FederalDaily - July 6, 2006

Congress Subpoenas Rumsfeld Over Abu Ghraib Whistleblower

The U.S. House Committee on Government Reform issued a subpoena to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on June 30 to discuss allegations of retaliation against Army Spc. Samuel Provance—a whistleblower in the Abu Ghraib prison abuse case. According to a press release from Sen. Christopher Shays, D-Conn., the committee requested information on the case in a March 7 letter to Rumsfeld, with a deadline of April 21. DoD has yet to respond. “We really have no choice but to subpoena the material and compel their attention to our request,” said Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va. Rumsfeld must supply the requested documents by July 14 at 5:00 p.m. to comply with the subpoena.

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$615 Million Boeing Settlement Finalized

The U.S. government and Boeing finalized a settlement agreement that calls for the contractor to pay $615 million, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said last Friday. The settlement resolves allegations that Boeing improperly used competitor information to obtain billions of dollars worth of contracts from NASA and the Air Force. According to DOJ, the fine is the highest ever for a government procurement fraud case. “The American people rightly expect government officials and contractors to act with integrity,” said Paul J. McNulty, deputy attorney general. “The outcome of these investigations sends a clear message to those doing business with the government: harsh consequences await anyone whose conduct falls short of the highest legal and ethical standards.”

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Most Agencies Report Drop In Paperwork

One dozen cabinet-level agencies managed to reduce the paperwork use, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) reported June 30. Last year, only 10 departments and agencies reported reducing their paperwork load. The reductions, and an annual report on their progress, are required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. “The Paperwork Reduction Act is intended to make government work more effectively for our citizens, and this year’s report demonstrates progress has been made on many fronts,” said OMB Director Rob Portman. While most agencies slashed the volume of paper handled, overall the amount processed increased by 5.5 percent to 8.4 billion worker-hours last year—due in part to a wave of forms filed by applicants to the new Medicare Prescription Drug Program.

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Naval Weapons Station Deemed Safe

A report released June 29 by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) determined runoff and sediments to be safe at Naval Weapons Station Earle in New Jersey. The facility has been an ammunition depot and support base for the U.S. Navy since 1943, and due to concerns over hazardous chemicals identified on the site in the early 1980s, various agencies have examined the area for health hazards since that time. ATSDR, a unit of the Centers for Disease Control, stated in the report that “exposure to surface water or sediments from the early 1990s to the present do not pose health hazards.” However, the report also said that there is insufficient information on whether a public health hazard existed there prior to the “early 1990s.” For more, go to http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/.

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