The GSA spending scandal that led to several resignations of top officials has sparked a broader effort to probe federal-wide agency spending on “commemorative” items such as coins, cuff links, and other trinkets top officials throughout the government hand out.
The public interest group Cause of Action told Secrets that they delivered Freedom of Information Act demands to 28 federal departments and agencies. Their goal is to expose the total federal budget spent on trinkets which could be in the tens of thousands of dollars.
It comes on the heels of an internal probe of the General Services Administration’s $832,000 training conference in Nevada that featured a mind reader, a clown and $6,325 on commemorative coins. The department’s administration and other top officials were ousted in the scandal that has embarrassed the Obama administration.
“Our economy is facing a recession, our government can’t pass a budget, and federal agencies are choosing to spend taxpayer dollars on trinkets for their employees or third parties,” said Dan Epstein, executive director of Cause of Action. “Instead of preserving our tax dollars for necessary spending, these agencies have traded coin for coins that hold no value. This is yet another example of frivolous and wasteful government spending that deserves to be exposed.”
Coins, cuff links and even golf balls are popular trinkets that federal agency officials hand out, as does the White House. The White House, however, is not being targeted.
The agencies receiving Cause of Action’s FOIA demand are:
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General
- U.S. Department of Defense
- U.S. Department of Defense Office of Inspector General
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General
- U.S. Department of Labor
- U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General
- U.S. Department of Energy
- U.S. Department of Energy Office of Inspector General
- U.S. Department of Education
- U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General
- U.S. Department of State
- U.S. Department of State Office of Inspector General
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General
- U.S. Department of Transportation
- U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General
- U.S. Department of Interior
- U.S. Department of Interior Office of Inspector General
- U.S. Department of Treasury
- U.S. Department of Treasury Office of Inspector General
- U.S. Department of Commerce
- U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General
