$9 Billion for Iraqi Reconstruction
Mismanaged Says Sen. Feingold
WASHINGTON D.C. (Feb. 1, 2005) - U.S. Senator Russ Feingold is distrubed at what he describes as mismanagement of money earmarked for reconstruction of Iraq. The U.S. Senator from Wisconsin has released a statement on the announcement by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR).
SIGIR released an audit indicating that the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) failed to impose adequate controls on nearly $9 billion that was distributed to various Iraqi ministries during the period prior to the transfer of sovereignty late last June. The $8.8 billion was Iraqi money – proceeds from oil sales and repatriated funds – that the U.S., as the occupying authority, was responsible for administering.
But today, the U.S. cannot account for what happened to these funds. A Feingold amendment to the $87 billion supplemental in 2003 created the Office of the Inspector General (IG). Feingold's amendment to the DOD authorization bill in 2004 allowed the IG to continue to exist, as the SIGIR, after the dissolution of the CPA.
"The latest audit is extraordinarily disturbing," says Feingold. "The kind of mismanagement that the audit identifies will only increase resentment and cynicism about U.S. motives in Iraq. This isn't just an oversight failure; it is a policy failure with the potential to help the very forces that wish to do us harm."
"The CPA's failure to provide adequate controls for the spending of Iraqi money does not inspire much confidence in the mechanisms that have been in place to ensure that over $18 billion in U.S. taxpayer dollars intended for Iraq's reconstruction will not be lost to waste, fraud, or abuse. As the Administration prepares to ask Congress for additional billions of taxpayer dollars, this report underscores our need for real accountability and better performance when it comes to the reconstruction effort."
"Ongoing instability is clearly one of the problems we face in Iraq. The SIGIR's most recent report to Congress notes that the number of death claims filed by reconstruction contractors working in Iraq has increased by over 93%."
Failing to get reconstruction right will cost even more American dollars, and the resulting insecurity could also cost American lives, Senator Feingold stated. "We are all inspired by the courage of the Iraqi people who participated in Sunday's elections. And we are awed by the bravery and skill of the American troops on the ground. But U.S. policy remains adrift without real accountability, and with no clear end to this venture in sight. We must do better."
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