Washington, DC - Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI15) voted to save U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars by cracking down on waste, fraud, and abuse in government programs. The bipartisan IMPROVE Acquisition Act will reform the defense acquisition system to save American taxpayers $135 billion over the next five years and make sure that the men and women who are risking their lives to safeguard our country get the proper equipment they need to do their jobs and protect themselves on the battlefield. The Congressman made the following remarks on the House Floor today. The House passed the bill, 417-3.
“Madam Speaker: I rise today in support of H.R. 5013 – the IMPROVE Acquisition Act of 2010. I thank my good friend and colleague Congressman Rob Andrews and Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Ike Skelton, for continuing the good work the Committee did last year to reform the defense acquisition process. Importantly, the bipartisan IMPROVE Acquisition Act will save taxpayers $27 billion each year.
“H.R. 5013 will, among other things, updates the system by which the Department of Defense acquires weapons systems, commercial goods, and services. Over the past 20 years, the Defense Department has shifted its primary purchases from weapons systems to services. To reign in the costs associated with this outdated system and ensure the warfighter’s needs are met, the committee has written a comprehensive bill that provides for better management of the acquisition system, reform of the requirements process upon which the acquisition process depends, a more professional acquisition workforce, more effective financial management, and improvements in outreach to the industrial base so that the government is getting the best quality at the lowest price.
“In particular, Title IV of the IMPROVE Act has several important provisions to Michigan’s 15th District and cleaning up the abuses of government contractors. First, it develops measures to utilize more of the defense industrial base in order to reach small- and mid-size businesses. I am fully supportive of this provision. As a personal note, Madam Speaker, I hear from companies throughout Michigan’s 15th Congressional District with innovative technologies and ideas, companies that have been working on cutting edge research and development in association with our Michigan Universities but which have not developed the necessary relationships with the Department to successfully sell the Department their products, services and ideas. This section will help link the Department to these smaller companies by identifying and communicating with non-traditional suppliers using tools and resources available within the federal government and in the private sector.
“Second, this Title reinforces a major priority for the Obama Administration by requiring a contractor to disclose whether it has outstanding tax debt when it is bidding on a new contract. Like many Members of Congress, I have been disillusioned by the scandals and abuse perpetrated by government contractors. Not only have some of these bad actors cost American and foreign lives, but they have also been a heavy burden to taxpayers. I support measures in this Title to ensure the government is contracting with responsible, high-quality suppliers. Moreover, this section gives the government better enforcement mechanisms by providing contracting officers new statutory authority to verify with the Treasury Department that the contractors under review are being forthcoming in their applications with respect to their tax status.
“Finally, Title IV creates a new, independent oversight authority over the Department’s contracting system. It provides for an independent General Counsel within the Defense Contract Audit Agency to carry out reviews of contractor business systems. This provision will also help to save taxpayers money in the long run, ensure effective services are provided to the Department, and ultimately protect the warfighter and the American people.
“Madam Speaker: The IMPROVE Acquisition Act contains many important provisions deserving of the House’s full consideration. I am pleased to support this legislation and urge my colleagues to do the same.”
# # #
