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http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20070724/a_capcol24.art.htm
Report: USDA sent $1.1B to dead farmers
7/24/07
The Agriculture Department sent $1.1 billion in farm payments to more than
170,000 dead people over seven years, congressional investigators said in a
report released Monday by the Government Accountability Office. The findings
come as the House of Representatives prepares to debate and pass farm
legislation this week that would govern subsidies and the department's
programs for the next five years.
GAO auditors reviewed payments from 1999 through 2005 in the report, which
was requested by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. "It's unconscionable that the
Department of Agriculture would think that a dead person was actively
engaged in the business of farming," Grassley said.
"(The) USDA has made farm payments to estates more than two years after
recipients died, without determining, as its regulations require, whether
the estates were kept open to receive these payments," the report said.
John Johnson, a deputy administrator for the Farm Service Agency, said there
is no indication that the payments were improper, since some rules allow
estates to continue receiving money after a two-year grace period. The
department is working with the Social Security Administration to improve its
record-keeping, he said.
Gonzales says he will stay to try to fix Justice's image
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales says he is staying at the Justice
Department to try to repair its broken image, according to a statement
released Monday.
Gonzales is to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee today. In his
written testimony, Gonzales touted the department's focus on terrorists,
violent crime and aid to Hurricane Katrina victims. He made no reference to
the firings of eight U.S. attorneys and only briefly mentioned the
controversy.
"I believe very strongly that there is no place for political considerations
in the hiring of our career employees or in the administration of justice,"
he said in the statement. "As such, these allegations have been troubling to
hear. . Since I have never been one to quit, I decided that the best course
of action was to remain here and fix the problems."
The hearing comes amid an escalating battle over executive-privilege claims
by the White House. The House Judiciary Committee will meet Wednesday to
consider contempt of Congress citations against White House chief of staff
Josh Bolten and former presidential counsel Harriet Miers for ignoring
subpoenas to testify about the dismissals.
The White House has said that any such materials are covered by executive
privilege and that the president's current and former immediate advisers are
immune from congressional subpoenas.
Bush in 'good health'after cancer screening
The five small growths removed from President Bush's colon on Saturday are
not cancerous, the White House said. The polyps were found during a routine
scan performed while Bush, 61, was at the Camp David presidential retreat.
"The president is in good health," Bush spokesman Tony Snow said. Polyps are
extra pieces of tissue that grow inside the large intestine; most are not
dangerous, but doctors typically remove them to test for cancer. Early
detection is considered one of the best ways of preventing the disease.
Doctors discovered that Bush had two polyps during a similar scan in 1998,
and two more were found during a colon screening in 1999. A 2002 screening
showed no polyps or abnormalities. Bush's next cancer scan will be in three
years, Snow said.
Report: USDA sent $1.1B to dead farmers
7/24/07
The Agriculture Department sent $1.1 billion in farm payments to more than
170,000 dead people over seven years, congressional investigators said in a
report released Monday by the Government Accountability Office. The findings
come as the House of Representatives prepares to debate and pass farm
legislation this week that would govern subsidies and the department's
programs for the next five years.
GAO auditors reviewed payments from 1999 through 2005 in the report, which
was requested by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. "It's unconscionable that the
Department of Agriculture would think that a dead person was actively
engaged in the business of farming," Grassley said.
"(The) USDA has made farm payments to estates more than two years after
recipients died, without determining, as its regulations require, whether
the estates were kept open to receive these payments," the report said.
John Johnson, a deputy administrator for the Farm Service Agency, said there
is no indication that the payments were improper, since some rules allow
estates to continue receiving money after a two-year grace period. The
department is working with the Social Security Administration to improve its
record-keeping, he said.
Gonzales says he will stay to try to fix Justice's image
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales says he is staying at the Justice
Department to try to repair its broken image, according to a statement
released Monday.
Gonzales is to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee today. In his
written testimony, Gonzales touted the department's focus on terrorists,
violent crime and aid to Hurricane Katrina victims. He made no reference to
the firings of eight U.S. attorneys and only briefly mentioned the
controversy.
"I believe very strongly that there is no place for political considerations
in the hiring of our career employees or in the administration of justice,"
he said in the statement. "As such, these allegations have been troubling to
hear. . Since I have never been one to quit, I decided that the best course
of action was to remain here and fix the problems."
The hearing comes amid an escalating battle over executive-privilege claims
by the White House. The House Judiciary Committee will meet Wednesday to
consider contempt of Congress citations against White House chief of staff
Josh Bolten and former presidential counsel Harriet Miers for ignoring
subpoenas to testify about the dismissals.
The White House has said that any such materials are covered by executive
privilege and that the president's current and former immediate advisers are
immune from congressional subpoenas.
Bush in 'good health'after cancer screening
The five small growths removed from President Bush's colon on Saturday are
not cancerous, the White House said. The polyps were found during a routine
scan performed while Bush, 61, was at the Camp David presidential retreat.
"The president is in good health," Bush spokesman Tony Snow said. Polyps are
extra pieces of tissue that grow inside the large intestine; most are not
dangerous, but doctors typically remove them to test for cancer. Early
detection is considered one of the best ways of preventing the disease.
Doctors discovered that Bush had two polyps during a similar scan in 1998,
and two more were found during a colon screening in 1999. A 2002 screening
showed no polyps or abnormalities. Bush's next cancer scan will be in three
years, Snow said.
