FEINGOLD OPPOSES TERMINATION OF IRAQ RECONSTRUCTION FUNDING WATCHDOG October 19, 2006 Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold made the following statement today following the President’s signing of the FY2007 Defense Authorization Act, which included a set termination date of October 1, 2007, for the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR). The SIGIR is set to expire regardless of the status of funds it was designed to oversee. “I am troubled that the final version of the Defense Authorization Act includes a set termination date for the SIGIR. As we continue to spend billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars for Iraq reconstruction efforts, the SIGIR provides critical oversight of funding for Iraq reconstruction projects. This termination plan means that billions of dollars will go without proper oversight and auditing. American taxpayers deserve to know where their money is going in this costly war and that it is being used effectively and efficiently.” Feingold was instrumental in creating the watchdog office of the Special Inspector. The SIGIR has now issued 73 audit reports with 243 recommendations for program improvement, produced 65 project assessments, and has seized over $17 million in assets. Overall, the SIGIR estimates that the financial impact of its operations totals $1.87 billion. The SIGIR's work has also resulted in the arrests of five individuals and convictions of four who were defrauding the U.S. government, and has shed light on tens of millions of dollars in waste. A timeline of Feingold’s work to create and extend the SIGIR is available here.

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