Ayotte: We Must Continue Efforts to Eliminate Wasteful Conference Spending

Press Release

During a Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on Tuesday, U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) continued her call for tough oversight and restrictions to prevent wasteful spending on conferences and travel across federal agencies. She questioned Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Deputy Director for Management, Beth Cobert, about how Congress can ensure that federal agencies are held accountable to taxpayers.

"While federal spending on conferences has fallen in the wake of conference scandals, continued oversight is necessary to ensure that reforms are taking hold and wasteful spending is eliminated in all federal agencies," said Ayotte. "We must change the culture that led to this irresponsible spending and put in place permanent transparency and accountability reforms to ensure that taxpayer dollars spent on conferences and travel are spent wisely. "

Following the implementation of OMB guidelines in 2012 in the wake of revelations of extravagant conference spending at numerous agencies-including tens of thousands of dollars to create a "Star Trek" parody video, $75,000 for a bicycle-building exercise, and penthouse parties-federal agency spending on conferences and travel has fallen significantly. Agency heads are now required to approve conferences costing more than $500,000, and deputies must approve conferences costing more than $100,000. From 2010 to 2012, conference spending decreased by more than $200 million (an 88% decrease) and travel spending dropped by $3 billion. However, Ayotte stressed that more needs to be done to protect taxpayer dollars.

In July, Ayotte helped introduce the Conference Accountability Act of 2013, which would further reduce travel expenses by scaling back overall spending on government-sponsored conferences as well as establish attendance limitations to protect against excessive and unnecessary travel.

Specifically, the bill:

* Prohibits an agency from paying the travel expenses for more than 50 employees stationed in the United States to attend any international conference, unless the Secretary of State determines that attendance of such employees is in the national interest.

* Requires each agency to post on its public website: (1) quarterly reports on each conference for which the agency paid travel expenses during the preceding three months; and (2) detailed information on any presentation made by any agency employee at a conference.

* Limits agency travel expenses for FY2014-18 to 80% of the aggregate amount of such expenses for FY2010. Directs OMB to establish guidelines for determining what expenses constitute travel expenses for purposes of the ceiling imposed on such expenses.

* Limits to $500,000 the amount that any agency may spend to support a single conference. Prohibits an agency from funding more than one conference that is sponsored by a particular organization during any fiscal year, unless the agency is the primary sponsor of the conference.

Source