There are many programs like this where just trimming the waste will save billions.
Past Administrations were good at creating waste. Just by juggling the books, a president could shave the deficit.


Obama seeks major change in federal contracting

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is moving to overhaul the way the U.S. government awards contracts for work to be done by the private sector, saying there have been too many abuses of taxpayer money.

Obama joined Republican Sen. John McCain, his presidential campaign rival, and other congressional figures Wednesday to put his pen to an executive memorandum. The document essentially commits the administration to new marching orders for awarding such contracts, and Obama said that it could save up to $40 billion to $50 billion a year.

One area in particular that is targeted is no-bid contracts, which the administration is seeking to change so that there will be more competition for government-paid work.

Obama said that "even if these were the best of times, budget reform would be overdue in Washington."

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama plans to change how government contracts are awarded and who can earn them, a move his aides say would save taxpayers about $40 billion a year by making the process more competitive.

Obama is to sign a presidential memo Wednesday that changes government contracting procedures, an administration official said on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss the decision before it was announced.

Obama's directive would order Peter Orszag, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, to work with Cabinet and agency officials to draft new contracting rules by the end of September. Those new rules, officials said, would make it more difficult for contractors to bilk taxpayers and make some half-trillion dollars in federal contracts each year more accessible to independent contractors.

During last week's White House meetings on the nation's financial future, lawmakers and officials bluntly told top Obama aides that government contracts needed to be handled in a better way. The president's own fleet of Marine One helicopters became an illustration of out-of-control spending.

Arizona Sen. John McCain, Obama's Republican rival during last year's presidential election, dryly told Obama, "Your helicopter is now going to cost as much as Air Force One."

Obama said he already had spoken with Defense Secretary Robert Gates about the fleet of 28 Marine One helicopters that is now over budget at $11.2 billion, a price that has almost doubled since the Navy started the project.

"It is an example of the procurement process gone amok, and we're going to have to fix it," Obama said last week.

Obama will say that his administration will stop outsourcing to private contractors many services that should be performed by government employees. He also pledged to open contracts to small businesses and eliminate "unnecessary" no-bid contracts that allow preferred contractors to take assignments even though they might not be the least expensive option.

In his remarks Wednesday, Obama also planned to praise McCain and Democratic Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan for their work to curb cost overruns in defense contracts. He also will acknowledge Gates' attention to the procurement process.

The administration official said Obama would not, however, sacrifice national security to save pennies. The official also said the administration plans to increase transparency and accountability provisions in contracts — a major theme of Obama's young administration.

A review of 95 defense projects by the Government Accountability Office, the auditing arm of Congress, found that the projects went over budget by $295 billion over the course of several years.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090304/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_waste

Does this include Halibuton?


Yes!

I heard that on the radio this morning. It sounds great.

How many times have you heard people talk about this kind of Gov waste and wish they would do a better job?

it's a conspiracy. there is no such thing as no bid contracts!!!

It should have happened years ago.

no such thing as government waste. but then again, i guess someone will grasp on to this one because she can actually sink her mind into this one.

you know i was told when i was younger that if i guy picks on a girl relentlessly he must like her alot.....

Agreed!

I love intelligent women

hmmm, this is funny. ive been attacked by winx and fanta plenty of times and i've never got in touch with the moderator. i wasn't even attacking her. i was picking on her because she keeps calling me a conspiracy theorist and putting me down.

the reverse is also true if girls pick on a guy they must like him alot.

winx is just showing how much she likes you

I do not keep calling you a conspiracy theorist! And..the other day I asked you to quit bothering me.

Back when, it was pay-offs made passing the envelope.
In this new wireless age, money transfers can be made from across the world. They are all recorded and can be investigated.
I doesn't matter how much the bid is, it's how much is paid, by the Contractor to the folks authorized to accept the bid.
If Gov. cared to investigate, the might find Corps. like Haliburton have paid some Gov. officials some pretty hefty bonuses.
My guess,it's already common knowledge up there in DC, payoffs are more active than Wall Street on it's best day.

I love intelligent men.

Do you think the rules won't matter then if they are paying bonuses?
I'm interpreting that as money under the table. Are you meaning that?

I have no disagreement with what you just said willing.
However, I must ask.
Do you ever listen to Obama?
Do you notice the relevancy and connection behind his messages, No more lobbyist, more ethics, and more transparency in Gov?

There are no inconsistency or hypocrisy between his statements and his actions. He is doing, to the best of his ability, exactly what he promised while campaigning.

I know, ya' don't have to say it. It's from way back. The only difference there would be is, the numbers would be higher.
The thing about long term Gov. projects is, they have to spend all they were allotted to qualify for the same amount or request more funds. Sure, if they see they might have money left over, they'll find a way to get rid of it and show the books in the red.

September 14, 2005
Examples of Government Waste
by Brian M. Riedl
WebMemo

* The federal government cannot account for $24.5 billion spent in 2003.

* A White House review of just a sample of the federal budget identified $90 billion spent on programs deemed that were either ineffective, marginally adequate, or operating under a flawed purpose or design.

* The Congressional Budget Office published a “Budget Options” book identifying $140 billion in potential spending cuts.

* The federal government spends $23 billion annually on special interest pork projects such as grants to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, or funds to combat teenage “goth” culture in Blue Springs, Missouri.

* Washington spends tens of billions of dollars on failed and outdated programs such as the Rural Utilities Service, U.S. Geological Survey and Economic Development Association.
* The federal government made $20 billion in overpayments in 2001.

* The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s $3.3 billion in overpayments in 2001 accounted for over 10 percent of the department’s total budget.

* Over one recent 18-month period, Air Force and Navy personnel used government-funded credit cards to charge at least $102,400 for admission to entertainment events, $48,250 for gambling, $69,300 for cruises, and $73,950 for exotic dance clubs and prostitutes.

* Examples of wasteful duplication include: 342 economic development programs; 130 programs serving the disabled; 130 programs serving at-risk youth; 90 early childhood development programs; 75 programs funding international education, cultural, and training exchange activities; and 72 federal programs dedicated to assuring safe water.

* The Advanced Technology Program spends $150 million annually subsidizing private businesses, and 40% of this goes to Fortune 500 companies.

* The Defense Department wasted $100 million on unused flight tickets, and never bothered to collect refunds even though the tickets were reimbursable.

* The Conservation Reserve program pays farmers $2 billion annually to not farm their land.

* Washington spends $60 billion annually on corporate welfare, versus $43 billion on homeland security.

* The Department of Agriculture spends $12 billion to $30 billion annually on farm subsidies, the vast majority of which go to agribusinesses and farmers averaging $135,000 in annual income.

* Massive farm subsidies also go to several members of Congress, and celebrity “hobby farmers” such as David Rockefeller, Ted Turner, Scottie Pippen, and former Enron CEO Ken Lay.

* The Medicare program pays as much as eight times the cost that other federal agencies pay for the same drugs and medical supplies.

* Congressional investigators were able to receive $55,000 in federal student loan funding for a fictional college they created to test the Department of Education.

* The Army Corps of Engineers has been accused of illegally manipulating data to justify expensive but unnecessary public works projects.

Yes willing,
I hate that.

But, maybe he'll fix it! He says he'll fix the whole system..

I trust he will.
Let's just give him more time.

5 weeks???

I must Protest this thread as I feel it might be Racist, since the current adminestration is in fact Gary, then every thing pointed out about them is potentially Racist, So I must protest...




Jo-Mamma...

In the meantime Im going to do all I can, which is vote out incumbents. Get rid of some more of the lazy, corrupt, career politicians in Wash.

Gov. is so big and the Politicians who have been accepting bribes for years, aren't going to abandon the ones who've been lining their pockets.

Another point. Obama can't birddog every politician.

He's been up yonder long enough to know at least a couple who are dirty. When are his people gonna' call for investigating them.

Lastly; If some of his own have been/ are dirty, he sure as heck an't going to mess with them. They are his support.