Wednesday, April 09, 2008

GAO study: nearly half of government credit card expenses improper

From CNN:
Federal employees charged millions of dollars to government credit or debit cards, according to a Government Accountability Office study released Wednesday.

Those charges include Internet dating services, iPods, expensive clothing, a $13,500 dinner and lingerie to be worn during jungle training in Ecuador, the study said.

The audit also found that government agencies could not account for nearly $2 million worth of items, which included computer servers, laptop computers, iPods and digital cameras.

Nearly half of transactions made in the 2006 fiscal year with government credit or debit cards -- referred to as "purchase cards" -- were improper, the study found, and the audit condemned the government-wide "rate of failure" as "unacceptably high."

The improper purchases were either not authorized or did not meet the government's requirements for using purchase cards, the study [(PDF)] said.

What kind of lingerie is worn during jungle training in Ecuador? Was the jungle training itself an improper expenditure, or was that OK?

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