Following a critical audit report by the Department of
Homeland Security inspector general, Senate committee
leaders have asked the assistant secretary of the
Transportation Security Administration for details of
specific measures the agency has put in place to prevent
the kind of “appalling” abuses and wasteful spending
detailed in the report, related to the rapid
construction of the Transportation Security
Administration Operations Center.
Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs Committee, Susan Colllins, R-Maine, and Ranking
Member Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., also asked for details
on disciplinary action that has been taken against
program staff responsible for about $500,000 of
inappropriate purchases, the improper use of purchase
cards, and wasteful procurement and construction
decisions – including 4,200 a square-foot fitness center.
The audit cites a loss of managerial control that led to
waste and abuse, some of which had been disguised, and
it says TSA’s own policies and guidelines were not followed.
In response to the audit, TSA issued a statement saying
it had taken “swift and decisive action” against the
individuals and “put in place a new management structure
to strengthen its acquisition program,” but the senators
have asked for more detail.
The senators seek “personal reassurance” that the agency
has taken action “to ensure that similar incidents do
not occur in the future,” as well as “a written response
outlining the specific measures” to prevent similar
incidents.
“From the start, TSA failed to scope the construction
project following basic acquisition guidelines. That
lack of attention extended throughout the project such
that TSA still cannot account properly for expended
funds,” wrote the senators.
