Andy Howard was interviewed by Government Product News for an article that discussed ways to control and monitor spending at GSA and other government agencies.
When asked what steps GSA administrators should take to rein in extravagant or inappropriate government spending, Howard answered, “Fairly and equally enforce the rules that already exist to ferret out waste and abuse, and hold the irresponsible actors accountable.”
“Neither the GSA nor any other agency lacks the tools necessary to curtail wasteful spending. Government officials are subject to conflicts of interest rules, which include reporting obligations and penalties for noncompliance,” he said.
Howard noted further, “There are procedures and protocols in place that control authorizations for expenditures. There are whistleblower statutes that seek to encourage the reporting of fraud and abuse by government employees…then there is the Congress and GSA’s Office of Inspector General that are more than capable of keeping wasteful spending in check.”