Halliburton was given a license to steal and kill. Cheney’s no bid, no accounting, no rules war profiteers have taken war profiteering to a whole other realm, making our foreign policy in Iraq not security, or democracy, but corruption. Twenty eight Democratic U.S. Senators are calling for a formal Department of Defense investigation into what they described as “alarming” reports of fraudulent, wasteful and abusive practices by Halliburton in providing food to U.S. troops in Iraq.
Not only has Halliburton and their subsidiary KBR defrauded the American taxpayer, they’ve put our troops at risk and continue to jeopardize the stability of Iraq. The testimony about KBR revealed just how far this administration is willing to go to put profit above everything else, including national security, democracy and human life.
“In May, despite concerns by the Army’s own auditors about billing practices, the firm received a $72.2 million performance bonuses for its work in Iraq. The bonus was the largest ever received by the firm.
Halliburton has billed the government more than $10.5 billion to date under a contract to provide aid for the military in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.”
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It isn’t just taxpayer money. Lloyd-Owen International has a contract with the Iraq government to deliver fuel to Iraqi civilians. To get the fuel from Kuwait, they must pass through KBR’s “military” checkpoint on the Kuwait/Iraq border. LOI testified that KBR and the US military have refused them access into Iraq – because they not have a US contract.
On top of that, they say that the fuel station equipment (that KBR was paid to replace) is old, outdated and show no signs of having been serviced, installed or replaced by KBR. The old equipment not only doesn’t allow fuel delivery, it’s dangerous. In order to service the contract to safely provide fuel for the Iraqi people, Lloyd-Owen International has had to replace parts on KBR’s “new” equipment.
Lloyd-Owen International said they have never lost a tanker to insurgents, that they have been called to deliver fuel specifically to quell unrest, that when the population learns that the fuel is for their use, they have actually helped in the fuel delivery.
They testified that while making a delivery on sub-contract to KBR, Lloyd-Owen personnel came under attack. They made it to the US base, where KBR managers ordered a “stand-down” and refused to help or even offer medical aid to the wounded. The US military stepped in, but Lloyd-Owen International lost 3 men. As it turns out, KBR knew of recent attacks along the same route and failed to inform their own sub-contractor.
Consider what KBR is doing and not doing in Iraq. Consider that they operate under no outside supervision, are not responsible to our troops or under any law in Iraq. If they won’t even allow a company under contract with the Iraq government into the country, whose really running what there?
Here are the names of the 28 Senators. With a record like KBR’s, the question should be why only 28? Contact your senator and urge them to meet their obligation to our troops, the American taxpayer and the Iraqi people.
Senators signing the letter, in addition to Dorgan included: Carl Levin (D-MI), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Max Baucus (D-MT), Herb Kohl (D-WI), Ted Kennedy (D-MA), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Jim Jeffords (I-VT), John Corzine (D-NJ), Tim Johnson (D-SD), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Paul Sarbanes (D-MD), Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), Mark Dayton (D-MN), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Ken Salazar (D-CO), Kent Conrad (D-ND), Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), and Charles Schumer (D-NY).