Wasting taxpayer dollars is unacceptable anywhere

Our government works better and costs less when under the critical eye of constructive oversight. As Chairman of the House Oversight Subcommittee National Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations, I held 65 hearings on a range of domestic and national security issues and commissioned over 30 investigations and reports that exposed millions of dollars of waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars.

From revealing contractors in Afghanistan paying off the Taliban with taxpayer dollars, to uncovering issues related to prescription drug pricing and shameless scams targeting the nation’s veterans, I am well aware that vigilant oversight is needed during wartime situations overseas and close to home as well.

The importance of such oversight was most recently highlighted by the news that in 2010, the General Services Administration (GSA) spent $800,000 on a conference for just 300 attendees. Sadly, as we are now learning, this culture of waste at GSA dates back at least to 2006. This incident comes on the heels of an inspector general report initiated by myself and others finding that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) used money confiscated from fishermen to buy a $300,000 luxury boat, intended for undercover operations, but used by its agents as a "party boat."

The public should be outraged by these events, and I share in that anger. These episodes are indefensible and intolerable, and this type of behavior by government officials is an unacceptable breach of public trust.

Unfortunately, these episodes are too often used for political gain, holding these isolated incidents up as an example of what is wrong with all of government rather than working to ensure that safeguards are implemented to avoid gross abuses of taxpayer funds in the future.

Rather than focus on tarnishing the reputation of those government workers who are trying to keep our families safe, from those who protect our food supply to local police, firefighters, and teachers, we should work together to ferret out existing problems and build a more efficient government.

Proper oversight requires not just uncovering, and demanding accountability for, past abuses, but ensuring that we also look forward and ask, “How can we prevent this in the future?” As I have since I was first elected, I will continue to put all federal spending under the microscope, and ensure that the right systems are in place so that taxpayer dollars are not wasted. 

Rep. Tierney (D-Mass.) is the former Chairman of the House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations.

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