GSAwesome: Spending Your Money, Living Their Dream

Bankrupting America Launches New Tumblr Highlighting the Waste and Abuse at the GSA

Arlington, Va. – On the heels of a devastating investigative report finding more than $30 million in unreported bonuses were distributed by the General Services Administration (GSA) last year, Bankrupting America is launching a new satirical Tumblr, GSAwesome: Spending your Money, Living their Dream, to highlight the absurdity of the GSA’s disregard for taxpayer dollars at a time of high unemployment, massive debt and trillion dollar deficits.

The Tumblr will shed light on the repeated lapses in judgement by top GSA officials that led to millions of taxpayer dollars being wasted on frivolous perks for GSA employees.  It will also invite guests to submit their own memes based on the common theme prevalent at the GSA that no expense is too great when Americans are picking up the tab.  Click here to view the GSAwesome Tumblr.

Earlier this year it was uncovered that more than $800,000 taxpayer dollars were spent at a “luxury resort spa and casino” in Las Vegas, and a follow-up investigation found that the GSA also spent nearly $270,000 on a one-day awards ceremony outside of Washington, DC, which included nearly $21,000 for 4,000 drumsticks for attendees, $28,000 for “time temperature picture frames,” and $8,600 for an appearance by someone named “Agent X.”

As the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee holds part two of their hearings into the GSA’s use of taxpayer dollars to fund extravagant getaways, lavish accommodations and excessive gifts for GSA employees, Gretchen Hamel, executive director of Public Notice, issued the following statement:

“The waste and abuse we’re seeing at the GSA is symptom of a ‘spend it or lose it’ culture in Washington that has to change.  Families and businesses across this country are the ones who fund these junkets with their hard-earned tax dollars, and it’s time for Washington to be held accountable.  With millions of Americans still looking for work in these tough times, the lavish spending by the GSA – an agency whose mission is to improve government efficiency – shows Washington is completely disconnected from reality.  Everyone outside of Washington is tightening their belts just to make ends meet, and the GSA is spending $21,000 on drumsticks.”