Schakowsky Calls on U.S. Government to Open the Books on Private Military Contractors

Schakowsky Calls on U.S. Government to Open the Books on Private Military Contractors

Washington, D.C---U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky, a Chief Deputy Whip and member of the House Intelligence Committee, renewed calls to bring oversight and transparency to private military contractors after the Iraqi government revoked Blackwater's license to operate inside Iraq. Schakowsky, who has been a leading advocate in Congress for oversight of the industry, released the following statement today in response to the Iraqi government's decision.

"This is not the first time that Blackwater's actions have raised serious concerns about the role of military contractors and the lack of oversight and transparency in the industry. Blackwater has been able to operate freely in Iraq for years where their employees have been accused of instigating lethal gunfights and even giving orders to uniformed U.S. military. The Bush Administration has encouraged the use of private military contractors and has allowed them to operate completely unchecked.

I support the Iraqi government's decision to subject Blackwater's actions to the scrutiny of the legal process. I hope their action causes the Administration to rethink its reliance on private military contractors and its failure provide proper oversight and to share information about their activities with Congress and the public. I have been leading efforts in Congress to bring more oversight and transparency to the use of private military contractors.

My bill, the Iraq and Afghanistan Sunshine Contractor Act, would give Congress access to these contracts for the first time. Some of the provisions from my bill were included in the Defense Authorization Bill, which passed the House and is now awaiting consideration in the Senate.

We must act now and show the Iraqi people that we are serious about reining in private military contractors. For much too long, there has been a perception that private military contractors are somehow outside or above the law. Today, I am calling on our government to take action on this issue immediately. We cannot continue to allow Blackwater and other private military contractors to run roughshod over the law and jeopardize the safety, security and well-being of the U.S. military and the Iraqi people."

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H.R. 897 — THE IRAQ AND AFHANISTAN CONTRACTOR SUNSHINE ACT

H.R. 897 would require the Department of Defense (DoD), Department of State (DoS), Department of Interior (DoI), and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide Congress with copies of contracts in excess of $5 million. H.R. 897 would also require those agencies to report the number of contractors and subcontractor employed in Iraq and Afghanistan, the costs of those contracts, the number of dead and wounded contractors, any laws that have been broken by contractors and any disciplinary actions that have been taken against contractors.

The bill allows for sensitive parts of these contracts to be delivered to Congress with a classified annex. H.R. 897 was introduced on February 2, 2007 and currently has 38 bipartisan cosponsors.