Arizona lawmaker’s amendments impose strict guidelines on how taxpayer dollars are spent
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords today succeeded in adding strict oversight provisions to legislation that will overhaul how the Defense Department purchases major weapons systems.
The House Armed Services Committee unanimously approved two amendments by Giffords to a bill that has strong bipartisan support in Congress and in the Obama Administration.
One amendment requires top military commanders to comment on the acquisition of weapons before tax dollars are spent. The other requires the development of planning standards that will streamline the way weapons systems are acquired.
“Weapons acquisition programs have been riddled with problems for far too long,” said Giffords. “Delays and cost overruns are as much a fixture of the landscape in Washington as the Pentagon itself. This is unacceptable. The wasteful and inefficient use of taxpayer dollars must come to an end.”
Giffords’ amendments were added to H.R. 2101, the Weapons Acquisition System Reform Through Enhancing Technical Knowledge and Oversight (WASTE TKO) Act or 2009. The bill was introduced by Rep. Ike Skelton of Missouri, a Democrat who serves chairman of the Armed Services Committee, and Rep. John McHugh of New York, the committee’s ranking Republican.
The WASTE TKO Act is the House version of a bill introduced in the Senate by Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Carl Levin of Michigan. The primary goal of WASTE TKO is to place increased focus on weapons programs in the early stages of acquisition, when most costs are determined.