WASHINGTON—Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman, ID-Conn., Wednesday released the following statement on the Commission on Wartime Contracting’s final report. The Commission found as much as $60 billion worth of waste, fraud and abuse in contracts to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan.
“The Commission has performed a true public service in its examination of the more than $192 billion spent on contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan. And the extensive waste it has identified is a grave disservice to our military and civilian personnel, and to the U.S. taxpayers. A great deal of thanks is owed to the Commission and its bipartisan membership, especially my friend and colleague Co-Chair Chris Shays, for their great public service in producing this report.
“”This report provides further proof that vigorous management of contracts is central to successful outcomes – in government and in business. That is a lesson that must be applied not only to wartime contracting but to contracting across all federal agencies as we seek to improve government performance, especially in a struggling economy.
“When Congress is back in session, I will convene a public hearing as soon as possible to consider the report and what steps must be taken to implement its recommendations, many of which I have long supported – such as building a cadre of skilled contracting officials within the federal government, preventing contractors from performing inherently governmental functions, ensuring rigorous auditing, and improving the integration of military and civilian agencies in overseas reconstruction efforts.”
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