Frank Lautenberg: “along with Senators Schumer and Corzine, I offer an amendment to this supplemental called the Ethics in Government…”

“along with Senators Schumer and Corzine, I offer an amendment to this supplemental called the Ethics in Government Contracting Act. We must ensure that taxpayer-funded contracts in Iraq are of the highest ethical standards for contracting that we can achieve. The question arises as a result of a contract that is now worth over $1.4 billion and was awarded without competitive bidding or public notice. The contract was given to the Halliburton Corporation, a company in which Vice President Cheney maintains a financial interest. The definition of the ``financial interest'' is confirmed by the Congressional Research Service, which is the nonpartisan research arm we turn to when we have questions. They have a great deal of skill and ability, and they agreed with me that despite the Vice President's claim to the contrary, that he had no financial interest, in fact, the conditions under which he is operating in connection with Halliburton do indicate a financial interest. Now, there is no accusation here of any wrongdoing. But I have got to ask, Is the taxpayer best served by the award of a lucrative contract to a company formerly headed by the Vice President and from which he still draws compensation? It is well known that the standard for ethics is not just to avoid wrongdoing but also to avoid the appearance of impropriety because public perception of insider deals can be just as damaging as a wrongdoing itself.”