The Department of Housing and Urban Development has allocated close to $5.5 million for its own employees to move, Politico reports.
One HUD worker got $102,000 in relocation expenses, $30,000 of which was for the cost of selling his property along with $18,000 for temporary housing, according to numbers Politico obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.
The Daily Caller’s Chuck Ross reported on similar fiscal abuse in the Department of Veterans Affairs in April. (Related: Congressman Calls For End To Federal Housing ‘Scheme’ That Netted Official A $288K Bonus)
According to Politico, HUD has paid close to $2.9 million since 2013 to relocate 125 of its employees, an average of nearly $23,000 per bureaucrat. HUD allocated $5.5 million for all expenses from airfare to storage to covering the costs of home sales.
Leslie Page, of Citizens Against Government Waste, told Politico, “When the taxpayers look at this they see the dysfunction of the federal government in very stark relief.”
The Department of Housing and Urban Development is headed by President Obama’s young rising star, 40-year-old Julian Castro, the former mayor of San Antonio, Texas, is considered by many to be a contender for VP on the Democratic ticket in 2016.
Castro took over HUD in July of 2014. Politico reports that he turned down approximately $14,000 from HUD for his move from Texas to Washington. HUD did spend about $4,700 for some shipping and storage expenses.
Castro told Politico in regards to the money offered “I said, ‘I don’t need that.'”
Castro has made cutting out costs a priority for his department but many point to these latest revelations as evidence that he is not doing enough.
While cabinet secretaries do wield power over their departments, the General Services Administration does rule over the allocation of moving and relocation expenditures.
Politico reports that agencies like HUD decide the terms and numbers of employees that are relocated. Each agency’s inspector general’s office is supposed to make sure that expenses are in line with GSA standards.
Employees in the inspector general’s office at HUD typically receive the highest relocation reimbursements.
According to Politico, the remaining $2.2 million of that $5.5 million allocated for relocation expenses has not been spent yet. It is being reallocated for any miscellaneous costs in the future.
