Political Quotes

“During consideration of the 1990 Farm Bill, a provision was inserted granting the USDA Graduate School the ability to enter non-competitive, interagency agreements for the provision of training services to other agencies. The Graduate School pursues and enters into these side agreements with other Federal agencies on a non-competitive basis. The private sector is shut out, unable to bid on these contracts. Section 1669 enables the United States Department of Agriculture Graduate School (Graduate School) to accept non-competitive agreements from federal agencies to provide training and other human resource services. The provision limits--and even discourages--competition in contracting, the cornerstone of fair and equitable pricing in the award of government contracts. Despite its name and 80-year history, the Graduate School is not a part of the federal government. The Comptroller General of the United States ruled that the Graduate School is a 'Non-Appropriated Fund Instrumentality' (NAFI). NAFIs do not receive budget authority or appropriations from Congress and are supported entirely by fees or prices for their services. Like other NAFIs the Graduate School is not subject to the Federal Acquisition Regulations, the Freedom of Information Act, or other laws and regulations governing the operations of federal agencies.”