[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Page 19999]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           HURRICANE KATRINA

  Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, over the past few days, as we have talked 
about the heartbreak of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina, I 
have noticed that certain firms have been hired now to go in and 
provide assistance. One of the firms is the Halliburton Corporation. I 
have held hearings in the policy committee about this company, because 
there have been numerous serious allegations of fraud, waste, and abuse 
involving it, and yet none of the Senate's authorizing committees will 
investigate it.
  Every time you talk about Halliburton someone says, you are 
criticizing the Vice President because he used to be president of 
Halliburton.
  Well, this has nothing to do with the Vice President. It has to do 
with the American taxpayers getting bilked by a company that is 
overbilling. I will not go through the whole list of scandals. We have 
had hearing after hearing to explore them, because the authorizing 
committees will not. But this is a company that was paid to feed 42,000 
soldiers in Iraq; yet they were only feeding 14,000. That means they 
are overbilling by 28,000 meals a day. And that is just the tip of the 
iceberg. It is unbelievable the amount of waste, fraud, and abuse that 
is going on.
  And now, when it comes to dealing with Katrina, no-bid contracts, 
once again, win Katrina work. And we hear that Halliburton is now 
getting millions of dollars to do hurricane related work. I wonder who 
is minding the store? And when will someone start to care?
  Incidentally, a woman by the name of Bunnatine Greenhouse was demoted 
last week in the Pentagon. She was the highest ranking civilian ever in 
the Corps of Engineers. She rose to that position, getting outstanding 
reviews all along the way. And then she spoke up. In the good old boy 
network, when they wanted to award no-bid contracts to Halliburton in 
Iraq, she spoke up. All of a sudden she gets demoted. She spoke up 
because she said what was going on was scandalous. The American 
taxpayer takes a bath as a result of all of this.
  Let me tell you what she has told the Congress. Bunnatine Greenhouse, 
the highest ranking civilian employee in the Corps of Engineers, who 
refused to sign the no-bid contracts that went under a buddy system to 
Halliburton in Iraq, says:

       I can unequivocally state that the abuse related to the 
     contracts awarded to KBR [Halliburton] represents the most 
     blatant and improper contract abuse I have witnessed during 
     the course of my professional career.

  For blowing the whistle, she gets demoted. This is a woman who has 
had outstanding reviews by everyone along the way.
  We have heard from people who worked for Halliburton who testified 
that the managers of this company said, When U.S. Government auditors 
come, do not dare speak to them. If you do, one of two things will 
happen. You will be fired or we will send you to the hot spots where 
there is active fighting in Iraq.
  These are people who testified that they are providing food service 
to American soldiers and routinely serve food, the date stamp of which 
is expired, and they are told by Halliburton managers, feed it to them 
anyway.
  I hope some day, some way, the people in Congress who have the 
capability to issue subpoenas and hold oversight hearings will finally 
start doing their job. We ought not go back to the same well for the 
reconstruction with respect to the devastation wrought by Hurricane 
Katrina. The victims of that hurricane need help. They need good help. 
The American taxpayer shouldn't be taking a bath while that help is 
given.
  I yield the floor.
  Ms. LANDRIEU. Will the Senator yield?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The time of the Senator is expired.
  Ms. LANDRIEU. I ask unanimous consent for 2 minutes for the Senator.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Ms. LANDRIEU. If the Senator will yield, I caught the tail end of the 
Senator's comments about Halliburton. Of course, we have people who 
work in Louisiana for Halliburton, but I most certainly understand the 
Senator's concern if there are these accusations against Halliburton in 
Iraq. We want to be very careful with our reconstruction dollars right 
here at home, that companies we ask to do work are doing good work, 
being accountable to the taxpayers.
  As the Senator knows, while it may be hard to track some of this 
across the ocean, it will be easier when it is in the United States. I 
don't know if the Senator would have any suggestions. Are there other 
companies that can do some work along the lines of reconstruction other 
than this one company? Does the Senator know?
  Mr. DORGAN. In response to the Senator from Louisiana, I understand 
in circumstances such as this, we will not go out and get bids and ask 
for 30 days. We want people in the field working quickly. But the fact 
is we have a lot of great companies out there in this country with a 
great ability to mobilize and move quickly. My only point is, I want 
the victims of this hurricane to receive help now, immediately. I want 
the American taxpayer to find that help was delivered effectively and 
efficiently. I don't want it running through people's hands into 
people's pockets where it shouldn't go.
  Ms. LANDRIEU. I hope, Mr. President, as we lay out the rebuilding 
efforts for the Gulf Coast region and the aftermath of Hurricane 
Katrina, we can do better than what the Senator has spoken about.
  On that subject, just for the record, I think maybe the Senator from 
Louisiana, Mr. Vitter, and I would like to submit for the Record a list 
of Louisiana-Mississippi-based contractors that can do great work in 
the rebuilding of the Culf Coast region. We understand that Halliburton 
is a Texas company. We are happy for our Texas counterparts. As I said, 
many people in Louisiana work for Halliburton. I think we have several 
thousand people who do. But I want this Senate to know--Senators on 
both sides of the aisle--we have a lot of Louisiana and Mississippi 
contractors who can build houses, et cetera.

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