Political Quotes

“with the adoption of my amendment as part of the Defense authorization bill, the Senate is shining much needed sunshine on the process of awarding contracts for the reconstruction of Iraq. This amendment will ensure that Congress and the public will not be kept in the dark about the billions of dollars of contracts for reconstruction of Iraq that have already been awarded or will be awarded under the auspices of the Department of Defense. This amendment is also critical for ensuring the taxpayers get the best value for their money. An article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal confirms that the Senate has done the right thing. The Journal reports that in ``selecting subcontractors to help with hundreds of millions of dollars in repairs and rebuilding, the work is gearing up under a cloud of politics and distrust.'' The article goes on to say, ``Officially, the U.S. government is saying the subcontractor awarding process is going to be fair and open and that nobody will be discriminated against because of politics. But in unofficial conversations, U.S. officials display quite a different attitude.'' This latest report raises troubling questions about how U.S. agencies and their contractors are playing favorites when it comes to awarding contracts and subcontracts for Iraq reconstruction.”