U.S. Rep. Edolphus “Ed” Towns (D-NY), Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, today stood with President Barack Obama and other members of Congress at the White House to support the administration’s effort to overhaul the way the United States government awards federal contracts.
“I appreciate President Obama’s efforts to ensure that there is transparency in government, particularly when it comes to federal contracting,” Chairman Towns said. “We must put an end to no-bid contracts and dishonorable procurement practices that are often the root cause of waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars.”
The President issued a Presidential Memorandum that will reform government contracting by strengthening oversight and management of taxpayer dollars, ending unnecessary no-bid and cost-plus contracts, maximizing the use of competitive procurement processes, and clarifying rules for outsourcing. According to the White House, the Presidential Memorandum signed today will save taxpayers billions of dollars each year.
In his remarks, the President commended Chairman Towns for his efforts in eliminating waste, fraud and abuse in the federal contracting system.
Chairman Towns concluded, “Congress voted to approve billions of dollars in economic stimulus funding last month, much of which will be spent through government contracting. With over two billion for New York City’s shovel ready projects, this money must be spent effectively and wisely in order to rebuild our great city and local economy. I look forward to hearing from administration officials and learning about the safeguards in place to prevent future contracting problems.”
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