Claire McCaskill

I think that would be really important because I think that would show the kind of attention to this issue that it deserves.

We have spent about $11 billion recently on the ANSF, when the entire gross domestic product (GDP) of Afghanistan is $16 billion.

Several years ago, I introduced a bill--the Lieutenant Colonel Dominic 'Rocky' Baragona Justice for American Heroes Harmed by Contractors Act--which would require contractors to consent to jurisdiction in the U.S. courts as a condition for…

So if sustainability is a no-go, it doesn't go?

I don't think you need to worry about the Senate seeing a CBO director as the bible.

My chief concern with any reform proposal is ensuring that broadband expands to those who currently do not have it as fast as possible and in a coordinated manner.

Shouldn't we have the core competency of integrity within the house of CMS and Medicare, as opposed to it's awfully hard to hold anyone accountable for the results?

Integrity in the program. One of the problems we have, and I've encountered this firsthand, is a dizzying array of contractors as it relates to integrity.

It quacks like a duck, it's a duck. It's an earmark.

What other investigations do you think we can be doing from this Subcommittee, or what legislative fixes could we do that would clarify contracting law as it relates to the ability of the Federal Government to enjoy the discounts they get…

Was the contract flawed in the PWC case? Was there a flaw in the way the contract was drafted?

You raised the issue of transparency and the Attorney General believes that is exactly the problem with this practice, because it is inherently opaque.

I cannot imagine that we could not do that. It seems like, to me, that is much more logical than a lot of the handcuffs we have out there right now.

The buying power of the United States, based on that, the United States would certainly also be entitled to those discounts.

Are they giving bonuses based on this? Do you know?

What is the excuse? Is the excuse the accounting issue?

It is with a sense of urgency that I realize we have to hold on to the ability of independent food producers to get a product to market.

You were one of the two cosponsors. You created it. You nurtured it. You inspired it.

If it has worked, then that is the time that we need to migrate it over to Department of Defense.

Well, we are a big customer. We ought to have more leverage.

I cannot tell you how many times in this Subcommittee we have talked about the failure to suspend and debar.

Or you get a bigger bonus at Christmas if you buy more of this stuff.

I mean, if, in fact, they were not getting the extra plus-up by going to the big guys, then we really would, pardon the expression, have an apples-to-apples comparison.

Clearly, this system is not working in their favor, because they cannot afford--an independent producer cannot afford to pay a quarter on every box of tomatoes.

We are going to try to get an accounting of the retention of rebates by the contractors and an understanding of the policies that are in place at the agencies that contract for food service management.