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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: government contracts

government contracts stories: 14 news summaries

 Blackwater Bilked US Out of 
 $55M for Iraq Security: Audit 

Company didn't provide enough workers

Jun 16, 09 9:46 AM CDT
(Newser) - The US overpaid Blackwater by $55 million for its security work in Iraq, a government audit has found. The company, since renamed Xe, didn't employ enough guards, medics, and other personnel to protect high-level officials but still collected full payment from the State Department, the Wall Street Journal reports. "... More »

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Iraq • Afghanistan • State Department • Blackwater • security guards • audit • government contracts • Xe

OPINION

Don't Let 'Waste' Taunts Prompt More Waste

Obama shouldn't scrap chopper deal just to appease McCain

May 14, 09 9:01 AM CDT
(Newser) - Fearful of appearing wasteful, the Defense Department wants to dump a contract for new presidential helicopters and start fresh—but that means losing $4 billion already spent on the project. It’s the same old story when it comes to “wasteful procurement,” writes Gail Collins in the New ... More »

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John McCain • government spending • Department of Defense • helicopter • procurement • Gail Collins • government contracts • President Obama

OPINION

Obama Puts Brakes on Contractors

Bush's 'market-based' government hasn't been cheaper or better

Mar 11, 09 9:20 AM CDT
(Newser) - President Obama slipped an important policy change under the radar last week, saying government needs to make “a real choice between investments that are designed to keep the American people safe, and those that are designed to make a defense contractor rich.” Thomas Frank was listening, and he... More »

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Bush administration • Barack Obama • outsourcing • government contracts • Obama administration • budget reform • defense contractors

 Obama Targets Gov't 
 Contract Fraud, Waste 

Vows to save money

Mar 4, 09 1:46 PM CST
(Newser) - Barack Obama today announced a plan to clean up waste in federal contracts, a set of reforms he believes will save taxpayers up to $40 billion a year, the Washington Post reports. Flanked by spending hawks John McCain and Carl Levin, Obama said his budget manager is drafting “... More »

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Barack Obama • John McCain • Carl Levin • government contracts • Obama administration • budget reform • defense contractors • Peter Orszag

(Newser) - A former CIA official who steered contracts toward a friend in the days after Sept. 11, 2001, was sentenced today to 37 months in prison, the Washington Post reports. Kyle Foggo was, at the time, the CIA’s executive director, the agency’s third-highest position. In exchange for lavish dinners... More »

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Iraq • Afghanistan • CIA • corruption • Federal Court • government contracts • intelligence agencies • executive director • Kyle Foggo

Too-Speedy Bailout Spending May Squander Billions

Auditors understaffed for behemoth task, leaving field open to shifty contractors

Feb 9, 09 4:24 AM CST
(Newser) - If new federal bailout funds are spent too quickly, billions could be wasted because the government administrative staff may be too overburdened to provide adequate oversight, warn budget experts. Billions of dollars in government money were squandered by private contractors who overcharged the Bush administration, according to a government report.... More »

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contractors • oversight • audit • economic stimulus package • government contracts • financial crisis • President Obama

Peanut Corp. Banned From Federal Work

Salmonella outbreak shows lack of integrity, honesty: USDA

Feb 5, 09 12:05 PM CST
(Newser) - The Peanut Corporation of America was barred today from government contracts for a year as the criminal investigation into a deadly salmonella outbreak sourced to its Georgia plant gathers steam, Reuters reports. “The company lacks business integrity and business honesty,” steamed a Department of Agriculture spokesman. The PCA’... More »

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USDA • salmonella • Department of Agriculture • government contracts • peanut • Peanut Corporation of America

Burris Ties to Blago Include Donations, Job for Wife

Senate aspirant no stranger to pay-to-play politics

Jan 8, 09 12:44 PM CST
(Newser) - Senate Democrats are lauding Roland Burris as a faithful public servant who happens to owe his appointment to a crooked governor, but the Illinois politician has some pretty close—perhaps suspect—ties to Blagojevich, the Chicago Tribune reports. Burris and affiliates in his lobbying firm contributed $20,000 to Blagojevich... More »

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politics • contracts • corruption • Illinois • lobbying • Rod Blagojevich • government contracts • Roland Burris

Sex, Ethics Scandal Rocks Interior Dept. Oil Agency

Probes reveal sex, drugs, improper dealings in 'culture of ethical failure'

Sep 10, 08 5:15 PM CDT
(Newser) - It's not quite the Interior Department Gone Wild, but it's not that far off, either. A dozen current and former employees of the departmental agency that deals with oil and gas royalties have been accused of having sex with reps of the energy industry, illegally accepting gifts, using cocaine in... More »

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ethics • Department of the Interior • drug use • government contracts • corruption charges • Inspector General

Pentagon Delays $35B Tanker Deal for Next President

Environment too 'highly charged' for fair process; Boeing gets time to rework plan

Sep 10, 08 11:58 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Pentagon has put a $35 billion contract for new Air Force refueling tankers on hold, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced today, reasoning that the White House didn’t have enough time left to “complete a competition that would be viewed as fair.” The contract was awarded to... More »

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Barack Obama • John McCain • Robert Gates • Boeing • Northrop Grumman • tanker aircraft • 767 Tanker • government contracts

Pentagon's New Bid Rules Favor Northrop: Boeing

Bidding changes seen to justify previous decision

Aug 7, 08 11:41 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Pentagon issued new criteria yesterday for the second round of bidding on its lucrative fuel-tanker contract, Bloomberg reports, and Boeing backers immediately cried foul. The new terms give bonus points to a plane that carries more fuel than the earlier guidelines, which Boeing officials and congressional allies claim favors... More »

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Pentagon • Boeing • Air Force • fuel tankers • Northrop Grumman • Department of Defense • tanker aircraft • government contracts

 Feds Lift Ban on IBM Contracts  

IBM withdraws protest of lost EPA contract

Apr 4, 08 3:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - The government Thursday lifted a week-old ban that prevented IBM from competing for new federal contracts. In exchange, IBM agreed to withdraw its protest of an $84 million contract with the EPA it lost last year, and to refund any attorney fees and costs the Government Accountability Office paid to... More »

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contracts • IBM • federal investigation • Environmental Protection Agency • computer • government contracts • insider information

IBM Banned from Gov't Contracts

Big Blue probed over alleged insider info that led to fat EPA deals

Apr 1, 08 8:36 AM CDT
(Newser) - A US Attorney in Virginia has temporarily barred IBM from pursuing new government contracts while it investigates three 2006 IBM contracts with the EPA, MarketWatch reports. "The basic issue is whether certain information concerning a contract should have been provided to IBM employees by an EPA employee," said... More »

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IBM • federal investigation • Environmental Protection Agency • US Attorney's Office • government contracts • insider information

As Recession Looms, Google Looks to Uncle Sam

Web giant peddling Earth program in Washington

Mar 13, 08 12:27 PM CDT
(Newser) - With an economic meltdown threatening its advertising business, Google is turning to Washington for a second revenue stream, MarketWatch reports. Google’s government contract business is still extremely small, but could become more important soon as the company tries to diversify, according to the division’s chief technologist. “The... More »

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Google • intelligence spending • ad revenue • satellite images • government contracts

14 Stories


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