Good
afternoon
folks
-
This
month,
our
national
debt surpassed $20
TRILLION and
continues
to
rise.
Washington's
out-of-control
spending
is
what
got
us
into
this
mess
and
it
is
past-due
that
we
put
a
stop
to
the
reckless
use
of
taxpayer
dollars.
This
is
why,
every
month,
I
award
my Squeal
Award,
to
address
a
wasteful
Washington
expense,
program,
or
concept
that
needs
to
be
reigned
in.
Squeal
Award:
Fancy
Phone
Booth
We've
all
heard
the
saying,
"silence
is
golden."
Well,
it
looks
like
the
Environmental
Protection
Agency
(EPA)
has
taken
this
turn
of
phrase
quite
literally.
It
was
recently
reported
that
the
EPA
is
constructing
a
custom-made,
soundproof,
communications
booth
for
Administrator
Scott
Pruitt
for
just
a
little
under
$25,000.
While
many
government
agencies
provide
areas
for
administrators
and
staff
to
privately
consume
and
discuss
classified
information
in
a
Sensitive
Compartmented
Information
Facility
(SCIF),
this
personalized
phone
booth
is in
addition
to
the
already
existing
SCIF, costing taxpayers
far
more
than
usual.
There
is
no
question
that classified
information
must
remain
secure, however,
it's
absurd
that
even
though
there
is
already
a
fully
functional
SCIF for
the
EPA,
the
agency
has
insisted
on
another
customized
sound
booth, the
likes
of
which
no
previous
EPA
administrator
has
used
before.
While
$25,000
may
sound
like nothing
to
Washington
bureaucrats,
and a
drop
in
the
bucket
in
comparison
to
our
nation's $20
trillion
debt, those
tens
of
thousands
of
dollars
mean
a
lot
to
us
here
in
Iowa.
Folks,
I
think
we
are
all
in
agreement
that
our
agency
heads
must
put
a
stop
to
frivolous
and
out-of-control
spending.
My
office
has
reached
out
to
the
EPA
seeking
additional
information. Taxpayers
should
not
be
forced
to
foot
the
bill
for
these
unnecessary accommodations.
Additionally,
recent
reports
of
unchecked
private
travel
expenses
have
made
it
clear
that
we
must
take
a
closer
look
and
examine
how
government
agencies
are
spending
taxpayer
dollars.
Please
know
that
I
am
looking
further
into
this
concern.
In
the
meantime,
I
hereby
present
this
month's
Squeal
Award
to
the
EPA
for
their
one-of-a-kind,
fancy
phone
booth.
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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