April 19, 2012

Mr. Speaker, the recently discovered GSA spending scandal is a prime example of why Americans have lost faith in their government. This week I questioned GSA officials about the now infamous conference hosted in Las Vegas. The lavish conference left American tax payers with a $822,000 tab. Let me list just a few items expenses from Las Vegas that are sure to enrage the American tax payers: • $75,000 was spent on a bicycle building exercise to encourage team building • $3,200 was spent on mind readers to entertainment the attendees • The average cost for breakfast per attendee was $44 dollars. I repeat, $44 dollars for Breakfast. • And I save the worst for last; $30,000 for pool party To add insult to injury, the chief organizer of the 2010 Las Vegas GSA Conference was approved for a bonus by senior Obama officials for his work in organizing the conference. Officials who organize and authorize wasteful spending must be held responsible. This body must work to end the culture of waste at GSA and ensure that taxpayer dollars are respected.