In what appears to be a gross Obama administration oversight, former Bush administration political officials are still receiving taxpayer-funded credit cards in the mail.
At this point, as far as The Daily Caller has been able to confirm, this is only happening with former Department of Labor (DOL) employees.
Former DOL official Don Todd, who used to oversee the Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) told TheDC that on Thursday, the government sent him a ready-to-activate taxpayer-funded credit card.
Todd, who now works in the private sector at nonprofit Americans for Limited Government (ALG), destroyed the card, but he’s shocked at how he still got one in the mail, years after he left his politically appointed government post. Todd’s last day at the DOL was Jan. 20, 2009. He turned in all government credit cards and other official items at that time, but the DOL is still sending him credit cards.
Jokingly, Todd told TheDC that this oversight reminds him of former President Ronald Reagan’s comments about how a government bureau is the “nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth.”
“A government job is a gift that keeps on giving,” Todd joked.
On a more serious note, Todd worries about how these Obama administration oversights may play out if some people who receive credit cards aren’t as honest as he was. “This is a microcosm of the total disregard this administration has for taxpayer dollars and who gets government credit cards,” Todd said. “It’s stunning that they can’t keep track of who gets government credit cards and access to taxpayer money.”
House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Chairman Rep. Denny Rehberg, Montana Republican, told TheDC he’s not pleased that the DOL is sending credit cards to former government employees. (Christie opponent almost struck by lightning during interview [VIDEO])
“While we’ve been fighting so hard to cut up the government’s credit card and restore fiscal responsibility, the Department of Labor has been sending new government credit cards to former government employees,” Rehberg said in an email. “It’s no wonder the American public is so fed up with Washington waste. Maybe this is what the Labor Department should be talking about when they’re pushing for Card Check.”
At least one other former and more senior Bush administration political appointee at the Labor Department confirmed for TheDC that he too had also received a credit card in the mail since Obama took office. He said he cut it up immediately after receiving it six months ago, more than two years after he left his government post. The official wished to remain anonymous in order to avoid getting in trouble.
A spokesperson for the DOL did not return TheDC’s request for comment.