Accountability in Contracting Act

Floor Speech

ACCOUNTABILITY IN CONTRACTING ACT

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. HOYER. Madam Chairman, I thank the chairman for yielding. I thank Mr. Davis for his work on this legislation. And I rise in strong support.

I want to commend the chairman on the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Congressman Waxman of California, for his hard work and leadership on the five, not just this bill, but on the five government accountability and transparency bills considered on the House floor this week. This has been a very significant week for transparency, openness, and accountability in government, and I commend the chairman for his actions and the committee for its.

It is no mere coincidence that the four bipartisan bills we have considered so far have passed with an average of 340 votes, including on average 112 Republican votes for every one of these four and now fifth reform bills. So there is not a narrow partisan agenda here. What the committee has been bringing to the floor are bills broadly supported because we know that transparency and accountability in government have not been the norm. We need to restore the public's faith in its government.

In fact, there is a clear demonstration of the new Democratic majority's commitment to change the way business is done in Washington, to restore accountability for government practices and congressional oversight and to reach bipartisan consensus when possible. The four bills included measures to increase public access to government information by strengthening the Freedom of Information Act. After all, this information is gathered by taxpayer dollars.

To provide whistleblower protection to Federal workers who specialize in national security issues. To nullify an executive order issued by President Bush giving former Presidents and Vice Presidents broad authority to withhold presidential records or to delay their release indefinitely. The public has a right to know, and this legislation facilitates the redress of that right.

Lastly, to require the disclosure of donors to presidential libraries so there cannot be secret, very large contributions to Presidents before they leave office.

It should be noted that the first three measures passed overwhelmingly despite veto threats from the White House that apparently does not want openness or accountability or transparency.

All four bills are reasonable, prudent, and consistent with our Nation's democratic values and openness and accountability.

The legislation before us today, the Accountability in Contracting Act, is equally important. In short, this legislation would instruct Federal agencies to minimize the use of no-bid contracts. Why? Because we want lowest prices. How do we get lowest prices? By competition. That is the free enterprise system. This bill says let us pursue the free enterprise system.

It would promote the use of cost-effective, fixed-price contracts and limit the duration of no-bid contracts awarded in emergencies to 1 year.

This bill also would require the public disclosure of the rationale for using no-bid contracts and require agencies to report to Congress on contracts on overcharges.

Madam Chairman, it is unfortunate, but true, that problems in government contracting have arisen again and again during the last 6 years, and indeed before that, from the $2.4 billion, however, in no-bid contracts for Halliburton, that soon-to-be Dubai company based in Dubai, to the failed contracting in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Furthermore, Madam Chairman, it should be noted that spending on no-bid contracts has more than doubled under the Bush administration, even as hearings have exposed a pattern of reckless spending, poor planning and ineffective oversight by Federal contract officials.

This legislation, like the other four bills brought to the floor by Mr. Waxman considered this week, will help us begin to restore accountability and transparency to government. The American people expect and deserve no less.

This is a new day in this new Congress. The days of hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil are over. This Congress embraces its constitutional responsibility to conduct real, meaningful oversight, as well as our value of openness and transparency.

Two days from now is St. Patrick's Day. The Taoiseach, the Prime Minister of Ireland, will be at lunch just a few feet from here any minute. Honor St. Patrick; vote green on this accountability legislation.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. HOYER. Reclaiming my time, I want to say that I spoke a lot about accountability and the lack of accountability in the last Congress, and in my opinion, the two Congresses before that. The chairman of the Government Reform Committee was one of the few chairmen, in my opinion, in the last Congress who undertook some oversight responsibility, and I commend him for that. I think we need to go further; we are going further; but I commend him for his recognition that oversight is a critical responsibility of this Congress, just as the referee is a critically important component of any football game or basketball game.

So I thank him for what he has done in the past. I thank him for his cooperation in working with our chairman on the three bills that we passed this week so far, and I would hope that we can pass this bill. If we make it better in conference, that's fine; but this is a good bill and an important bill, and I thank the gentleman for his efforts.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source