[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 131 (Tuesday, September 23, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H8469]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        PURCHASE CARD AND TRAVEL CARD ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2003

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mario Diaz-Balart) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. MARIO DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, today's Washington 
Waste Watch highlights the vast amount of waste, fraud, and abuse 
throughout the government purchase card and travel card programs. Mr. 
Speaker, such waste steals from the hard-working taxpayers in order to 
line the pockets of some career bureaucrats who seek to profit from the 
obviously broken system.
  Mr. Speaker, Americans should and would be outraged at the consistent 
abuse of their tax dollars within the purchase card and travel card 
program. These cards are paid for by the taxpayers, and they are 
supposed to be used, obviously, for official government business. 
However, Mr. Speaker, I think taxpayers would be horrified and outraged 
of the fact that these cards have purchased, among other things, Elvis 
Presley pictures, vacations and cruises, designer leather goods, 
Internet pornography, power tools and toys, music, designer clothing, 
luggage, fine china, jewelry, escort services, electronics, and 
televisions and even a pet dog. And yet our friends on the other side 
of the aisle, the Democrats, insist still on sometimes introducing 
bills to raise taxes to do more of this, Mr. Speaker?
  If this abuse, Mr. Speaker, happened within the private sector, these 
individuals would clearly get thrown out of their jobs and in many 
cases would be turned over to law enforcement agencies. But when it is 
the taxpayers who are paying for it, when it is the taxpayers who are 
footing the bill, these people do not lose their jobs. They just stay 
in their careers. Many times they get their annual pay increases. Very 
few of these employees, Mr. Speaker, are ever appropriately disciplined 
for this improper use of purchase cards and travel cards.
  Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I will introduce the Purchase Card and Travel 
Card Accountability Act of 2003, which will create a uniform system of 
accountability for all Federal agencies. This system will include 
repayment to the Federal agencies by those who have used those cards 
incorrectly. It would also, furthermore, ask the inspector general to 
report regularly to Congress on disciplinary actions taken against 
employees for abuse of purchase cards and travel cards, and, yes, it 
will also create a uniform system of accountability for all Federal 
agencies, which will include termination.
  Only, Mr. Speaker, in the Federal Government, a place where billions 
of dollars, billions of dollars, are just lost every year, can people 
go shopping with a card that the taxpayer pays for on things, as I 
said, for china and designer leather products, $163,000, for example, 
worth of designer leather goods and a billiard table, and nothing 
happens. And, again, the Democrats want to raise taxes to do more of 
this?
  Mr. Speaker, for too long the bureaucracy have been given free rein 
to do what they want with taxpayers' money with no accountability. That 
is why we are filing this bill, Mr. Speaker. Purchase cards provide a 
great avenue to continue this waste. The American taxpayers deserve 
better. They should not support irresponsible spending. They do not 
support it.




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