Wendy Sherman: “The supplemental proposal before us today provides $2.1 billion for oil infrastructure improvements and reconstruction…”

“The supplemental proposal before us today provides $2.1 billion for oil infrastructure improvements and reconstruction in Iraq. The public and the world are a bit skeptical as to how that money will be spent. The answer to that skepticism is in government contract law which provides for procedures for competitive bidding. However, there are on many occasions exceptions to the competitive bidding rules that have been employed by this administration. The purpose of this amendment is to say that, with regard to the oil work, there will be no further exceptions at least for the money being spent under this bill. This amendment does not affect our military procurement or our troops. It does not affect any emergency acquisitions of food or medicine or other humanitarian assistance. It deals only with the lucrative construction projects for the Iraqi oil system. And as to those projects, we should say no sole-source contracts.”