Millions wasted on gov't travel

[ULTRA26 # 1]

Just another example of the enormous waste in the Federal Government. No party finger pointing. It's no wonder that the American people are fed up.
By HOPE YEN, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - Federal employees wasted at least $146 million over a one-year period on business- and first-class airline tickets, in some cases simply because they felt entitled to the perk, congressional investigators say.
A draft report by the Government Accountability Office, obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, is the first to examine compliance with travel rules across the federal government following reports of extensive abuse of premium-class travel by Pentagon and State Department employees.
The review of travel spending by more than a dozen agencies from July 1, 2005, to June 30, 2006, found 67 percent of premium-class travel by executives or their employees, worth at least $146 million, was unauthorized or otherwise unjustified.
Among the worst offenders: the State Department, whose employees typically fly abroad on official business.
Many of the cases involved high-ranking senior officials or political appointees who claimed exceptions to federal travel rules by citing old medical records or questionable approval from a subordinate employee.
Investigators found that senior officials often flew business- or first-class because they felt entitled to the perk.
The higher airfare for traveling in one of the premium classes resulted in expenses often five to 10 times more than what was authorized under government travel rules.
"With the serious fiscal challenges facing the federal government, agencies must maximize their ability to manage and safeguard valuable taxpayers' dollars," investigators wrote, suggesting agencies recoup the extra cost from those who abuse travel policies.
Under federal rules, government employees generally must fly coach for both domestic and international travel unless the flight takes 14 hours or longer. A few exceptions apply when the employee receives agency approval based on a medical condition, security concerns, lack of availability of coach seats or when required "because of agency mission."
Government investigators found that employees openly flouted the rules and agencies did little to check their abuses. Among the waste cited:
_An Agriculture Department executive took 25 premium-class flights costing $163,000 and said the extra expense had been authorized by a subordinate. In 10 of those trips, the traveler claimed exceptional circumstances to justify the pricier travel to western Europe, even though agency policy forbids premium-class travel unless the flight time is longer than 14 hours.
_Thirty-two State Department employees flew from Washington to Liberia in premium class over a six-month period. Five of those travelers did not have authorization for premium class; three had duplicate tickets and no evidence that the duplicates were refunded; and 17 were not properly justified, as their trips did not meet the 14-hour rule. These flights cost $293,000 and comparable coach-class tickets would have cost $124,000 — a difference of $169,000.
_At the Pentagon, a political appointee took 15 premium-class flights and cited a medical condition as justification for the $105,000 in expenses. However, the only evidence of a medical condition was a note signed by a fellow Pentagon employee, not a physician, attesting to surgery from several years earlier. The Pentagon did not have a doctor's certification from the employee as required by agency policy.
_Nine Justice Department employees charged the agency $35,000 for premium-class air tickets to Frankfurt, Germany, claiming the flight time was over 14 hours. Investigators found the employees added a separate flight to their calculations to reach the 14-hour total, a practice not allowed under government travel rules. Also, two of the flights were not authorized.
The GAO, Congress' investigative and auditing arm, said it was referring all cases it found of improper and abusive travel to the respective agencies and inspector general's offices for possible administrative action and repayment of the difference between premium-class and coach-class travel.
The report comes as some lawmakers are pressing to strengthen government sunshine laws by requiring agency disclosure of business-class travel to Congress. Currently, business-class travel accounts for 96 percent of the premium travel claimed by federal employees.
"No one disputes the fact that government officials need to travel, as not all work can be done behind a desk. Nor should all premium-class travel be eliminated. But the rules are there for a reason and the federal government should enforce them," said Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn.
Coleman noted that after a 2003 GAO report uncovered abuses in Pentagon travel, the department tightened policies and has since dramatically reduced its use of premium travel.
"We simply need the necessary oversight mechanisms in place to ensure that taxpayers' dollars are spent properly," he said.
The latest GAO report noted that several government entities are not subject to government rules on premium-class travel — among them, the U.S. Postal Service, Federal Reserve and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. — opening up more opportunities for unnecessary waste.
Those entities often allow members of their board of governors to travel business or first class for shorter flights overseas and sometimes domestically. In one case, a deputy director of FDIC flew business class from Washington to London and back at a cost of $7,200, while a coach- class ticket would have cost $800.
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[Boatcop]

This kind of abuse is not just restricted to High level officials. It permeates the entire Government Structure. And it all came about from a "Cost Saving" measure introduced to Government Employees (Including Military) about 15 years ago.
Back in the day, when someone went on required Government Travel, they would have to submit a request to the Agency Comptroller who would issue GTR (Government Travel Requests), based on formulas established by the JTR (Joint Travel Regulations). They would also give advanced per diem in cash to the traveler, and make necessary reservations for travel and hotel. The GTR would be exchanged at the carrier for airline, bus, train, etc. tickets. When the travel was completed, the traveler would file a travel claim which, when processed, would allow the traveler to be reimbursed for shortages or their pay debited for overages.
Of course, there was a tremendous amount of time and paperwork involved in this process, so the Government came up with the Government Travel Cards. Basically a Visa or Mastercard issued by the Government in the employee's name. The employee would make all travel and lodging arrangements, and put it on the card. When travel is completed, the employee completes the travel claim and is reimbursed for the costs. The bill goes to the employee, who pays it when they're reimbursed. (High up officials have cards that bill straight to the Govt)
Where the breakdown is, is when the employee books that first class flight or 5 star hotel. If it's put on the travel claim, the government pays it. The employee may be counseled to use less expensive methods in the future, but the Govt still pays it. Essentially there is no oversight until after the fact, and employees aren't disciplined if they misuse the card. The worst thing they do is take the card away.
The problem in the Military is many members use it as a personal card and charge non-official stuff to it. Sporting goods, tires, car repairs, gifts for spouses, vacations, etc. Hell, even strip club tabs have been charged to Govt Cards. The Govt doesn't know what's going on the bill, because it goes to the member, and they aren't notified until it goes 90 days delinquent. They CAN punish under the UCMJ, and dock pay until it's paid off.
But if the Service Member gets out without paying the bill, the Govt is stuck with it, and doesn't prosecute because the member is usually no longer subject to the UCMJ. In one year the Navy had several million dollars in unauthorized charges that they were stuck with.
I think they've tightened up on the cards, but they're still getting nailed to the tune of a few hundred thousand a year.

[YeLLowBoaT]

that does not shock me one bit...they all need to have thier pay docked until its paid off.

[SmokinLowriderSS]

The problem in the Military is many members use it as a personal card and charge non-official stuff to it. Sporting goods, tires, car repairs, gifts for spouses, vacations, etc. Hell, even strip club tabs have been charged to Govt Cards. The Govt doesn't know what's going on the bill, because it goes to the member, and they aren't notified until it goes 90 days delinquent. They CAN punish under the UCMJ, and dock pay until it's paid off.
But if the Service Member gets out without paying the bill, the Govt is stuck with it, and doesn't prosecute because the member is usually no longer subject to the UCMJ. In one year the Navy had several million dollars in unauthorized charges that they were stuck with.
I think they've tightened up on the cards, but they're still getting nailed to the tune of a few hundred thousand a year.
They have tightened up A BUNCH on the cards in the past few years.
Rarely will they work at a merchant other than a grocer any more. Resteraunts yes, but you'd better be able to explain it. It auto-flags in the system at my unit.
ATM's for cash, yes, and that is the main way they are advised for use (other than travel tickets and lodging (hotel rooms)).
They are kept (in my squadron) by my superintendant, untill such time as I (or anyone else) go on a TDY trip and need it. They are also "turned off" a number of days after any orders I am on end, and are not re-activatable w/o my unit finance ofice doing it, which requires me to be heading out on another set of orders.
I am sure the system is still imperfect (it's far too huge to be working perfectly), but it is not the free-reign mess it was over a decade ago when it began.
People who charge on it within my wing, get hemmed up, and pay, sometimes with stripes in addition to $$$$.
I always played by the rules.

[centerhill condor]

the real waste is when they fly back!
CC

[Boatcop]

They have tightened up A BUNCH on the cards in the past few years.
Rarely will they work at a merchant other than a grocer any more. Resteraunts yes, but you'd better be able to explain it. It auto-flags in the system at my unit.
ATM's for cash, yes, and that is the main way they are advised for use (other than travel tickets and lodging (hotel rooms)).
They are kept (in my squadron) by my superintendant, untill such time as I (or anyone else) go on a TDY trip and need it. They are also "turned off" a number of days after any orders I am on end, and are not re-activatable w/o my unit finance ofice doing it, which requires me to be heading out on another set of orders.
I am sure the system is still imperfect (it's far too huge to be working perfectly), but it is not the free-reign mess it was over a decade ago when it began.
People who charge on it within my wing, get hemmed up, and pay, sometimes with stripes in addition to $$$$.
I always played by the rules.
The cards came into play after I got off active duty. as a Reserve they asked me if I wanted one. I was assigned to a Maintenance Unit for Coast Guard Ships and often had to go to where the ship was to supervise repairs. I said no dice.
Same with my wife. She's a supervisor for the Indian Health Service here and has to go to the satellite clinics all the time. She also has to go for training several times a year.
We've got 1 credit card that's for those purposes only. We'd rather front it on our card and pay it off when the claim's processed. A whole lot easier than dealing with the Govt. card BS.

[SmokinLowriderSS]

They are a pain in the butt at times and if, in the early years of the program, if I COULD have worked arround it, I would have prefered to. 2nd ex ALMOST got me in damn hot water over it after a trip, but that is another tale.
IMO thay ARE a better way than the pay advances, but only because some people cannot keep track of their advanced pay. I've seen this happen, to people in my Security Forces Squadron, and it was stupid. Then the excitement when the advance comes out of their pay, and they THINK someone screwed up and shorted them.
Any system works well for the smart folks, and any one gets screwed arround by those who THINK they are smarter, but aren't.
I know OF a kid (not directly) who went on spring break with his AMEX govt card (arround '99 or so), in a rented car, to south Texas (Padre Island I think), took along his underage girlfriend, without her parent's approval (or prior knowledge), and, in under 10 days, spent right close to $10,000 (since the cards had no real low ceiling on them).
I THINK he wound up in another Ks town after all that. Leavenworth Ks. Fort Leavenworth that is.

[Rexone]

Just for grins... 146 million a year...
We spend approx 300+ million per day in Iraq. Approx 10 billion a month (so I've heard).
Not saying either are right or wrong. Just an observation.
Lets say the average US citizen pays 10K in income tax annually (just a number)... That's about 3 seconds worth in Iraq.
At least on the travel deal you get about 36 minutes worth for YOUR tax dollars.

[never_fast_enuf]

Rexone, I would argue that the spending for the Iraq war is more in line with what our government is supposed to be doing for us instead of taking first class trips across the country.
Now you may believe we are wasting our time there, which is fine and I could never convince you otherwise but at least the spending is in line with what the governments number one job is.
How about this...tell me what we have spent on entitlement programs since we have been in Iraq vs what we have spent on the Iraq war.
THAT should really tick you off...we have spent more on pork since we have been in Iraq than we have spent on the war.

[Rexone]

Rexone, I would argue that the spending for the Iraq war is more in line with what our government is supposed to be doing for us instead of taking first class trips across the country.
Now you may believe we are wasting our time there, which is fine and I could never convince you otherwise but at least the spending is in line with what the governments number one job is.
How about this...tell me what we have spent on entitlement programs since we have been in Iraq vs what we have spent on the Iraq war.
THAT should really tick you off...we have spent more on pork since we have been in Iraq than we have spent on the war.
As I stated above not saying right or wrong. Just an observation on spending comparison. Don't read in what is not written.
Yes the pork does piss me off. And I do think the mission in Iraq needs to be completed. I do not however think the war was fought in the most expedicious manner (for war) from day one, with embedded reporters and one hand tied behind the military's back. That... not only cost a lot of American lives imo, but a lot of $ as well over the 5 years or so the US has been envolved. So to that thought, I'm not sure our 10 bil a mo. is and has been well spent. WW2 was won in less time for God's sake. A shorter war and secured borders would be a whole lot better scenario imo. Our borders are virtually wide open. The fact some argue we haven't had an attack since 911 only holds partial water with me. Terrorists are very patient and are not stupid. The unsecured borders and ports could easily result in a catastrophic cost to the US that might have been averted if more $ was spent on securing the homeland than on the drawn out war in Iraq for example (one of many including pork).
There is currently not an end in sight imo in Iraq, regardless of what the headlines may read regarding troop withdrawl. That may just be the way it is, fighting terriorists, I don't know. Again just an observation on spending.