WASHINGTON, May 11 – U.S. PIRG and other taxpayer and consumer protection groups continue the push for reforms in how the Department of Defense (DOD) spends taxpayer money.
In a rarely seen bipartisan unanimity May 7, the Senate passed the Weapons Acquisition Reform Act of 2009 (S. 454) 93-0, sending a strong message to the House, due to consider their version of the bill soon.
The Senate vote came a few days after U.S. PIRG, the National Taxpayers Union, Taxpayers for Common Sense and the Project on Government Oversight called on the chairs and members of those committees to make sure language in two DOD oversight bills remains strong.
“Congress has the opportunity and the obligation to make sure that the final bill is not undermined by weakening amendments or watered down language on critical reforms,” explained Nicole Tichon, U.S. PIRG’s Tax and Budget Advocate.
U.S. PIRG and its allies want the House and Senate to make sure final legislation includes the strongest language possible around independent cost assessments, increased competition, transparency around the waiver process and conflicts of interest.
“This is one issue where we’ve seen the power of bipartisan leadership and a common sense approach. We hope this starts a much-needed movement across all government agencies where the rules that safeguard our tax dollars have been largely ignored for years,” Tichon added.
The House is slated to vote on their version of the bill, the Weapons Acquisition System Reform Through Enhancing Technical Knowledge and Oversight (WASTE TKO) Act of 2009 (H.R. 2101), soon, perhaps prior to the Memorial Day break.
