Oversight Oversight
Question: Which House Committee has oversight of the US Armed services?
Answer: The House Armed Services Committee.
Question: Armed Services is a big budget item. Do they break up this onerous oversight task into manageable pieces?
Answer: Yes. There are six subcommittee that handle six different areas.
Question: Which sub-committee handles naval construction matters?
Answer: The House Sub-Committee on Seapower and Projection Forces.
Question: So if there is mismanagement and overcharging in naval construction contracts, this sub-committee would ferret that out?
Answer: Are you joking? This is a House sub-committee we’re talking about, right?
When Austral USA LLC (Austral USA), a Mobile, Alabama-based shipbuilder that constructs vessels for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard, was charged with accounting fraud as well as obstruction of that investigation, they pleaded guilty last August and has agreed to pay $24 million to resolve the investigation by the Justice Department, the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS).
Not the House sub-committee charged with oversight of naval construction contracts, no way.
And I guess that’s a good thing because when Austral USA was asked – not once, but twice – by the FEC to file disbursement reports from their Austral USA LLC Federal Political Action Committee (PAC), they finally found out that Austral gave two members of the sub-committee campaign cash: Ronny Jackson, TFG’s former physician, and Rob Whitman (R – VA-01).
That is good because, for some reason, it is perfectly OK to send campaign donations to congressmen who are tasked with oversight of your business doings.
Because if there is oversight of their oversight, at least there is someone around to do it – even if it is the dreaded “deep state” that does it.
Dan Inouye was the sponsor of Austal and its crappy designs.
1What is particularly disgusting about our politicians being bought, is just how cheaply they sell out. True, the numbers cited by the FEC ($5k and $2.5k) don’t include meals, paid vacations, and potential hiring of family members as ghost employees. I would not change a student’s grade for those small of amounts. Upping it to $500k, however, would lead to some consideration. [Just in case any of my students are reading this]
Harry brings up a good point. Although Inouye died 12 years ago, maybe the Salon’s favorite Dairy Queen habitue could find any overt contributions Austal made to his campaigns?
2