Thursday, May 21, 2009

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada’s Third District voted today in favor of major military procurement reform to prevent expensive cost overruns by the Pentagon and save taxpayer dollars.  The conference report for the Weapons Acquisition System Reform bill, which passed the House and Senate with unanimous support, will now go to the President’s desk for his signature.

“The cost overruns that have been allowed to occur are staggering and must come to an end,” Congresswoman Titus said.  “Today, the Congress took an important step that will save taxpayers billions of dollars and reform the way Washington does business.  By reducing waste in government spending while investing in the strongest and smartest defense, we will give our men and women in harm’s way the best equipment available in the most efficient and inexpensive way possible.  And we will give the American people confidence that their tax dollars are beings spent wisely.  As Nevada’s families tighten their belts during this tough economic time, we must do the same here in Washington.”

According to a report by the Government Accountability Office, the Pentagon’s 96 largest acquisition programs had cost overruns of $296 billion, more money than the government spends in two years on salaries and health care for the entire military, and were on average 22 months behind schedule.

This legislation will revolutionize the way major purchases are selected and overseen by requiring the Secretary of Defense to designate an official as the principal expert on performance assessment in acquisition.  Weapons systems that fail to meet the standards and schedules set out for them will face annual reviews from oversight officials and increased scrutiny by Congress.  The Defense Department will also set up a new system to track the cost overruns and schedule changes that happen early on in the procurement process when most of the waste occurs.  And by promoting greater competition and preventing conflicts of interest in the acquisition process, this bill will reign in out of control costs.

#  #  #

Tags: fiscal responsibility