Posted on 05/10/2012 11:59:54 AM PDT by To-Whose-Benefit?
Congress: The TSA Is Wasting Hundreds Of Millions In Taxpayer Dollars
from the oversight-indeed dept
The House Oversight Committee has come out with a report slamming the TSA for tremendous amounts of waste, specifically in the "deployment and storage" of its scanning equipment. Basically, it sounds like the TSA likes to go on giant spending sprees, buying up security equipment and then never, ever using it. A few data points
As of February 15, 2012, the total value of TSA’s equipment in storage was, according to TSA officials, estimated at $184 million. However, when questioned by Committee staff, TSA’s warehouse staff and procurement officials were unable to provide the total value of equipment in storage.
Committee staff discovered that 85% of the approximately 5,700 major transportation security equipment currently warehoused at the TLC had been stored for longer than six months; 35% of the equipment had been stored for more than one year. One piece of equipment had been in storage more than six years – 60% of its useful life.
As of February 2012, Committee staff discovered that TSA had 472 Advanced Technology 2 (AT2) carry-on baggage screening machines at the TLC and that more than 99% have remained in storage for more than nine months; 34% of AT2s have been stored for longer than one year.
TSA knowingly purchased more Explosive Trace Detectors (ETDs) than were necessary in order to receive a bulk discount under an incorrect and baseless assumption that demand would increase. TSA management stated: “[w]e purchased more than we needed in order to get a discount.”
Oh yeah, and it appears that the TSA isn't very good at tracking this stuff. When asked about the total cost of managing this equipment, the TSA was unable to provide an answer. And then it appeared to willfully mislead Congress about this:
TSA intentionally delayed Congressional oversight of the Transportation Logistics Center and provided inaccurate, incomplete, and potentially misleading information to Congress in order to conceal the agency’s continued mismanagement of warehouse operations.
TSA willfully delayed Congressional oversight of the agency’s Transportation Logistics Center twice in a failed attempt to hide the disposal of approximately 1,300 pieces of screening equipment from its warehouses in Dallas, Texas, prior to the arrival of Congressional staff.
TSA potentially violated 18 U.S.C. Sec. 1001, by knowingly providing an inaccurate warehouse inventory report to Congressional staff that accounted for the disposal of equipment that was still in storage at the TLC during a site visit by Congressional staff.
TSA provided Congressional staff with a list of disposed equipment that falsely identified disposal dates and directly contradicted the inventory of equipment in the Quarterly Warehouse Inventory Report provided to Committee staff on February 13, 2012.
One of the theories that was floated a few years ago when there was that big rush to rollout the nudie scanners, was that much of it was being driven by fear mongering from former government officials, like Michael Chertoff, who had economic relationships with the makers of the equipment. This report doesn't confirm any of that, but it sure seems to fit that narrative pretty perfectly. Fear monger away, have the TSA buy a ton of questionable equipment it doesn't actually need, and then have much of that equipment just sit in a warehouse. All on the taxpayers' dime.
In other news, the Pope is Catholic.
So let’s say it is $184 million. What does that come out to, about $2 for every taxpayer? Plus the cost of the storage space, the people it took to order, then store the stuff? Now up to $3 for every taxpayer. Gets to be $10 per household, a million dollars for a community of 300,000 people. Now we are talking about money that could be used for something of value... Why don’t those in government think this way?
Even the scanners that are not in storage, but are being used every day are a waste of taxpayer money. The TSA knew full well when they purchased them that they were unable to detect the latest bombs that the terrorists were building.
Easy. Government SPENDS money, they don't MAKE money. Their whole purpose in life is to make sure their budget gets spent or they won't get a bigger budget next year. I have first hand experience with this, since the company I work for contracts with the local government. Scary stuff.
Here’s my favorite part.
“TSA willfully delayed Congressional oversight of the agency’s Transportation Logistics Center twice”
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1505
says,
“Whoever corruptly, or by threats or force, or by any threatening letter or communication influences, obstructs, or impedes or endeavors to influence, obstruct, or impede the due and proper administration of the law under which any pending proceeding is being had before any department or agency of the United States, or the due and proper exercise of the power of inquiry under which any inquiry or investigation is being had by either House, or any committee of either House or any joint committee of the Congress—
Shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 5 years or, if the offense involves international or domestic terrorism (as defined in section 2331), imprisoned not more than 8 years, or both.”
So Lying to, and Obstructing Congressional Investigators is worth 5 years.
It’s little things like that, that matter if we want it cleaned up.
5 years.
Dog bites man. Meh...
The US government doesn’t care that they are wasting taxpayer money. It’s what they do. It’s the control that they are after.
Just who owns the companies that make all the purchased equipment and who owns the storage facilities and just how much of that money is being kicked back to the big communist and all the other communists in our government?
I remember reading articles that a George Soros company is the supplier.
TSA: Congress is wasting hundreds of billions of dollars.
It’s a good question. Probably the hardware is a scam. Who really knows if it works?
Those TSA guys - not very good at math - or much else.
I am sure that there was certainly nothing improper going on with someone buying more than was needed of something hideously expensive. Not like there would be bribery or kickbacks or such going on. NEVER!
I have a sense that all the surplus machines have an ultimate purpose other than at airports......
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