A program intended to give financial assistance to “socially
disadvantaged” farmers is riddled with “broad and pervasive
mismanagement,” leading the U.S. Department of Agriculture inspector
general to question millions of dollars in taxpayer funds. The Office of Advocacy and Outreach (OAO), established by the 2008
Farm Bill, administered $38 million in grants in fiscal years 2010 and
2011. The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) found no supporting
documentation for any of the grants issued in those years, and suggested
that the USDA may have awarded them in violation of federal law. “OIG found a pattern of broad and pervasive mismanagement of OAO grant funds in FYs 2010 and 2011,” the audit
said. “This occurred because grant approval processes were informal and
undocumented and regulatory processes were disregarded.” Among the audit’s findings included $20 million in “potential”
Anti-Deficiency Act violations issued under the OAO’s Socially
Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Program, also known as Section 2501. The report found that the office issued grants to applicants “who may
not have been the most meritorious,” did not monitor grant spending,
and did not ensure that recipients followed regulations. The OIG questioned the program’s grants because the USDA did not use a competitive process, despite it being required by law. The OIG found similar problems with the program in prior audits, noting
that lack of oversight of the program, nepotism, and conflicts of
interest have been a “consistent theme.”...more
Issues of concern to people who live in the west: property rights, water rights, endangered species, livestock grazing, energy production, wilderness and western agriculture. Plus a few items on western history, western literature and the sport of rodeo... Frank DuBois served as the NM Secretary of Agriculture from 1988 to 2003. DuBois is a former legislative assistant to a U.S. Senator, a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Interior, and is the founder of the DuBois Rodeo Scholarship.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment