New leadership seeking to change culture of agency that spent $823,000 on a conference at a Las Vegas resort
Top officials of the General Services Administration told employees Wednesday they have a duty to report government waste such as the $823,000 spent by the agency on a 2010 conference at a Las Vegas resort. In a joint email to the more than 12,000 GSA employees, acting administrator Dan Tangherlini and Inspector General Brian Miller promised there will be no retaliation against anyone reporting improper conduct and government waste.
GSA Administrator-designate Martha Johnson testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington in 2009. A report released by the General Services Administration detailing an extravagant conference held by federal employees near Las Vegas in October 2010 resulted in the termination of two top deputies and the resignation of Martha Johnson.The email is part of an aggressive effort by Tangherlini to change the culture in the agency that is in charge of federal buildings and supplies.
Two House committees and a Senate panel have scheduled hearings next week on the spending scandal. The former administrator resigned, two top deputies were fired and eight employees have been placed on administrative leave.
The officials suggested that if employees haven't read Miller's report on the lavish spending at the conference, they should do so -- and make sure this never happens again.
The conference featured prizes for videos made by the GSA staff, including a rap song that made fun of the spending.
"As public servants, it is our duty to speak out if we see something that may be inappropriate," the email said.
"One of the more troubling aspects of this incident is that people did not report this improper conduct or take action to stop it. We would like to change this moving forward. There are many good, conscientious, and hard-working people in GSA, and, when no one raises a concern about potential fraud, waste and abuse," it said, "the reputation of the GSA as a whole is tarnished."
"It is time now to move forward and begin to repair the damage to our agency's reputation."
GSA officials said Deputy Administrator Susan Brita told the inspector general, the agency's internal watchdog, about the improper conference spending.
Larry Margasak, Associated Press