The New York Times has an excellent story this morning on just how pervasive contractors have become in the Federal government. Government contracting is hardly a new phenomenon, nor is it necessarily inherently bad. However, it’s gone far beyond what seems reasonable and necessary. I encourage you to read the whole article, but here are some key bits:
The most secret and politically delicate government jobs, like intelligence collection and budget preparation, are increasingly contracted out, despite regulations forbidding the outsourcing of “inherently governmental†work. Scott Amey, general counsel at the Project on Government Oversight, a watchdog group, said allowing CACI workers to review other contractors captured in microcosm “a government that’s run by corporations.â€
[ . . . ]
The most successful contractors are not necessarily those doing the best work, but those who have mastered the special skill of selling to Uncle Sam. The top 20 service contractors have spent nearly $300 million since 2000 on lobbying and have donated $23 million to political campaigns.
[ . . . ]
Contracting almost always leads to less public scrutiny, as government programs are hidden behind closed corporate doors. Companies, unlike agencies, are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act. Members of Congress have sought unsuccessfully for two years to get the Army to explain the contracts for Blackwater USA security officers in Iraq, which involved several costly layers of subcontractors.
You’d think that the government would be trading all these negatives for a substantial upside, yes? Well . . .
[T]he government had made no effort to count contractors and no assessment of the true costs and benefits. “We have no data to show that contractors are actually more efficient than the government,†he said.
Perhaps they can contract out a study on that one.
Catzmaw
This is an extension of the present governmental (read Republican and neocon) philosophy that all government is bad and all things can be done better within the private sector. When you have a political philosophy that nothing good can come of government, that it is a mere necessary evil, then it’s a short leap to having the private sector do all things we normally rely on our government to do.
MB
I think you’re exactly right, CM.
What’s even more annoying is that all of this private contracting comes without any of the oft-claimed benefits of the private sector – there is no real competition here, no efficiency savings, and questionable flexibility.
In the end, it’s about keeping the money in the GOP ecosystem.