FederalDaily - March 6, 2006

DoD Bird Flu Preparations

The Department of Defense (DoD) is working to finalize its pandemic influenza plan before the end of March deadline, DoD officials said last week. During a Joint Operations Medical Managers Course in San Antonio, Texas, Ellen Embrey—deputy assistant secretary of defense for force health protection and readiness—explained that the plan would outline the department’s roles and responsibilities during various stages of an outbreak. “Along with the overreaching department plan, each combatant commander must have a plan in place to address pandemic influenza, a potentially very infectious disease,” Embrey said. The DoD plan is part of an overall federal plan that includes input from the Health and Human Services and Homeland Security.

:: Back to Top ::

Democrats Propose Government Contracting Reform

Major government contracting reforms are necessary to curb fraud, waste and abuse in government contracting, Senate Democrats said Thursday as they introduced contracting reform legislation. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and 25 other Democrats, includes the following provisions:

• up to 20 years in prison and $1 million in fines for war profiteering;
• reinstatement of rules that prohibit the awarding of contracts to companies that have a pattern of noncompliance with regulations;
• a publicly-available “Truth in Contracting” Web site identifying over-charges by contractors; and
• prohibitions against large monopoly contracts to ensure competition.

Dorgan stated, “Taxpayers deserve to know that their tax dollars will be spent wisely, not left wide open to be snatched up by fast-buck artists with friends in high places.”

:: Back to Top ::

Senator Wants Full Disclosure on DoD Budget

The administration should be more straightforward in explaining the rapidly rising costs of the Department of Defense’s (DoD) budget for Iraq and Afghanistan operations, Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D. said Thursday during a budget hearing. Conrad said that despite much higher estimates by outside experts, DoD Secretary Donald Rumsfeld at first insisted the Iraq war would cost $50 billion—the total cost has now reached $397 billion. Every year since 2003, Congress has provided supplemental appropriations for the war effort ranging from $63 billion to $118 billion. Last year, DoD requested two supplemental appropriations totaling nearly $120 billion. “Now, we are being told it is only going to be a $50 billion supplemental for next year, and you’ll excuse us if we are pretty skeptical about that,” Conrad said.

:: Back to Top ::

Concerns with VA IT Reorganization

The Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) lack of progress in restructuring its information technology (IT) programs has raised concern among members of Congress, according to a House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing this past Thursday. At previous hearings, Gordon Mansfield, VA deputy director, expressed the department’s intention to move to a federated IT model by October 2005. However, Rep. Mike Bilirakis, R-Fla., said, “As of today, VA has still yet to approve of its IT reorganization to move to a federated model. The issue of VA IT reorganization funding is of concern.” Congress provided the VA with a fiscal year 2006 IT budget of $1.2 billion, which included money for restructuring efforts. Since 2000, the VA’s IT issues have been the focus of more than half a dozen congressional hearings.

:: Back to Top ::