General Services Administration Acting Administrator Dan Tangherlini publicly addressed the spending scandal at GSA in a video posted Tuesday on the agency’s blog.
Tangherlini, who replaced administrator Martha Johnson after she was forced to resign following an inspector general’s report over lavish spending at the 2010 Western Regions Conference.
“I speak for the overwhelming majority of GSA staff when I say we are shocked and deeply disappointed by these disappointing actions,” Tangherlini said.
Tangherlini said the agency is committed to doing everything to make the situation right, taking the following steps to make sure future misconduct doesn’t occur:
- Initiated an agency-wide review of all conferences and events, evaluating how resources are used and looking for ways to be more efficient.
- GSA’s regional “Hats Off” stores have been closed across the country with operations suspended pending a continuing top-down review of spending.
“As we ensure these actions never occur again, I also ask that you look to the future,” Tangherlini said. “There is a lot to be proud of in the work that GSA does everyday to help our government perform ever-more effectively and efficiently. We must continue that work from cloud computing to high-performance buildings; from shared IT services to supporting a fuel-efficient fleet. We have a strong record of delivering value and promoting efficiency.”
Video:
