Project on Government Oversight

The government's Hurricane Katrina relief and rebuilding effort will cost billions of taxpayer dollars. Some of the same companies caught cheating in Iraq are now back at the trough, seeking a share of the Katrina funding pie. USA Today and the Wall Street Journal recently reported on unethical contractors receiving Katrina cleanup and rebuilding contracts, based partly on research done by the Project On Government Oversight. For example:

• Flour Corporation "has paid millions of dollars to settle federal government lawsuits -- including one that accused it of overbilling for 1989 hurricane cleanup work," yet was awarded a $100 million contract to assist with Katrina.


• Shaw Group "is being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission" and "is a defendant in federal securities class-action cases."


• Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown and Root still cannot account for more than $1 billion that it spent in Iraq.

The government does little to ensure that its contractors are eithical before hiring them. Let the government know that you think this is unacceptable. Send a letter to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff letting them know that they should stop hiring government contractors with mile-long rap sheets.

Tell the Government to Stop Hiring the Bad Guys

Hundreds of thousands of Americans are relying on your leadership to provide relief and to rebuild their communities which were devestated by Hurricane Katrina. I am deeply concerned that, as part of this effort, your Department has hired companies that have been caught defrauding the federal government or engaging in other misconduct.

I am writing to urge you to stop hiring unethical government contractors. Independent researchers have found that companies like Halliburton, Bechtel, and Fluor have been involved in dozens of cases of fraud, waste, or abuse.

I would rather you use my taxpayer dollars to hire government contractors that don't have mile-long rap sheets. I think in the long run the Katrina relief and rebuilding effort will not only go smoother, but more people will be helped if honest and responsible government contractors are hired to do the work.

Please instruct your contracting officials to refer to the Project On Government Oversight's Federal Contractor Misconduct Database which provides details about contractor misconduct. The database is available at www.pogo.org/db/. In addition, your own Inspectors General have plenty of information about whether or not specific companies have been involved in illegal or unethical conduct.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Sincerely,