It makes my Spend Management blood boil to read this article in the Washington Times about how some Federal employees have taken it upon themselves to define their own travel policies and stick tax payers with the bill. If true, some of the suggestions in here feel downright criminal. To frame the context of the story, taxpayers “spent $2.8 billion in 2009 just on hotel rooms for federal employees … When these expenses are combined with airfare, meals and pocket money given to federal employees, the total cost to taxpayers was $13.1 billion.” This spend included stays in five-star hotels, among others. But that’s not the real issue — sometimes a five star hotel can be the same price or less than a four star. It all depends on the negotiated rate and availability inventory (for sites like Priceline and Hotwire).
No, the real issue that makes me angry as a taxpayer and spend-focused government watch dog are stories like the following. Consider how, “The Securities and Exchange Commission, for example, frequently sent employees overseas on first- or business-class airplane tickets that cost taxpayers up to $10,000 each.” …
