WASHINGTON, DC— The U.S. Senate has approved legislation authored by
Senators Susan Collins and Russ Feingold (D-WI) that will extend the term of
the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR). Without this
legislation, the SIGIR’s term would expire next year, on October 1, 2007. The
Senators’ legislation would enable the SIGIR to continue his critical
oversight work until late 2008 and was approved as an amendment to the fiscal
year 2007 Military Construction Appropriations bill.
“I am pleased by the strong support for the Collins-Feingold Amendment
and that our colleagues in the Senate recognize how crucial it is for the
SIGIRs work to continue. This office has proven to be a much-needed watchdog,
auditing reconstruction contracts in Iraq and spotlighting numerous cases of
waste, fraud, and abuse and we must keep the watchdog on the job. This office
provides a $25 dollar benefit for every dollar spent on oversight and
investigations. It is inconceivable that we would remove this aggressive
oversight while the American taxpayer is still spending billions of dollars on
Iraq reconstruction projects.”
Specifically, the Collins-Feingold legislation would reinstate the
SIGIR’s previous termination schedule of ten months after 80 percent of funds
for Iraq reconstruction have been expended. A recently enacted defense
authorization bill includes a provision that would end the SIGIR’s oversight
responsibilities next year. Senator Collins believes that the work of the
SIGIR’s office, led by Stuart Bowen, is critical and has effectively rooted
out millions of dollars of waste, fraud, and abuse, and therefore, must be
continued.
The SIGIR’s office is responsible for oversight of approximately $32
billion in Iraq reconstruction contracts and grants. As a result of his work,
the SIGIR estimates that the financial impact of his audits, investigations,
and inspections, is approximately $1.87 billion, far exceeding the offices
expenses of $72 million.
The SIGIR’s office has issued 73 audit reports and 65 project
assessments, and the office’s work has resulted in the arrest of five people,
and the convictions of four, with more than $17 million in assets seized.
Additional cosponsors of the bill include Senators Joseph Lieberman, (D-
CT), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Robert Byrd (D-WV), Carl Levin (D-MI), Joe Biden
(D-DE), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Norm Coleman (R-MN), John Kerry (D-MA), Ken
Salazar (D-CO), Tom Coburn (R-OK), John Sununu (R-NH), Edward Kennedy (D-MA),
Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Byron Dorgan (D-ND, Ron
Wyden (D-OR), John Warner (R-VA), Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME), Robert Bennett (R-
UT), John McCain (R-AZ), Charles Schumer (D-NY), Bill Nelson (D-NE), Judd
Gregg (R-NH), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), and Hillary Clinton (D-NY)