$150 Million Wasted on Afghan Villas

[HARDCORE]

This is from Senator Dan Coats

Dear Friend,

Thank you for signing up to receive my email newsletter. These newsletters will cover a variety of topics, including events happening in Indiana, legislation being considered in Congress, and my perspective on current issues. My hope is to keep you updated and informed on how issues in Washington may impact Hoosiers. I welcome your feedback.

Thanks for reading,
Dan Coats
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$150 Million Wasted on Afghan Villas

This week I delivered my first Waste of the Week speech of 2016 and highlighted $150 million spent by the Department of Defense Task Force for Business Stability Operations on villas in Afghanistan. Established in Afghanistan for a valid purpose – to encourage foreign investment – this task force spent millions on private housing for staff, instead of utilizing existing Department of Defense (DOD) bases.

According to a report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, the task force spent $150 million on “furnished, privately owned villas” and hired contractors to provide 24-hour building security, food services and bodyguards for staff and visitors. Additionally, the task force reportedly had access to on-site laundry service, food and drink services, private transportation, cultural advisors and housekeeping services.

Contracting for security is one thing, but contracting for personal room service in a privately owned villa is a completely different story. What the IG found was a lack of cost consideration, accountability and oversight.
The IG report noted that the exorbitant costs of the villas are especially concerning because the task force staff could have lived at DOD facilities in Afghanistan “where housing, security, and food service are routinely provided at little or no extra charge to DOD organizations."
More broadly, the IG noted that poor oversight and a complete lack of coordination with other agencies in Afghanistan caused so much friction that “even the U.S. civilian personnel most supportive of the Task Force’s activities” reported the need for oversight and coordination of the task force.
To watch my speech on the Senate floor, click here or on the image above.
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Tighten Screening of Syrian Refugees, Create Safe Havens

While the United States is a welcoming country, our government has an obligation to protect American citizens. Top U.S. law enforcement officials have testified that there are gaps in our refugee program that terrorists can exploit. We need to ensure our refugee process is not exploited by those who are threats to the United States.

This week I voted for legislation designed to improve America’s national security by tightening up the screening of refugees from Iraq and Syria. The bill would suspend the admission of Iraqi and Syrian refugees into the United States until the nation’s top security officials can certify the integrity of background checks and declare that each refugee does not pose a threat to the United States.

The legislation, which previously passed the House of Representatives, failed 55 to 43, with sixty votes necessary for passage. I am disappointed that Senate Democrats blocked this common-sense measure to keep Americans safe.
Ultimately the debate about bringing Syrian refugees into the United States – whether it be the current 2,000, the Obama Administration's proposed 10,000 or potentially even more – fails to address the main issue.

Even if the United States were to admit 100,000 refugees, it still would be only a tiny fraction of the people displaced by the crisis in Syria. The only reasonable solution to dealing with this humanitarian crisis is to create conditions in and near Syria that will permit people to safely remain near their home country.

This will require the United States, our allies and other cooperating international powers to create areas in Syria where Syrians can find safety from attack. Safe havens should be set up along the borders of Turkey, Iraq and Jordan. This will require both no-fly zones and strategic military activity by the United States and our allied partners. We also need a massive commitment from the world community to set up, fund and manage safe areas with sanitation, health care, food, housing and schools in neighboring countries.

[Boats]

We aren't done yet. Why we have to bail out the world is beyond me. At first I thought they were after the oil but now that oil has taken a nose dive (for awhile) it seems Iran wants to flood the market with more oil. This resulted in layoffs in our oil fields.

Cheap gas is great but its killing the stateside workers. The games afoot Watson as Holmes would put it. Tit for Tat is constant and we loose every time the clock turns.

Just finished work its 8:18 PM and I still have more to do in the house. But I will finish my beer and kick back for a little while and consider my options.