Biden ramps up effort to root out wasteful spending following Justice report

The audit examined 10 Justice events in detail from those fiscal years, and found other examples of seemingly wasteful spending besides the $16 muffins. Dinners costing upward of $65 per person, well above per diem levels; cans of soda costing $5.57; and a conference where 66 participants received $30 per day of refreshments including popcorn, candy bars and ice cream.

Biden, who is heading up the Obama administration’s initiative —  Campaign to Cut Waste — to cut government waste and reduce spending met last week with the heads of the Departments of State, Homeland Security and Health and Human Services to announce ways the agencies have found to save money. 

Biden intends to meet in December with all agency heads and ask them what they are doing to hold down conference-related expenses while cutting waste in other parts of their operations.

On Tuesday, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) blasted the IG’s report and suggested that it be used by the congressional deficit-reduction committee to make the first cuts. 

Generally speaking, Justice officials agreed with recommendations from its inspector general, including that event planners used cost-benefit analysis to figure out whether free meeting areas that require food and drink purchases are worth the cost.