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Citizens Against Government Waste President Tom Schatz on an audit of the USDA revealing wasteful spending by the government agency.
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-- GSA -- got some company your government waste fraud and abuse to report tonight and of course with your hard earned taxpayer dollars.
This time it's the US Department of Agriculture at fault.
The new audit finds the USDA spent two million dollars on a single -- -- program.
And guess what.
They hired only one intern and that's just the beginning for more on this I'm joined by Tom Schatz president of Citizens Against Government Waste -- welcome back to the show.
This just happens over and over again but are you surprised.
Not at all although this is a pretty good example certainly understandable that's one of the reasons why the Government Accountability Office has issued two comprehensive reports on duplication and overlap in the last two years.
Estimates are that -- that's 400 billion dollars worth.
Of wasteful spending just through mismanagement.
In the federal government.
Fitted two million dollar internship program three million on unused tech hardware 250000 -- canceled redundant projects who the heck knows what that is.
The list goes on -- on I'm hearing about vehicles that sit unused.
Is this the TSA -- all over again.
Not quite -- scandal is and but interestingly more money and GSA it was millions.
On these particular travel and conference events.
Here it's tens of billions 64 million dollars over two years going to improve.
Information technology security at the USDA an important effort to keep them from being hacked.
And yet they started all the projects that once they didn't prioritize that they didn't manage it and carry this all starts at the top.
The president sets the tone and clearly we know he's not much of a manager he's an organizer but not a manager.
Well exactly is used to rallying in the field and not managing about people.
This story know about the vehicles.
Tell us about this because this is astonishing to.
-- this is the conservation service that USDA.
They have about one point two vehicles for every person employed at the service.
Interestingly that's less than they had before.
But overall the USDA has an increase the number of vehicles at its disposal.
And interestingly the army in the navy by contrast have decreased their vehicle used by 7%.
From 2005 to 2012 -- USDA's increase the number of vehicles.
This doesn't make any conservation unit aren't they concerned with global warming and here they have.
Warm cars are vehicles and they even need for the number -- employees they have.
I -- work.
Well that's that's another irony in government and one of the other examples of why taxpayers -- so outraged at what goes on here and why.
This will be a very -- debate as we go forward it's not just about Medicare and the big picture budget it's about a lot of these smaller items that add up literally hundreds of billions of dollars.
His own cash to me it's all important money than me -- -- taxpayer so.
I cared deeply let me ask you quickly though and -- another story that broke today about the USDA buying -- to help drought stricken farmers.
It did seem -- need to be like -- -- conventional government solution right people -- -- -- -- some money at that right now what do you make of it is this -- typical solution.
Well this will not this won't do anything to lower the price of gasoline they will continue to.
By corn at the rate that they were buying it before and during a drought in rather than doing the logical.
Thing which would be to say we're going to lift the ethanol requirements and therefore by -- going to sell right.
But gonna buy eight the excess lamb and other.
Cattle and and other things that use corn.
170 million dollars and was still gonna have high gas prices and not enough corn.
We get rid of this ethanol requirement in gas we could lower the prices on food.
In the grocery store for Americans all over this country.
Also bailing out farmers at the same time that would help them to and yet we choose not to do that comments confounds me thanks for coming on tonight appreciate your time.
