Thomas Daschle: “Our focus will be on four areas. The first will be the need for the President to clarify more effectively what our plan…”

“Our focus will be on four areas. The first will be the need for the President to clarify more effectively what our plan is with regard to the use of the $87 billion, the $22 billion in particular for reconstruction aid. Today we saw yet another indication of the murkiness with regard to the plan. The administration has made a decision to reverse itself with regard to some of the demands it was making upon the United Nations, and, as a result, we are perhaps more hopeful now that the U.N. could be involved. But without a plan, it makes it very difficult for us to commit the resources. Simply asking for a plan is no substitute for the plan that is required. Secondly, we want more transparency. Billions and billions of dollars are being spent. Corporations, such as Halliburton and Bechtel and others, have benefited, but we have no way of knowing how much, what will be the profit. When we passed the Marshall plan 50 years ago, we had an explicit prohibition on profiteering.”