Ike Puzon posted on July 13, 2011 09:06
WASHINGTON, DC – (permalink) On Wednesday, July 12, Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA.), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA) announced the formation of a special bipartisan panel to address the ongoing challenge of financial management in the Pentagon, selecting Rep. Mike Conaway (R-TX) and Rep. Rob Andrews (D-NJ) to lead this effort.
The panel will address broad issues surrounding Defense Department financial management including: the extent to which financial management systems deliver timely, reliable, and useful information for decision making and reporting; the ability of the Department to identify efficiencies and waste utilizing financial management systems; the proficiency of financial management personnel in financial and budgetary accounting in order to manage defense resources; and the effectiveness of the Financial Improvement and Audit Readiness (FIAR) plan.
“I’m eager to work with Mr. Andrews on this vital issue,” said Rep Conaway of the effort. “In these difficult fiscal times, making every penny in the defense budget count must be a top national security priority.”
Mr. Andrews echoed the importance of the bipartisan effort. "I look forward to working with Mr. Conaway to help improve the DOD's financial management. Improving accountability and reducing waste within the DOD will save taxpayers money and it is essential to reducing our deficit.”
HASC Fiscal Management Panel Membership:
Co-Chair Rep. Michael K. Conaway (R-TX)
Co-Chair Rep. Robert E. Andrews (D-NJ)
Rep. E. Scott Rigell (R-VA)
Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT)
Rep. Steven M. Palazzo (R-MS)
Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH)
Rep. Todd C. Young (R-IN)