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Sen. Coburn Questions Homeland Security Spending

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    Sen. Tom Coburn, (R-Okla.), on his report on government waste.

  • Duration 4:59
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-- security we will could even make it's even more financially insecure.

Senator Tom Coburn saying Homeland Security has spent 35 billion dollars in grants to make America safer.

But it's still can't measure if it were actually safer and he says the department's wasting money on things like a -- accomplished apocalypse training.

An underwater robots.

The Republican from Oklahoma.

Is now here with more -- the way I have to say thank you thank you thank you I loved every year when you come out would you pork reports.

It's it's it's absolutely fascinating.

How Washington get so -- of wasting our taxpayer money into your point.

Are we any safer for all this.

Well I think that's a big question and a urban area security initiatives that were passed in 2003.

Are important about -- hardening our greatest risk cities.

Not elevenths commission said we shouldn't be spent any money -- -- we're doing it on risk base.

The calculation.

And at this this this security initiative got all the way up to 66 it cities.

And of what has happened is what was intended to Harden our cities and make us from more resistant to terrorism.

Has now become a -- killed grant making process.

That isn't based on metrics and can't tell us whether or not the next dollar -- is actually gonna make us any safer.

And so what we want to see.

-- some real teeth in the grants to say if we're gonna spend this money borrowed from China are barred from our kids.

Then it ought to make sure that we're getting our money's worth -- and it actually going to support.

What we intended to which is -- increase the security of our biggest most vulnerable cities.

Senator Coburn as the disaffected.

With the accountability issue where does the buck stop on this -- that -- like.

You know these guys have a lot of this money they can do things like this is there any specific person who's ever held accountable.

Well -- -- -- should be held accountable not the agency because.

We're allowing the agency did do that that's why do -- report it's congress doesn't do its job of oversight.

Or writing legislation that says if you're going to spend this money.

Here's the metrics that have to be met before you give a grade.

And so we we can all lead over to the agency and then we see this kind of wasted stupidity.

And it I have no doubt that in large portion of those 35 billion actually Harden our cities.

But the fact that we don't know what did we don't have a metric to measure and we don't know how the money spent there's no follow up on the grants.

This shows the incompetency of the agency but also the competency of Washington in terms of do and what they're supposed to be doing.

And you know of course on that note were talking about the fiscal cliff and then earlier today.

President Obama even brought the debt ceiling debate or would be debate into the picture.

If felt like a lot of the work that you do is is -- I don't wanna thing that's really ignored but.

-- -- -- talking about trillions and debt.

Maybe -- say okay you know we spent -- hundred grand on this or maybe half a million want to strip on a treadmill that kind of stuff.

It's insignificant and not a big deal.

Well it's a big.

Deal because the way you eliminate a trillion dollar deficit.

Is a billion dollars in the time.

And the way you get a billion dollars as a hundred million or ten million at a time so.

What are the what is our excuse -- can we say it's okay to waste money in hundreds of thousands of small areas that add up to trillions of dollars.

Or do we don't have to look at figures.

So what I would put forward -- is congress in doing their job Lauren both in terms of how they ride at how the appropriate how they oversight.

And you know.

I actually still pick up any appetite see -- on the ground because of pennies worth three and a half say.

Is this so let me you know it would every penny counts and everybody that's out there struggling in America today.

Every one of their pennies count and we don't have the luxury of ignoring stupidity and waste in this government.

Anymore cynical here I'd I'd I got -- -- -- I've got less than a minute I've got to squeeze this then there.

But do you think that the mindset we could be at some sort of weird transitional.

Transform and appoint his country.

Where it's OK you know what we've -- you know words okay -- -- money we don't have for the American public has given a thumbs up to that idea.

I don't think they've given the thumbs up to that idea I think this last election was about.

What was sold this tax fairness which if we do -- the way the administration wants to do -- ultimately will hurt our growth but.

Nothing in terms a discussion.

About the tremendous hundreds of billions of dollars every year that get wasted by this government.

And -- you don't -- we can we can pass all the tax hikes in the world.

All -- on American citizens it's never gonna solve problems as you can't raise enough tax dollars if you confiscated it all to pay for what we've built up.

I gotta tell you confiscating it all might be on the agenda real again thank you for your work I appreciated the viewers do all right and I don't try to get by we need to.

The price so you are at a.

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