AIR FORCE STATES THAT EARMARKS CAN MAKE
OUR
"FORCE LESS CAPABLE"
posted by Steve Ellis, 202-546-8500 ext. 126
April 10, 2008
Members of Congress are quick to say that they earmark because they know a good project when they see one and know their district’s needs better than some bureaucrat in Washington. Well, the Air Force doesn’t necessarily agree. In fact, in a new report on earmarks at DOD, the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force Gibson wrote, “Determining the impact based solely on the added or enhanced capability provided by the earmark fails to consider the Service’s prioritized requirements. It may be concluded that when higher priority requirements are cut form the President’s Budget to source earmarks the primary goals and missions of DOD are not being optimally resourced.” In addition; “When Congress adjusts the service’s priorities, the results are in some cases, a force less capable than the one submitted by the President.”
In other words, the Air Force is saying that earmarks can hurt our country’s national security.
This DOD Inspector General (IG) report also found that FY 2007 Defense Appropriations contained 2,656 Congressional earmarks totaling $12.143 billion. Taxpayers for Common Sense analysis of the FY07 Defense spending bill found 2646 earmarks worth $10.5 billion. The IG concluded that two of 70 earmarks reviewed “did not support the mission and goals of the DoD.” These two earmarks totaled $340 million for the Navy and Air Force to continue development of the Joint Strike Fighter’s alternate engine source.
Sources told the IG Investigators that each DOD earmark receives oversight of earmarks identical to the oversight of other contracts. However, two of the earmarks reviewed provided monies to an allied country for the Arrow Missile Defense, which means the program was subject to contracting laws and regulations of that country. Further, 57 of the 70 earmarks awarded were under contracts and 13 did not have contracts awarded. What is still not clear is how any contract that is created from an earmark can ever be regarded as competitive.
The report is available on our web site. |
