Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) says that in a time when households around the country are having to tighten their budgets, it is disappointing that federal agencies continue to hand out awards to contractors whom perform poorly. (0:45)
Christopher Shays, the co-Chairman of the Commission on War Time Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan, says that there is a significant lack of oversight for the reconstruction efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sub-contractors, which make up 70% of the reconstruction effort, are not subjected to direct oversight from the U.S. (0:23)
An Inspector General interim report released on July 28 found that the Department of Defense investigation of the accidental electrocution of Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth revealed that Kellog, Brown, and Root (KBR) did not know about the electrical hazards prior to Maseth’s death. However, at a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing, Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Cali.) disclosed documents obtained by the Committee which show that a soldier notified KBR of the electrical problems well before Maseth’s death. (more…)
Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) asks Tom Bruni, theater engineering and construction manager for Kellogg, Brown, and Root (KBR), a contracting company in Iraq, who is responsible for the negligence that lead to the electrocutions of soldiers in Iraq. (2:06)
Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) discusses the effects of the electrical problems in Iraq and notes that finding the truth to the problem is not a Republican or Democratic aim, but an aim to find the truth.(1:05)
Chairman Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) explains that the shortage of oversight and high number of contracts in Iraq is a problem, especially when billions of dollars are at stake. (1:19)
Chairwoman Susan Davis (D-Cali.) of the House Armed Services Committee describes the staff shortage in care centers for wounded soldiers. (1:15)
Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) talks about how contractors hoard large amounts of cash. Sen. Dorgan says the saw a photograph of contractors standing in front a pile of $2 million.
Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell says the bottled water has no issues in tests and that the controversial report on bad water supplied to US troops in Iraq by contractors is over a year old (0:33)
