Senator McCaskill vows to continue hearings of her subcommittee until she learns who is responsible for the billions of dollars the government is spending on building things in
Afghanistan.
The government has relied heavily on private contractors for security and construction projects in Iraq and in Afghanistan. Senator McCaskill has headed a Homeland Security subcommittee almost from the start of her senate career looking into cost overruns, shoddy work, and lack of accountability by contractors.
She has turned her attention o Afghanistan now, saying the country must get every dime’s worth of work out of the contractors, especially when federal budget reductions are essential. She note’s the president proposes 17 billion dollars in contracting for reconstruction work in Afghanistan..
“That’s a big number if our roads weren’t crumbling because we don’t have the money to fix them,” she says. She says the number is “enormous” in the face of the nation’s financial problems.
McCaskill speaks during hearing. :24 mp3
She says it’s urgent that Congress consider whether these projects are essential to the United States mission. And she says it’s time some from the defense department or the agency for international development admit being in charge of planning for the projects.
She hopes for better luck in a later hearing.\
