Replacing the aging fleet of aerial refueling tankers has been an Air Force priority since 2002. In that year, Congress approved funding for Boeing to lease up to 100 767s to replace the 50-year-old KC-135 tankers. However, the deal fell apart in a 2004 bribery scandal in which a top Pentagon procurement officer and a senior Boeing official were convicted and served prison sentences.
Carolina on Taxpayers Minds
Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) has never been accused of being a fiscal hawk. In fact, he is quite well known for bringing home the bacon. CAGW’s 2010 Congressional Pig Book documented 41 earmarks worth $55 million requested by Rep. Clyburn.
Government Acquisition Waste
When purchasing necessary items, the government buys from private businesses, both large and small. For contracts greater than $100,000, companies go through a convoluted and highly regulated bidding process, which allows losing bidders to file a protest with the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The protest filing procedures are complicated and costly. Although the number of […]
Pigs on the Wing–The Aerial Refueling Tanker Contract Dispute Continues
The battle to build the Air Force’s next generation of aerial refueling tankers continues to fuel wasteful lobbying and insider dealing in Washington D.C. The $35 billion deal is as closely contested as ever, which is no surprise given the amount of money at stake. Defense Industry Daily’s initial valuation of the program in January 2007 predicted the contracts could exceed $100 billion.
The Ongoing Tanker Saga
The long saga of the Air Force refueling tanker may be coming to an end soon; or maybe not. The latest request for proposal is due to be released shortly, and hearings this week on Capitol Hill indicate the battle may not be over.
The Many Perks of Congressional Employment
Supposedly in Denmark to attend the Copenhagen Climate Summit, multiple members of Congress have been criticized for treating the trip as a personal vacation. The trip included seven Republicans and 15 Democrats, most notably House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.).
National Lampoon’s European Vacation
Ostensibly in Scotland to partake in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, several members of Congress are coming under fire for using the trip as a personal vacation. Led by Rep. John Tanner (D-Tenn.) the group, consisting of 12 representatives (eight Democrats, four Republicans), nine of the members’ spouses, and five legislative aides, stayed in a $300-per night hotel overlooking the Edinburgh Castle. In addition to the rooms required to lodge participants, the group rented three additional rooms, which were stocked with “…liquor, Coors beer, chips and salsa, sandwiches, Mrs. Fields cookies and York Peppermint Patties…,” according to a December 17, 2009 article in The Wall Street Journal. Adding to the expense, the group flew on a plane provided by the Air Force.
U.S. to File Concerns Over Google Book Pact
The Justice Department is expected Friday to outline a range of concerns it has about a settlement that Google Inc. struck with authors and publishers over the rights to distribute digital copies of certain works, according to people familiar with the matter. The Justice Department will submit those concerns in a filing to the U.S. […]
Public Outrage Grounds Congressional Jets
In 2005, Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) tried to fund the infamous “Bridge to Nowhere,” which would have connected the mainland of Alaska to an island of only 50 people. After the bridge became the “poster child” for pork and taxpayers expressed their disdain, funding for the “Bridge to Nowhere” was eliminated.
The Devil is in the Details of the Healthcare Bills, Or Not
President Obama and congressional Democrats have been playing defense on healthcare reform throughout the month of August as congressional town hall meetings across the country have erupted in anger and frustration. A favorite theme in the President’s and his allies’ speeches is that Americans have been manipulated and exploited by opponents of his healthcare initiatives, jack-booted obstructionists who are peddling falsehoods about what is actually in the bills.