Today, President Obama announced that he wants new rules to reform the federal contracting system and cut as much as $40 billion in federal spending. Citing procurement overruns, fraud, sole source contracts, a lack of transparency and accountability, and outsourcing concerns, the President hopes to change the old ways of doing business in Washington. His policy shift will hopefully save money and improve government services. This effort makes good on a campaign promise to save billions of dollars.
We will have to wait to see how today's announcement will trickle down through contracting wonks and work in practice. This step, however, is great news given that budgets are getting tighter, and that the government spent over $534 billion for goods and services last year, including contracts for companies that have been convicted of serious misconduct.
The President's actions follow many of POGO's recommendations in its presidential transition paper and the cost savings predicted by POGO in its recent report on increasing revenue and cutting costs.
-- Scott Amey
UPDATE: Click here to watch a video of the President's remarks.
One good start is to put bunnitine greenhouse back in her old job as head of reviewing govt contractors she id the one that spoke out about the no bid contracts cheney relied on to put hallibuton,custer battles, blackwater,ect ect in iraq ,afganistan ,new orleans ect ect and she got demoted for speaking out and he should go forth with a forceful athourity to to get back the 10's billions of dollars that were either tru terrible mismanagement or out rite theft and fraud and companies that may have caused harm to not only our military but civilians call them on the carpet fine them to oblivion and send the guys in charge to prison then and only then will you see reform take place cause if contrators see there are sever penalties for such abuses they might think twice before commiting them
Posted by: cwazycajun | Mar 06, 2009 at 08:30 AM