Chris Chocola: “not a day goes by that I am not amazed by the waste of tax dollars by Federal agencies. Sometimes the waste is a result…”

“not a day goes by that I am not amazed by the waste of tax dollars by Federal agencies. Sometimes the waste is a result of bad management. Sometimes it is the result of willful violation of established policies, but it is always inexcusable. A recent GAO report reveals just how bad it can get. In March of 2006, the GAO found that the State Department is wasting nearly $100 million a year on unauthorized premium travel. In 2004, the State Department spent $140 million on premium travel; that is usually business class travel, and 67 percent of that travel was either not justified, not properly authorized or both. And that resulted in $94 million of taxpayer money wasted. Not only is the fact that the money was wasted troubling, but the management practice of disregarding what it cost when it is not your own money is a cause for great concern. As an example, most of the authorizations for the premium travel came from subordinates of those that were traveling who told the GAO that they were afraid to challenge senior executives of the State Department for violating established travel policies. It is not just an excusable practice of putting subordinates in intimidating positions at work here; it is also a lack of basic management practices.…”