Good
evening
folks
-
Eliminating
wasteful
spending
and
inefficiency
throughout
the
federal
government
has
continued
to
be
one
of
my
top
priorities
in
the
Senate.
Every day,
our
country takes one
step
closer
to
being $20
trillion
in
debt,
meaning
each
Iowan shoulders
more
than
$61,000
of
that
burden.
We
can’t
afford
to
bankroll
Washington’s
irresponsible
spending
habits. That’s
why
each
month,
I
identify
areas
of
waste,
abuse,
and
inefficiency
and
give
out
the Squeal
Award.
Squeal
Award:
Overpriced
&
Under-vetted
Uniforms
For
a
soldier,
a
properly
camouflaged
uniform
is
critical
to
their
safety. The
ability
to
blend
into
one’s
surroundings in
uniform can
be the difference
between
life
or
death.
However,
it
appears
the
Department
of
Defense
(DOD) failed
to
do
their
homework
when
choosing
a
new
- and
pricey
-
camouflage
pattern
for
the
Afghan
National
Army.
The
Office
of
the
Special
Inspector
General
for
Afghanistan
Reconstruction
released
a
report this
week
detailing
the
DODs
decision
to
purchase
camouflage
uniforms
with
a “forest”
green
color
scheme.
Unfortunately,
only 2.1
percent of
the
total
land
area in
Afghanistan
is
covered
by
forests.
Additionally,
due
to
proprietary
fees,
the
new camouflage pattern
costs
up
to 43
percent
more
than
similar
alternatives already
in
use
by
the
Afghan
National
Police. This
decision
added
approximately $28
million
to
the
cost
of
the
Afghan
National
Army
uniform
purchase. By
simply
choosing
a
similar,
non-proprietary camouflage
pattern,
the
DOD
could
save
taxpayers anywhere
between
$68
to $72
million
over
the
next
ten
years.
This poorly
vetted
use
of
taxpayer
dollars is
not
only
wasteful,
but
dangerous
to
the
members
of
the Afghan
National
Army
serving
their
country
and
protecting
U.S.
interests
in
the
region. As
a
member
of
the
Senate
Armed
Services
Committee,
I
believe
this
is
completely
unacceptable
and
will
continue
working
tirelessly
to
protect
taxpayer
dollars.
Therefore, I
present
this
month’s Squeal
Award to
the
Department
of
Defense
for
the Afghan
National
Army’s
overpriced
and
under-vetted
uniforms.
Do
you
have
an
example
of
government
waste
or
inefficiencies
that
I
should
take
a
look
at?
Send
me
an
email
by clicking
here.
Thank
you!
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