Pelosi Appoints Norton to Democratic Truth Squad to Reveal Waste-September 11, 2006

Pelosi Appoints Norton to Democratic Truth Squad to
Reveal Waste, Fraud and Abuse by Administration and Congress
September 11, 2006

Washington, DC—Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (CA) has appointed Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) to a leadership “Truth Squad” of six members to expose “unusually large, systematic, wasteful procurement practices and spending by the Majority that control the House, the Senate and the White House,” according to Norton. Democrats have continuously complained about “the failure of the Majority to engage in even routine oversight of unique crises such as the issues leading up to 9/11, and its consequences for security, and an objective assessment of Hurricane Katrina, not to mention ordinary issues of waste, fraud and abuse in ongoing federal programs,” she said. However, Norton has looked for opportunities during hearings in the House and has often acted as an able and well-prepared “prosecutor” of Administration witnesses. The Congresswoman said that she appreciated the confidence of the leadership in naming her to “this important work, which requires only an intensification of what I do everyday.”

The first report of the Truth Squad addressed wasteful procurement spending in response to Hurricane Katrina. Broken Promises reports that thousands of families are still waiting for trailers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); that an estimated 11% of the $19 billion spent by FEMA — or about $2 billion — has been lost to fraud and abuse; and that 80% of Gulf Coast businesses with approved Small Business Administration disaster loans are still waiting for their money. Norton said that a year after Katrina and five years after the tragedy of 9/11 Congress cannot afford to ignore the failures of the “all-hazards approach that was supposed to prepare FEMA to confront both natural and terrorist disasters.”

The other members of the Truth Squad are Representatives Henry A. Waxman (D-CA), Dennis Cardoza (D-CA), David Obey (D-WI), John Tanner (D-TN), and John Tierney (D-MA).