Kucinich Calls On Issa to Examine Wasteful Spending at the Department of Defense

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Updated: Jan. 6, 2011 added video

by Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich
Washington, Jan 4, 2011

Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today wrote to the incoming Chair of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform requesting that Congressman Issa examine a ‘glaring omission’ in his stated oversight goals.

“On CBS’ “Face the Nation” you recently stated a desire to identify $200 billion in wasteful spending. But as I read your stated oversight intentions, a glaring omission is apparent. You have seemingly ignored one of the biggest sources of potential waste, fraud and abuse – the Department of Defense budget, which consumes half of our discretionary spending, and the expanding wars,” wrote Kucinich.

“To meet your stated purpose of protecting American taxpayers from waste, fraud and abuse, it is essential that you examine the Department of Defense and money wasted during unnecessary wars,” added Kucinich.

The full text of the letter follows:

January 4, 2011

The Honorable Darrell Issa
Chairman
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
U.S. House of Representatives
2157 Rayburn House Office Building

Dear Chairman Issa:

On CBS’ “Face the Nation” you recently stated a desire to identify $200 billion in wasteful spending.[1] But as I read your stated oversight intentions, a glaring omission is apparent. You have seemingly ignored one of the biggest sources of potential waste, fraud and abuse – the Department of Defense budget, which consumes half of our discretionary spending, and the expanding wars.

In 2001, then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld admitted that the United States could not track DOD transactions costing taxpayers as much as, according to GAO estimates, $2.3 trillion.[2] Since that time, we have been engaged in two costly wars that have been plagued with corruption and waste. We have seen dozens of reports of corruption, lost money and unaccountable transactions in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have seen reports of billions of taxpayer dollars shipped in shrink-wrapped packages sent to Iraq for unsupervised distribution.[3] We have seen the millions of dollars flow into Afghanistan, and we have seen millions of dollars flow out again into the hands of the family of President Hamid Karzai for purposes such as building luxury villas in Dubai.[4]

To meet your stated purpose of protecting American taxpayers from waste, fraud and abuse, it is essential that you examine the Department of Defense and money wasted during unnecessary wars. As the Constitutionally granted bearer of the purse, Congress has the responsibility to conduct oversight. In your new role as Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, you now have the authority and the responsibility to provide that oversight.

I look forward to working with you in this matter of great importance to the American taxpayers.

Sincerely,
Dennis J. Kucinich
Member of Congress

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[1] Statement by Congressman Darrell Issa, CBS’ Face the Nation, January 2, 2011

[2] ‘The War on Waste’, CBS Evening News, January 29, 2002

[3] Pallister, David. ‘How the US sent$12 bn in cash to Iraq. And watched it vanish’, The Guardian, February 8, 2007

[4] Byrne, John. ‘US taxpayers’ Afghan aid money buys rich Afghans’ Dubai villas’, The Raw Story, July 6, 2010

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Updated

Kucinich: Protect taxpayers from wasteful spending

electdennis | January 06, 2011