Dan Coats: “it is ``Waste of the Week'' time again, and the waste of the Federal Government's spending just keeps piling up. Today…”

“it is ``Waste of the Week'' time again, and the waste of the Federal Government's spending just keeps piling up. Today, I am taking a look at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. We all have a stake in this. I am a veteran, but even those of us who are not veterans have a stake in making sure our veterans are getting the use of taxpayer dollars for their benefit for the sacrifices they made. Over the past year, we have been hearing on the floor and continue to see story after story of mismanagement that is plaguing the VA. Many of these news articles tell the story of our Nation's heroes not receiving the care or the resources they have earned and that they deserve. Last month--just last month--I read yet another frightening headline, frustrating. ``Veterans Affairs improperly spent $6 Billion annually, senior VA official says''--improperly spent $6 billion annually. According to an internal memo written by the VA's senior official for procurement, the VA has been wasting taxpayer money by violating Federal contracting rules to pay for medical care and expenses. Under law, VA purchases require competitive bidding and proper contracts, but testimony from Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisition and Logistics Jan Frye, before Congress last month revealed that just the opposite is occurring. So the medical care and supplies our veterans need for their medical needs are being compromised at a cost of $6 billion a year. Mr.…”