Cord Byrd: “Last year, Senator Grassley and I had an amendment included in the Fiscal Year 2003 Defense Appropriations Act to crack…”

“Last year, Senator Grassley and I had an amendment included in the Fiscal Year 2003 Defense Appropriations Act to crack down on the abuse of credit cards that are issued to Pentagon employees. Today, we offer an amendment to extend those provisions through fiscal year 2004. The General Accounting Office has completed numerous studies on Government-issued charge cards. These reports have highlighted the Department of Defense as one of the worst abusers of those cards. Defense Department employees have been caught red-handed using their Government-issued credit card to pay for personal expenses such as luxury cruises, concert tickets, Internet gambling, and even adult entertainment. Incredibly, these abusive charges are being underwritten by the U.S. taxpayer, to the tune of untold millions each year. Based on this evidence, the GAO has recommended that DOD employees should undergo credit checks before they are issued a Government charge card. That is exactly what the amendment offered last year by Senator Grassley and me required. The GAO recently reported to our staffs that despite progress in cracking down on some types of abuse, the Pentagon has not complied with last year's Byrd-Grassley amendment. That is why we offer an amendment to this Defense bill to extend last year's provision of the Defense Appropriations Act to apply in fiscal year 2004.”