House Judiciary Committee Report: GSA Broke Federal Law and Wasted Taxpayer Money

Press Release

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) today issued a Committee report outlining the findings of the Judiciary Committee's thorough investigation into the mismanagement of taxpayer funds during the renovation of the Richard H. Poff Federal Building located in Roanoke, Virginia. The Poff Federal Building houses several critical federal entities, including the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia and the U.S. Marshals Service district headquarters.

The House Judiciary Committee's report documents the U.S. General Services Administration's (GSA) mishandling of the Poff Building renovation from its failure to follow fundamental procedures designed to prevent government waste to its failure to properly plan and to anticipate and manage the project. The report also highlights GSA's efforts to dodge concerns from the local community and from Congress.

Below are statements from Chairman Goodlatte and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), the Committee with jurisdiction over GSA.

Chairman Goodlatte: "One simple phrase can sum up the renovation of the Poff Federal Building in Roanoke -- it's a hallmark in waste. In 2009, it was announced that nearly $51 million of taxpayer money would be spent to make the Poff Federal Building more energy efficient. However, the project has instead resulted in ballooning costs and an overall lack of transparency, unresponsiveness, and dismissal of the public's concerns.

"As the Committee recently learned, problems with GSA's responsiveness and management of facilities are not isolated. Issues at the Poff Federal Building in Roanoke are symptomatic of widespread deficiencies in GSA's service and wasteful spending decisions throughout the nation.

"The report issued today clearly outlines the major issues with the project, including the ever increasing costs of the renovation, the lack of a thorough cost benefit analysis of the project, the process that GSA used to award contracts for the project, and the failure of GSA to meet the needs of the tenants. The Poff Federal Building is a prime example of the kind of wasteful spending in Washington that must be eliminated. It is critical that we continue to ensure that taxpayer money is spent wisely and that GSA is held accountable for this boondoggle."

Chairman Shuster: "The Administration wasted millions of stimulus dollars in its rush to "green' federal buildings without congressional input. Chairman Goodlatte's report chronicles the misguided spending and costly mistakes of the Administration's stimulus program at a single courthouse in Virginia. The General Services Administration can and should do better."

Key Findings of the House Judiciary Committee Report:

-GSA failed to properly plan and squandered millions of taxpayer dollars.

-GSA violated federal contracting law & undermined public confidence by foolishly offering to pay a maximum sum for the Poff project.

-GSA's misfeasance prevented the implementation of important security, building code, and life safety improvements.

-The Poff project repeatedly impacted the ability of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia to administer justice and negatively impacted the ability of the Roanoke Veterans Affairs Regional Office to serve veterans.

-GSA attempted to avoid accountability by refusing to fully address questions from the Roanoke community, the press, and Virginia's representatives in Washington, D.C.

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