House Proceeding on Oct 9th, 2007 :: 1:27:19 to 1:30:38
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1:23:54 to 1:27:19( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Ric Keller

1:27:09 to 1:27:19( Edit History Discussion )

Ric Keller: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i yield such time as he may consume to the author of the bill, the gentleman from hawaii, mr. abercrombie. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from hawaii

1:27:19 to 1:27:29( Edit History Discussion )

Neil Abercrombie: is recognized. mr. abercrombie: mr. speaker, i ask the opportunity to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized. mr. abercrombie: thank you,

1:27:19 to 1:30:38( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Neil Abercrombie

1:27:29 to 1:27:49( Edit History Discussion )

Neil Abercrombie: i also request the opportunity to enter some material into the record from the office of the special inspector general for iraq reconstruction, and the inspector general for iraq reconstruction

1:27:49 to 1:28:00( Edit History Discussion )

Neil Abercrombie: audit. -time wide. mr. abercrombie: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i want to pay a special thank you to mr. scott and to the judiciary committee for their hard work. i'm very grateful

1:28:00 to 1:28:13( Edit History Discussion )

Neil Abercrombie: to the ranking members, the republicans and democrats. we cannot resolve this without seeing to it that we have a bipartisan approach on this. i'm particularly grateful to senator pat leahy who is

1:28:13 to 1:28:26( Edit History Discussion )

Neil Abercrombie: the judiciary chairman in the senate for entrusting this bill to our care here in the house and allowing me to introduce it as a companion bill to the one that has passed in the senate.

1:28:26 to 1:28:39( Edit History Discussion )

Neil Abercrombie: i'm very hopeful that we can get a vote in the senate and move this to the president's desk. mr. speaker, when the wrong computer equipment arrived in iraq, the contractor ordered it dump it into

1:28:39 to 1:28:53( Edit History Discussion )

Neil Abercrombie: a mammoth burn pit and placed an order for replacement rather than sending it back. the government paid for both the wrong computers and the replacements. the contractor collected a fee

1:28:53 to 1:29:09( Edit History Discussion )

Neil Abercrombie: for each, thanks to a costless contract. halliburton had drivers driving trucks emptyy exposing the drivers to danger because the company was paid by the trip, not by the amount of materiel

1:29:09 to 1:29:23( Edit History Discussion )

Neil Abercrombie: hauled or flat fee. $186 million was a spent over two years to build 142 health care centers. yet only 15 had been completed and only eight are open. according to testimony, the contractor

1:29:23 to 1:29:32( Edit History Discussion )

Neil Abercrombie: lack qualified engineers hired incompetent subcontractors, failed to supervise construction work and failed to enforce quality control. large construction company was paid tens of millions

1:29:32 to 1:29:44( Edit History Discussion )

Neil Abercrombie: of dollars to repair iraq's schools. many of the schools were never touched and several that were repaired, and i say that in quotes, were left in shambles. one filled with unflushed sewage.

1:29:44 to 1:29:58( Edit History Discussion )

Neil Abercrombie: at least 10 companies with billions of dollars in contracts have already been paid -- have already been forced to pay, rather, up to $300 million in penalties to resolve allegations of bid

1:29:58 to 1:30:38( Edit History Discussion )

Neil Abercrombie: rigging, fraud, gross overcharging, delivery of faulty military parts and environmental damage. $300 million in penalties. yet some of these same companies have faced such allegations during