Title
Urging the Bush administration to immediately institute a fair, open, and honest contracting process and policies in the rebuilding and reconstruction of the Gulf Coast region devastated by Hurricane Katrina that will assure and include a substantial commitment to diversity and maximum utilization of Gulf Coast residents.
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WHEREAS, The Bush administration recently awarded at least seven "no-bid" contracts, worth many hundreds of millions of dollars, to companies with political and personal ties to various administration officials, for the rebuilding and reconstruction project in the Gulf Coast region, following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina;
WHEREAS, It is reported by national and international news media that the Bush administration is using the very same contracting practices, like "cost-plus" contractor billing, and employing the very same contractors, like Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown, and Root, blamed for spending abuses, cost over-runs, and poor performance outcomes in Iraq, evoking accusations of cronyism and profiteering;
WHEREAS, Internal governmental audits and external scrutiny by informed, interested parties confirm contracting problems of all types are made worse or go completely unchecked because of inadequate, inexperienced, under-funded, and overworked procurement staff of the Federal Emergency Management Agency attempting to handle matters far beyond its financial and administrative scope;
WHEREAS, These observations have resulted in bi-partisan calls in Congress for 1) an audit of these contract awards by the Congressional Government Accounting Office, 2) an investigation by the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security, and 3) the establishment of a new governmental agency to manage the Gulf Coast region project that would be directed by a federal appointee with the required expertise and profile;
WHEREAS, The e...
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