- WASHINGTON, DC --
U.S. Representatives Lynn Woolsey and Barbara Lee, Co-Chairwomen of the
Congressional Progressive Caucus and 17 of their colleagues today released
a copy of their letter to President Bush demanding that Halliburton be
suspended from eligibility for any additional hurricane -related or other
federal contracts pending resolution of all current allegations alleging
waste, fraud, and other contract-related abuses by this company in Iraq
and elsewhere.
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- "It took President Bush nearly five days after Hurricane
Katrina hit to mobilize a federal response and relief effort that was even
partially effective," Woolsey noted. "Even then among his first
actions were to suspend the applicable labor laws, effectively cutting
the paychecks of the American workers involved in recovery and reconstruction
of the Gulf Coast and New Orleans (e.g. Davis-Bacon Act). Adding insult
to injury, he also awarded a lucrative, no-bid contract to a subsidiary
of Vice President Cheney's old company - The Halliburton Corporation. Yet,
there is mounting evidence that Halliburton is guilty of egregious waste,
fraud, and abuse of the hard-earned money of the American taxpayers. It
is wrong for the President to award Halliburton and its subsidiaries new,
sole-source contracts on top of the more than $10 billion that this company
has already received since the Bush-Cheney Administration took office."
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- "The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina demonstrated
the tragic consequences of having an Administration where cronyism trumps
competence," said Lee. "The fact that the President would cut
wages for impacted workers, while handing out millions in no-bid contracts
to well connected firms is a perfect snapshot to this Administration's
priorities."
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- http://halliburtonwatch.org
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