Kansas Common Sense: Questioning Inspector General on GSA Regional Conference
Statement
Like all Americans, I was appalled to read recent accounts of the inappropriate actions of General Services Administration (GSA) employees outlined in the Inspector General's report regarding a regional conference held in Las Vegas in 2010. According to the report, the 4-day conference cost taxpayers more than $822,000 of which more than $146,000 was spent on food and beverage catering. Shortly after the announcement, GSA Administrator Martha Johnson submitted her resignation to the White House, and other employees were fired.
As members of the Appropriations Committee, one of our most important responsibilities is to oversee federal agencies and hold them accountable for their decisions -- especially how they spend taxpayer dollars. As Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee, I questioned Inspector General Brian Miller on Wednesday about the report's findings. At the hearing, I received confirmation from Inspector General Miller that the allegations of mismanagement of taxpayer dollars are just the "tip of the iceberg." The Inspector General also confirmed that GSA is working with the Department of Justice to determine whether indictments are appropriate as a result of the criminal conduct being alleged.
This conduct is an unacceptable abuse of American taxpayers' trust. It is unconscionable that some employees of the federal government completely ignored our country's fiscal reality and disregarded their responsibility to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars.
How can an agency responsible for providing guidance on the correct usage of taxpayer dollars tolerate a culture of unaccountability? We must have safeguards in place to ensure this behavior does not happen again and we must send a strong message to all federal agencies that it is their duty to serve as careful stewards of taxpayer dollars. Our message is clear: those who disregard this solemn duty must be held accountable.
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