Uncovering Waste, Fraud & Abuse

Few legislators can demonstrate a record of fighting government waste and corporate corruption like Congressman Dingell. A leader in the effort to toughen corporate accountability after the Enron and WorldCom accounting scandals, Dingell has also taken the lead in exposing government waste and abuses of tax dollars. Congressman Dingell’s investigations exposed what The New York Times called ‘rampant waste and fraud in Pentagon contracts’ including the Air Force’s $640 toilet seats. His questioning forced the resignation of a former Environmental Protection Agency head and led to the criminal convictions of two former senior government officials. From 1981-1983, he headed the Congressional investigation that led to the removal of Administrator Burford and twenty top EPA officials for failing to enforce the environmental laws and other misconduct.

Most recently Congressman Dingell has lead the effort to get to scrutinize the no-bid Iraq contracts given to Halliburton –the oil services corporation formerly headed by Vice President Dick Cheney. His efforts have uncovered overcharges by the company that have cost taxpayers millions of dollars and raised serious questions about the relationship between Halliburton and the White House. Dingell also initiated the investigation by the General Accounting Office (GAO) of the Vice President’s Energy Task Force, resulting the first ever lawsuit brought against the White House by the GAO.