For Immediate Release
Contact: Leslie K. Paige 202-467-5334
Alexa Moutevelis 202-467-5318

September 6, 2007

CAGW Commends GAO on Helicopter Ruling

Washington, D.C. - Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today applauded the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) reaffirmation of an earlier recommendation that the Air Force reopen the bidding for a $15 billion rescue helicopter contract.

"This wasteful government contracting is inexcusable. The Air Force must be held accountable for the most effective use of the taxpayers' money and do what it failed to do months ago by transparently reopening the entire proposal," CAGW President Tom Schatz said.

In November 2005, three companies Boeing, Sikorsky, and Lockheed Martin responded to the Air Force's request for proposal (RFP) for a contract for the new Combat Search and Rescue-X (CSAR-X) helicopter. In November 2006, the Air Force awarded the contract to Boeing. Many were puzzled by the decision considering that the other bids were technologically comparable, and Lockheed's was $3 billion less than Boeing's. In addition, Boeing offered Vietnam-era Chinook helicopters with two rotors while the two other companies offered newer models with single rotors.

Sikorsky and Lockheed Martin protested the contract award and on February 26, 2007, GAO released its response. The decision read "an agency may not announce in the solicitation that it will use one evaluation plan and then follow another. … we find that the Air Force's evaluation of O&S [operation and support] costs was inconsistent with the RFP."

Comments from Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne seemed to indicate the service is committed to the Boeing helicopter by calling for a "narrow" interpretation of the February GAO decision. The Air Force agreed to change its evaluation scheme, limited the basis on which contractors could revise their bids. Lockheed and Sikorsky protested again and GAO ruled in their favor on August 30, saying that when "an agency materially changes the solicitation's evaluation scheme, offerors must be given a reasonable opportunity to respond to the revised evaluation scheme." GAO also recommended that the Air Force terminate its contract with Boeing and reimburse Lockheed's and Sikorsky's legal costs if Boeing's new proposal does not offer the best value.

This battle is eerily reminiscent of another infamous Boeing-Air Force deal. At a cost of $23.5 billion, the Air Force planned to lease 100 of Boeing's 767 commercial airliners with the taxpayers paying for their conversion to military refueling tankers. Government watchdogs found that the cost of leasing would be substantially higher than either upgrading the existing tankers or purchasing the 767s outright and that the lease deal violated federal contracting and procurement rules. An Air Force official was found to have inflated the price in exchange for an executive job at Boeing and was sentenced to nine months in prison. After pressure from groups like CAGW, Congress eventually barred the deal. The CSAR-X is the first large contract following the tanker lease debacle.

"For the sake of the taxpayers and military personnel the Air Force should quickly follow GAO's decision and re-bid the contract to determine the best company to build the CSAR-X. Failing to do so could indicate a bias toward Boeing at the highest levels of the Air Force and diminish the importance of appeals in the procurement process," concluded Schatz.

Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.

Remember recently, I have been explaining about S. 274, the bill in the Senate that is stuck on hold that would, if passed give federal and defense employees whistleblower protection rights? Well, it is still on hold. We still all need to keep bugging our Senators to get it off hold and to a passing vote! The House passed this law first, so it only needs the Senate, and then to get past a possible veto by the current President. Please call or write your Senator's today.
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On a new note.......

Sent by Yahoo group: whistleblowers-in-America
Leading Presidential Candidates Endorse National Civil Rights Law for Whistleblowers

Senators Obama, Clinton, and Governor Huckabee Among Supporters
webwire

Washington, D.C. September 3, 2007. Presidential Candidates Sen.
Hillary Clinton, Sen. Chris Dodd, former Senator John Edwards, former
Senator Mike Gravel, Governor Mike Huckabee, Representative Dennis
Kucinich, Sen. Barak Obama, Congressman Ron Paul, and Governor Bill
Richardson, have agreed in writing to specifically endorse a national
whistleblower protection law modeled on the Civil Rights Act.

Today, the National Whistleblower Center announced that, in response
to a detailed survey, these nine candidates pledged "to advocate for
the passage of a law which would give employees who are illegally
terminated for blowing the whistle the same procedural and
substantive protections as other wrongfully discharged employees
under laws such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (i.e.
the law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race or sex)."

Title VII protections apply to nearly every employee in the country,
including those employed by private businesses as well as federal,
state and local governments.

Two candidates (Senator Sam Brownback and Representative Tom
Tancredo) responded to the survey with statements in support of
whistleblower protection, but declined to specifically support the
civil rights proposal. Four candidates, Senator Biden, Former Mayor
Rudy Guliani, Senator John McCain and former Governor Mitt Romney,
declined to respond to the survey.

In releasing the results of the survey, National Whistleblower Center
President Stephen Kohn stated: "We are encouraged that nine
presidential candidates have publicly demonstrated their commitment
to supporting whistleblower protection. It is shocking that on Labor
Day, 2007 the majority of American workers still have no adequate
federal protection when they risk their jobs and disclose illegal or
unsafe conduct. We sincerely hope that all candidates for President
will publicly endorse civil rights for whistleblowers and use their
positions to ensure that by next Labor Day all whistleblowers are
finally protected under a federal law."

Established in 1988, The National Whistleblower Center is a public
interest organization dedicated to supporting employee
whistleblowers. The Center is non-profit and non-partisan, and does not endorse candidates for public office.

August 31, 2007

Dear Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, Chairman Henry Waxman and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Senators Murray and Cantwell, and Congressman Reichert

I have included below information about the activities on Marion Blakey. This is outrageous. I have included information about Marion Blakely below. Marion Blakey should be investigated and prosecuted.

The corruption exposed by Gerald Eastman and others which Ms. Blakey appears to be connected with needs to be finally examined properly and some real action taken.

The Federal Whistleblower legislation S.274 must be passed now. The House and the Senate must see that other Whistleblower reports and complaints must be supported and fully investigated and wrongdoers prosecuted as necessary.

This kind of corruption must stop.

Sincerely,
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The Revolving Door Revolves...
WASHINGTON, D.C. -

Found on http://moderateman.blogspot.com/2007/08/revolving-door-revolves.html

The Federal Aviation Administration's top official is headed for the door--Washington's revolving door, that is--to become the aerospace industry's head lobbyist.

The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) has announced that FAA Administrator Marion Blakey will become its new chief executive Nov. 12, replacing the organization's retiring CEO, John Douglass. In her new role, Blakey will be the top voice in Washington for an industry that makes commercial planes and serves as a contractor to the Pentagon. Its most prominent members include Boeing (nyse: BA - news - people ), Northrop Grumman (nyse: NOC - news - people ) and Lockheed Martin (nyse: LMT - news - people ).

A conflict of interest? Possibly. Even though this type of thing happens all the time in Washington, it's certainly a gray area. And it doesn't do much to change the public's belief that politicians and political appointees are in bed with industry.

"Essentially what these members are doing is cashing in on their public service," says Craig Holman, who follows congressional issues for the watchdog group Public Citizen. He notes that political appointees are doing the same thing. "It's because there's just so much money at stake now," he adds.

(Forbes)

To read more information on FAA/Boeing/DOT Wrongdoing and Corruption, visit: www.thelastinspector.com, and http://whistleblowersupporter.typepad.com or http://360.yahoo.com/flyover_27

The Revolving Door Revolves...
WASHINGTON, D.C. -

Found on http://moderateman.blogspot.com/2007/08/revolving-door-revolves.html

The Federal Aviation Administration's top official is headed for the door--Washington's revolving door, that is--to become the aerospace industry's head lobbyist.

The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) has announced that FAA Administrator Marion Blakey will become its new chief executive Nov. 12, replacing the organization's retiring CEO, John Douglass. In her new role, Blakey will be the top voice in Washington for an industry that makes commercial planes and serves as a contractor to the Pentagon. Its most prominent members include Boeing (nyse: BA - news - people ), Northrop Grumman (nyse: NOC - news - people ) and Lockheed Martin (nyse: LMT - news - people ).

A conflict of interest? Possibly. Even though this type of thing happens all the time in Washington, it's certainly a gray area. And it doesn't do much to change the public's belief that politicians and political appointees are in bed with industry.

"Essentially what these members are doing is cashing in on their public service," says Craig Holman, who follows congressional issues for the watchdog group Public Citizen. He notes that political appointees are doing the same thing. "It's because there's just so much money at stake now," he adds.

(Forbes)

DC Whistleblower Gets Her Job Back, Wins Settlement
Date Edited
· 08 Mar 2003
A DC whistleblower lost her job at DC Health Department for reporting nearly 200 tons of insect-infested, rat-infested, outdated food at a DC-run food warehouse servicing the DC Public Schools and area food banks. Government Accountability Project helped her file a lawsuit against DC Department of Health and she won her job back. This is a victory not only for her but for other DC government employees who get retaliated against for trying to make sure problems are not ignored and get fixed.

D.C. Health Whistle-Blower Reinstated, Wins Damages

By Arthur Santana
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 7, 2003; Page A13

A city Health Department worker who was dismissed after complaining about rotten and moldy food being served to District schoolchildren has won back her job.

Madeleine Fletcher, an epidemiologist who sued the District government in August 2001 -- a year to the month after she was ousted -- said her return to work next month will send a message that "you cannot just shoot the messenger bearing unwelcome news."

A self-described whistle-blower, Fletcher filed suit in D.C. Superior Court alleging that she lost her job after testifying at a D.C. Council hearing about conditions at the school system's central warehouse. She said she found at least 20 packets of grape jelly that had mold, as well as eight-year-old packages of macaroni, dried pinto beans, oats, rice and grits that were infested with weevils.

The school system had stockpiled nearly 200 tons of old and decaying food at the Northeast Washington warehouse, some of which was destined for food banks and some that was to be served to District children in the school lunch program, Fletcher said.

In a settlement reached Wednesday, Fletcher won one year's salary worth $52,298, $18,000 in damages and $50,000 to cover legal fees. She also will be reinstated to a 13-month term of work beginning April 21, she said. Fletcher, 48, previously worked for six years at the D.C. Department of Health as a term employee, with her job being renewed every 13 months.

"I never expected to be in this position just because I was doing my job," Fletcher said yesterday. "But I learned there is enormous pressure in government agencies to look the other way."

A Health Department spokesman said that the acting director, James A. Buford, could not be reached for comment. A spokesman for the city's law office declined to comment.

Despite outstanding job evaluations and being one of only two epidemiologists that the District had investigating outbreaks of communicable diseases, Fletcher was let go at the end of a term, four months after she testified, she said.

The lawsuit alleged that Ivan C.A. Walks, then head of the Health Department, retaliated against Fletcher for "disclosing the department's gross mismanagement." At the time, Walks said that Fletcher was terminated because of department restructuring.

"Of course they wouldn't admit to having fired me for my whistle-blower activities because that would be breaking the law," Fletcher said yesterday, adding that "there was no logical reason" to dismiss her.

Fletcher, a Yale- and Purdue-educated scientist with three advanced degrees, originally sought more than $1 million in the lawsuit on claims that included defamation by Walks, emotional distress and civil rights violations.

Her attorneys predicted that she will have a far easier time at work now that the department has significantly changed management.

"After reviewing her record, the new director is eager to bring her back," said Joanne Royce, a trial attorney at the Government Accountability Project, a Washington-based public-interest law firm that represented Fletcher.