NH Budget Watchdogs Slam Million-Dollar Army Washer Scandal
Monday, August 20, 2007
Budget watchers say the days of $1,000-dollar hammers for the Pentagon may be returning; or maybe they never went away. New Hampshire budget watchdogs are steaming over a South Carolina company charging $1 million to ship two $.19 washers to an army base in Texas.
Priorities New Hampshire director Steve Varnum says it's a disturbing flashback to the old days of million-dollar toilet seats; and Congress and the candidates need to tackle the problem.
"The way the military does business is very problematic, and some candidates such as Joe Biden and John McCain are talking about it. We'd like to see the rest of them pick up that conversation."
Varnum says cutting wasteful Pentagon spending would leave more money for items like education and medical care for wounded soldiers.
"$60 billion could be cut out of that budget right now without harming the military's defense or deterrence."
Varnum says the company took advantage of a Pentagon processing loophole that usually paid bills automatically for items sent to combat areas or bases labeled a priority. He says the Defense Department adopted auditing standards 17 years ago in response to spending scandals, but it has never complied with them.
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