GAO: Bush* Tops Clinton in HHS Funding of Trips

[kskiska]

President Bush has billed the Department of Health and Human Services to help finance trips tied to political events far more than his predecessor, Bill Clinton, according to a General Accounting Office report.

The GAO, acting at the request of Rep. Charles B. Rangel (N.Y.), the ranking Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee, found that the White House and HHS have agreements calling on the HHS to pay $523,000 toward the cost of 15 events between January 2001 and January 2003. Fourteen of the trips were before the 2002 congressional election, and Bush attended campaign events on at least nine of the trips.

Often HHS officials accompanied Bush for separate, technically non-political events to discuss such issues as welfare reform and prescription drug legislation. Spreading the costs of presidential trips to federal agencies effectively reduced the burden on the Republican Party and White House travel budgets.

The GAO inquiry was prompted by a Washington Post report last October that disclosed the White House had billed the federal Office of Family Assistance in HHS $210,000 to help pay for five trips in which President Bush promoted welfare reform at official events and made separate fundraising appearances for Republican candidates.

(snip)

HHS and White House officials have sought to justify the billings by pointing out that President Clinton did the same thing.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45241-2003Jul11.html
CORRECTED LINK

[diplomats]

1. Of course, Bush gets away with it

the double standard is infuriating.

[Maccagirl]

6. Yes, where's the outrage?

To quote a prominant Repuke.

[madrchsod]

2. wrong link?

doesn`t come up this article..

[kskiska]

3. Fixed the link

Thanx

[revcarol]

4. This is sooooooo sick.

Nation-wide promotion of any program that Bush wants that will DESTROY 'the general welfare' is paid for out of funds for 'the general welfare!!'

But don't forget the fund-raising trips that just happened to be scheduled BEFORE the "destroy the people" events.

[kskiska]

5. Guess this is where the money for all those fancy backdrops

is coming from.