavily on interagency purchases that could more easily be handled through its existing contractor relationships. Out of 180 interagency purchases examined, only one was documented to have been better for the government’s benefit than buying through a private company. (Testimony of Pentagon Acting Inspector General Thomas Gimble, Senate Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee hearing, Jan. 17)

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Contact: Randy Ford, 202.225.4714