releases: https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/suspension-of-contractor-overturned-after-usaid-failed-to-comply-with-mccaskills-wartime-contracting-reformssenator-demands-answers
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
This data as json
| url | title | date | year | month | party | chamber | state | member_name | bioguide_id | domain | scraper | source | date_source | text | has_text | collected_at | updated_at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/suspension-of-contractor-overturned-after-usaid-failed-to-comply-with-mccaskills-wartime-contracting-reformssenator-demands-answers | Suspension of Contractor Overturned After USAID Failed to Comply with McCaskill’s Wartime Contracting Reforms—Senator Demands Answers | 2015-11-24 | 2015 | 2015-11 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | Suspension of Contractor Overturned After USAID Failed to Comply with McCaskills Wartime Contracting ReformsSenator Demands Answers McCaskill, who waged a six-year battle to implement most extensive wartime contracting reforms since WWII, questions lack of compliance, contractor accountability Tuesday, November 24, 2015 WASHINGTON U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is today demanding answers from the U.S. Agency for International Development after a federal judge overturned the suspension of an agency contractor after the agency failed to comply with McCaskills wartime contracting reforms. USAID had suspended the contractor, International Relief and Development, following media reports of lavish management salaries and a review of misconduct. The suspension was overturned after it was found that USAIDs suspension process failed to comply with McCaskills wartime contracting reformsthe most expansive reforms to wartime contracting practices since World War II. The purpose of Section 861, like the other wartime contracting provisions whose inclusion I won in the NDAA, was to give agencies like USAID additional tools to hold contractors responsible, not to give contractors a way to avoid accountability, wrote McCaskill, the top-ranking Democrat on the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, to the Acting USAID Administrator. Any delay in complying with the requirements of the NDAA risks leaving taxpayer dollars vulnerable to waste, fraud and abuse. During her first term in the Senate, McCaskill, a former Missouri State Auditor, waged a successful six-year battle to rein in wasteful wartime contracting practices in Iraq and Afghanistan, ultimately passing into law the most expansive reforms to wartime contracting practices since World War IIto overhaul how federal contracts are awarded and monitored during military contingencies. The legislation, which was spurred by a report identifying up to $60 billion in contracting waste in Iraq and Afghanistan, grew out of her campaign promise to continue then-Senator Harry Trumans legacy of guarding taxpayer dollars from waste, fraud, and abuse of power. McCaskill has also led a successful effort to end hundreds of millions in taxpayer spending on unsustainable overseas projects, bring those resources home, and increase accountability for the remaining projects. Last years annual defense bill included McCaskills plan to prohibit taxpayer funding from use by the Afghanistan Infrastructure Fund, and to prohibit unsustainable projects that cannot be overseen by American personnel. Full text of the letter follows: November 24, 2015 Ambassador Alfonso E. Lendhardt Acting Administrator, USAID 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, DC 20004 Dear Ambassador Lendhardt: On August 3, 2015, a federal judge ordered USAID to nullify and vacate its suspension of contractor International Relief and Development (IRD) and to retract all findings on which the suspension was based. As you know, USAID had suspended the nonprofit on January 26, 2015, following media reports of lavish management salaries and USAIDs own review of IRD misconduct. Despite these findings, IRDs suspension was overturned in part because USAIDs suspension process failed to comply with Section 861 of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2013 (NDAA). The purpose of Section 861, like the other wartime contracting provisions whose inclusion I won in the NDAA, was to give agencies like USAID additional tools to hold contractors responsible, not to give contractors a way to avoid accountability. Any delay in complying with the requirements of the NDAA risks leaving taxpayer dollars vulnerable to waste, fraud and abuse. I request that USAID provide a briefing to my staff both about the agencys current compliance with Section 861 of the NDAA and any review of IRDs present responsibility since the suspension. I ask that you provide this briefing as soon as possible, but no later than December 15, 2015. I appreciate your assistance. Please contact Jackson Eaton with the Subcommittee with any questions. Sincerely, Claire McCaskill Ranking Member Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Visit mccaskill.senate.gov/accountability to read more about McCaskills fight for stronger accountability in Washington. ### Print Email Tweet | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |