At the same time President Obama's budget was sent to the Congress on Wednesday, a House panel was giving one major department the third degree about its own spending habits, as the Justice Department acknowledged to lawmakers that it spent $54 million in 2012 just on conferences.
"The Department spent $600,000 on event planners for just five conferences," said Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI), joining fellow GOP lawmakers in accusing the feds of ignoring their own budget record while publicly complaining about automatic budget cuts that took effect in March.
"How much did you spend on conferences last year?" demanded Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC).
"How much did we spend on conferences last year? About $54 million," said Lee Lofthus, an Assistant Attorney General, who defended the Justice Department's record on conferences.
"Our efforts to control conference spending have been successful," Lofthus told the House Judiciary Committee, saying that $26 million in conference spending was cut in 2011, and another $7.8 million was cut in 2012.
But that bottom line figure of $54 million on conference spending seemed so large, that I actually went back and listened to the exchange several times, just to make sure I had written it down correctly.
It was $54 million.
Republicans said it was just the tip of the iceberg at the Justice Department.
"One law enforcement agency spent $116,000 over an 18 month period to buy high-end sunglasses," said Rep. Sensenbrenner, the derision almost visibly dripping from his lips onto the hearing room dais.
Republicans also pointed to a recent review of anti-crime grants, which said the Hartford, Connecticut Police Department used $10,000 of its grant funding for a pizza party and plaques.
"With our national debt over $16 trillion, no one can deny that our government has a spending problem," said Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
"During these tough budgetary times, there is no reason that the Justice Department should be using taxpayer dollars to provide $12 coffees at conferences," Goodlatte added.
As for the Justice Department's budget in 2014, the President's plan would give Justice a 3.1% increase, providing arond $27.6 billion.
That plan also funds the activation of several federal prisons that are currently empty, a point which Republicans noted repeatedly at the hearing, arguing the Congress never signed off on such plans.
