Muffins Over Veterans
This is a story you have to read to believe:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As the U.S. government grapples to find ways to trim the bloated federal deficit, a new report suggests officials might start with cutting out $16 muffins and $10 cookies.
"We found the Department (of Justice) spent $16 on each of the 250 muffins served at an August 2009 legal conference in Washington," said a DOJ Office of Inspector General report released on Tuesday.
The DOJ spent $121 million on conferences in fiscal 2008 and 2009, which exceeded its own spending limits and appeared to be extravagant and wasteful, according to the report that examined 10 conferences held during that period.
The review turned up the expensive muffins, which came from the Capital Hilton Hotel just blocks from the White House, as well as cookies and brownies that cost almost $10 each.
The department spent $32 per person on snacks of Cracker Jack, popcorn, and candy bars and coffee that cost $8.24 per cup at another conference, the report said.
The DOJ also spent nearly $600,000 for event planning services for five conferences, the document said.
I'm stunned. I remember at the beginning of the Obama administration, when they were looking to cut corners, they'd asked the Dept. of Veterans Affairs to use video conferencing for their 30+ conferences instead of meeting in person. Really? I don't know yet if the Veterans conferences were scaled back, but cutting back on conferences that help veterans stay connected with people who can relate to their situation vs. $16 muffins? I would have chosen Vets over extravagance and over-spending.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As the U.S. government grapples to find ways to trim the bloated federal deficit, a new report suggests officials might start with cutting out $16 muffins and $10 cookies.
"We found the Department (of Justice) spent $16 on each of the 250 muffins served at an August 2009 legal conference in Washington," said a DOJ Office of Inspector General report released on Tuesday.
The DOJ spent $121 million on conferences in fiscal 2008 and 2009, which exceeded its own spending limits and appeared to be extravagant and wasteful, according to the report that examined 10 conferences held during that period.
The review turned up the expensive muffins, which came from the Capital Hilton Hotel just blocks from the White House, as well as cookies and brownies that cost almost $10 each.
The department spent $32 per person on snacks of Cracker Jack, popcorn, and candy bars and coffee that cost $8.24 per cup at another conference, the report said.
The DOJ also spent nearly $600,000 for event planning services for five conferences, the document said.
I'm stunned. I remember at the beginning of the Obama administration, when they were looking to cut corners, they'd asked the Dept. of Veterans Affairs to use video conferencing for their 30+ conferences instead of meeting in person. Really? I don't know yet if the Veterans conferences were scaled back, but cutting back on conferences that help veterans stay connected with people who can relate to their situation vs. $16 muffins? I would have chosen Vets over extravagance and over-spending.