Webb's "Modern Day Truman Commission" Moves Ahead

WEBB AND McCASKILL SCORE WIN FOR WARTIME CONTRACTING ACCOUNTABILITY IN FY'08 NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION

Bipartisan Commission to Investigate Wartime Support Contracting and Reconstruction in Iraq & Afghanistan

WASHINGTON, D.C.-Late Thursday, the Senate and the House negotiators agreed on a landmark provision to improve wartime contracting and accountability sponsored by Senators Jim Webb (D-VA) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO). The measure is expected to receive final approval when both chambers of Congress vote on final passage of the National Defense Authorization Act later this month.

The Webb-McCaskill amendment, cosponsored by the Senators' seven Democratic freshman colleagues, creates an independent, bipartisan "Commission on Wartime Contracting" charged with addressing the systemic problems associated with wartime-support contracts and reconstruction projects in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"I am pleased that Senator McCaskill, our freshman colleagues and I were able to move this legislation so quickly.  We've been able to create a commission that has teeth in it to bring accountability back into our wartime contracting system," said Senator Webb. "The waste, abuse and lack of oversight associated with some of these federal agency contracts are hitting the pocket-book of every American. Those of us in Congress have an obligation to the American taxpayer to be proper stewards of their tax dollars."

"We can do better, we must do better with war contracting," Senator McCaskill said. "This commission will make a difference.  It will be bipartisan, it will be substantive, and it will be meaningful, and at the end of two years, we will have a very clear blueprint on how we move forward with contracting at the Department of Defense and within our military and the State Department.  As Harry Truman said during World War II, 'the men and women in the foxhole should never have to worry that people are profiting inappropriately off their sacrifice.'"

Specifically, the Webb-McCaskill provision:

   * Establishes an independent, bipartisan eight-member Commission on Wartime Contracting to study and investigate federal agency contracting for reconstruction, logistics support, and security functions in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Commission will have the authority to recommend cases for legal dispensation and will make recommendations to improve contracting processes in the future.

   * Requires a study and investigation into the impact of the government's growing reliance on civilian contractors to perform wartime functions.  The Commission will assess the extent of waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement of wartime contracts, and the extent to which those responsible have been held accountable.

   * Expands the jurisdiction of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) and a newly-created Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) beyond reconstruction funds to include security contracts executed in Iraq and Afghanistan. It also requires the conduct of an expanded series of audits of wartime contracts by the Inspector General of the Department of Defense and other executive agency IGs.

   * Requires a review of the appropriateness of agencies' structure, policies, and processes for wartime and contingency contracts and a determination of whether certain tasks that have been contracted out should be considered inherently governmental and therefore no longer outsourced.

A second amendment offered by Senators Webb and McCaskill was also retained in the conferenced report, requiring the Department of Defense to strengthen its policies regarding private security contractors, such as Blackwater. The amendment directs the U.S. Department of Defense to develop procedures to: maintain records of private security personnel, register and develop an identification system for vehicles operated by contractors, and ensure that private security personnel are briefed on and understand their obligation to comply with applicable U.S., Iraqi and international laws on the use of force.

The amendment also provides for the cultural training of security contractors and guidance on working with the U.S. military and Iraqi nationals.  Several provisions of this amendment were included in the recommendations of the Secretary of State's review panel that was deployed to Iraq following a deadly shooting incident in September 2007.

To listen to the audio of today's press conference with Senators Webb and McCaskill, visit: http://demradio.senate.gov/act...

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