Feingold Amendment Creates Inspector General to Oversee Spending of Taxpayer Dollars in Iraq Inspector General Would be Watchdog and Would Have to Report Back to Congress Every 75 Days on Use of Funds and Effectiveness of Reconstruction Programs October 16, 2003 Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold successfully offered an amendment to the Iraq supplemental appropriations bill that would establish an Inspector General, as part of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), to oversee the use of U.S. taxpayer dollars sent to Iraq. Under Feingold's amendment, the Inspector General would also have to report to Congress every 75 days on the use of funds and the effectiveness of reconstruction programs and initiatives in Iraq. The President's request of $87 billion for troops and reconstruction is currently being debated in the U.S. Senate. "American taxpayers are being asked to shoulder a tremendous burden with this supplemental request," Feingold said. "The vast majority of these funds are directed to Iraq, and over $20 billion – more than the entire Foreign Operations annual appropriation – is to be devoted to Iraq's reconstruction. This is a tremendous sum to devote to one country, and a quick review of the request has given nearly every member of this body pause about the wisdom of how this money is to be spent." The President's emergency request of $87 billion contains a number of line items that indicate a need for strong oversight of spending in Iraq. These include: 600 radios and phones at $6,000 each $2 million for museums and memorials $2.6 million for 80 pick-up trucks $9 million for a state-of-the-art Iraqi postal service "I am troubled by these seemingly inexplicable requests and figures," Feingold said. "At the very least, we should take concrete steps to ensure that vigorous oversight and auditing mechanisms are in place to protect each and every taxpayer dollar. The reconstruction budget for Iraq is bigger than the entire FY04 Foreign Operations Appropriations bill of $17.2 billion. Yet five different Inspector Generals – at USAID, at the State Department, at the Defense Department, at the Treasury, and at the Export-Import Bank – are charged with overseeing portions of that account. In fact, currently some 41 federal establishments and designated federal entities with annual budgets less than $21 billion have their own, independent, statutorily mandated Inspector Generals, from the Railroad Retirement Board to the Smithsonian Institution. We ask for focused accountability when taxpayer dollars are at stake in these situations. We must demand the same in Iraq."

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