William Tauzin: “I want to advise the gentlewoman that we support her amendment. In fact, as she well knows, the Subcommittee on…”

“I want to advise the gentlewoman that we support her amendment. In fact, as she well knows, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations chaired by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Greenwood) has done some extraordinary work and uncovered some massive and seriously disturbing problems with inventory management and theft of government property at Los Alamos. The efforts of the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Greenwood) already demonstrate very clearly why this amendment is such a good idea. Our oversight has revealed the troublesome story of looting and the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations has revealed what appears to be a lack of interest by senior laboratory managers to do anything about the theft and the fraud that is going on right under their noses. What we found most astonishing about the theft and fraud is that it took place at such a vital facility. Los Alamos is a facility that our Nation trusts with some of our most sensitive information. So we reviewed this abuse of purchase cards and found that DOE has been quick to distribute purchase cards to employees and contract workers, but very slow to implement management procedures to monitor and control abuse and to cut down on fraud. So, Mr. Chairman, the Schakowsky amendment is a clear sense of Congress that DOE should get its act together with respect to procurement and inventory control. I am pleased and proud to support her amendment.”