Billing Taxpayers for Food A Running GSA ‘Joke’

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The practice of gaming the system in order to bill taxpayers for food at lavish conferences was so widespread within the General Services Administration that it became a “running joke” among certain employees, the GSA inspector general testified Tuesday.

Inspector General Brian Miller, who blew the whistle on agency spending with a report on its $820,000 conference in Las Vegas, explained how leaders with the western region of GSA got around the administration’s rule of not having food at conferences. The work-around was simple — just hold an awards ceremony, and food would be provided at taxpayer expense.

“Many times in Region 9, witnesses told us that it became a running joke with the Region 9 regional commissioner that even at staff meetings he would say, ‘We’re going to have a meeting in another location and we’re going to have food so we have to do what?’ And his senior staff is said to have said, ‘Give out awards,'” Miller said.

Fox News earlier reported that the GSA was creating questionable awards so employees could have free food. They even created something called a “Jackass” award.

The Region 9 commissioner Miller referred to in his testimony Tuesday before a House transportation subcommittee is Jeffrey Neely. That official did not attend Tuesday’s hearing, after having invoked his right not to answer questions at a congressional hearing a day earlier.