Ending GSA's Culture of Waste

U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR-01): The House of Representatives took steps this week to end wasteful spending at the General Services Administration, protect the rights of sportsmen and cut taxes for small business owners.

This week I questioned GSA officials about the now infamous 2010 GSA conference hosted in Las Vegas. The lavish conference left American tax payers with a $822,000 tab.

On Tuesday, the House passed the Sportsmen’s Heritage Act of 2012 to protect the rights of American sportsmen to hunt and fish. The legislation will remove roadblocks for hunters and fishermen on public plans and will guard against new regulations that could block or limit access to hunting and fishing.

In Arkansas, hunting and fishing are a way of life. For generations families have hunted and fished together. The federal government should not be a roadblock to generations of tradition.

The Small Business Tax Cut Act of 2012 will give our nation’s small businesses more opportunity to create jobs and grow the economy. The legislation allows small businesses to deduct 20% of their income from taxes regardless of how the company is legally structured. Small businesses that file their taxes as a corporation, a limited liability company, or a sole proprietorship, will benefit from this new deduction.

Visiting with small business owner Jesse Simmons in Newport. Arkansas small businesses drive our rural economy. The 50,000 small businesses in our state employ over 477,000 people and the tax cut passed by the House will give these small businesses the ability to grow and hire more workers.

My column focuses on the culture of waste at the General Services Administration and what must be done to stop this abuse of taxpayer dollars.

Crawford Column: Ending GSA’s Culture of Waste Recent revelations of the General Services Administration’s spending scandal are a prime example of why Americans do not have faith in their government. In 2010, the General Services Administration hosted an opulent conference in Las Vegas that cost the American taxpayers $822,000 dollars. Wasting taxpayer dollars should never be tolerated.

During a hearing this week on Capitol Hill, I questioned Robert Peck, the former General Services Administration Public Buildings Services Commissioner about the Las Vegas conference.  In the hearing, I asked for answers about a $30,000 pool party, a GSA official staying in 2,400 square foot Las Vegas hotel suite and a $2,000 bill for a “private” party – all paid for with taxpayer dollars.

As if pool parties and lavish hotel suites were not wasteful enough, here are some of the other expenses from the 2010 Las Vegas GSA Conference:
      • $44 per person for daily breakfasts
      • $75,000 spent on bicycle building exercises to encourage team building
      • $6,300 spent on commemorative coin sets given to conference attendees
      • $30,207 spent on a closing reception dinner
      • $58,808 for audio visual services
      • $3,200 spent on mind readers for entertainment

I’ve never claimed to be a mind reader, but if you are like me I can imagine how mad you are after learning that your tax dollars were wasted with such blatant disregard.

This abuse of taxpayer dollars cannot be tolerated. The Obama Administration has tried to sweep this issue under the rug and diminish its seriousness. It took the Obama Administration eleven months to take action. To add insult to injury, the chief organizer of the 2010 Las Vegas GSA Conference was approved for a bonus by senior Obama officials for his work in organizing the conference.

As your voice in Congress, I am taking this investigation very seriously. Officials who organize and authorize wasteful spending must be held responsible.  Fiscal responsibility and respect for taxpayer dollars is paramount. I am working to end the culture of waste at GSA and ensure that taxpayer dollars are respected.

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Tags: Arkansas, U.S. Representative, Rick Crawford, Ending, GSA, Culture of Waste