A U.S. Senate committee passed a Wisconsin senator’s plea to investigate spending in Iraq.
U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wisconsin, along with other senators, submitted the amendments last week, seeking to establish an independent oversight on spending a proposed $20 billion for reconstruction in Iraq.
The inspector general would be appointed by the president and must receive Senate approval before assignment to the occupation government in Iraq under administrator L. Paul Bremer. The inspector general would report on how much money is spent and whether project goals are being met.
“We should take concrete steps to ensure that vigorous oversight and auditing mechanisms are in place to protect each and every taxpayer dollar,” Suzanne Hemauer, a Feingold spokesperson, said.
Michael Barnett, University of Wisconsin political science professor and expert on the Middle East, applauded Feingold’s proposal, saying the Bush administration has a track record of underestimating the various costs and price tags associated with Iraq. An inspector general, he added, would bring a number of benefits.
“This will ensure that money is being spent more wisely,” Barnett said. “It will make sure that firms in Iraq complete the task they were hired to perform and that the price isn’t bloated.”
He added that an inspector general might help clear up some of the controversy surrounding the Bush administration, which includes allegations that it has been unfairly awarding reconstruction contracts to its cronies.
However, U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wisconsin, said the Bush administration is successfully rebuilding Iraq — without Feingold’s amendments.
“Since the completion of major combat, the United States has stayed true to its mission of rebuilding the critical infrastructure and instituting a democratic government in Iraq,” Sensenbrenner said in his Oct. 17 column, “It would be welcome news to my constituents if the media would discuss some of these positive accomplishments in Iraq.”
The amendments also include a call for extending financial and medical-leave benefits to families that face additional hardships with a soldier in the family living abroad.
“The brave men and women of our Armed Forces undertake enormous sacrifices in their service to our country,” Feingold said in a press release.
“Military families often have to scramble to arrange for child care, to pay bills, to contact their landlords or mortgage companies, and take care of other things that we deal with on a daily basis. We owe this small measure of relief to the families of our brave military personnel who are being deployed for military action against Iraq and in the fight against terrorism.”
The benefits would be extended under the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993. This will provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year and would apply only to those families already eligible for the medical-leave law.
This amendment has been endorsed by the Military Officers Association of America, The Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States and the National Partnership for Women and Families.
The last of Feingold’s amendments calls for the reconstruction team to regularly post up-to-date information in both English and Arabic on its website about oil revenue, seized assets of Saddam Hussein frozen to prohibit their use and how these resources are being spent.
“Making a good-faith effort to be transparent when it comes to what is happening to Iraqi resources is just basic good sense, and that means making an effort to communicate in Arabic,” Hemauer said.
The amendments received unanimous consent from the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Feingold’s office is optimistic it will not receive major opposition when the legislation is introduced to the entire Senate body.
