Byron Dorgan: “the largest area of deficiency for the Congress in the last few years has been the failure to have oversight hearings on…”

“the largest area of deficiency for the Congress in the last few years has been the failure to have oversight hearings on issues that demand oversight hearings. I have held some hearings as chairman of the Democratic Policy Committee, in cases where members of other committees have asked for oversight hearings and they have been denied. This has been particularly true, by the way, when it comes to Halliburton. Let me give an example of why oversight hearings are critical. This comes from a report recently on National Public Radio. I will read this because it describes why this Congress must begin exercising its oversight responsibility. This is about waste, fraud, abuse, and the American taxpayers being cheated. Let me read some of it: Custer-Battles was a young company founded by former Army Rangers Scott Custer and Michael Battles who came to Iraq on borrowed money. An August Wall Street Journal article said that he (Mr. Battles) only had $450 when he convinced an official to put Custer-Battles [his new company he formed] on a list of bidders at an airport security contract.”