This is a rush transcript from "Your World," May 25, 2012. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
ERIC BOLLING, GUEST HOST: The party’s over? GSA Administrator Jeff Neely has finally left the agency after being suspended last month for mishandling government funds. But that hasn’t stopped some federal judges from planning a trip to here, Maui. The trip is starting in a few weeks, price tag, one million of your dollars.
Republican Virginia Congressman Randy Forbes with us now.
Congressman, a lot of Americans staying home this weekend because they don’t have the money to get away. So, should we be outraged by these getaways?
REP. RANDY FORBES, R-VA.: Well, Eric, we should be.
But the big thing that we should be concerned about is kind of this growing corruption and culture of arrogance that we’re seeing in these agencies. It’s starting at the top and permeating down, where they’re -- it’s just the wrong priorities.
When they are cutting defense, as you know, dismantling that, they’re give 150,000 to 200,000 pink slips to our active-duty men and women in uniform, putting thousands of dollars on our veterans’ family. And then what do we see? We see them dressing up like clowns, swimming in hot tubs, hiring prostitutes.
I think the American people are just saying, we have got to change that whole culture.
BOLLING: Right.
Let’s talk about Mr. Neely. He stepped aside I guess today. But there are reports, I believe, Chairman Mica says that this gentleman may end up walking away with $100,000-a-year pension?
FORBES: Well, Eric, that is just ridiculous to see that happening. And we got to control the purse strings of a lot of these agencies if we’re going to reel them, because they’re just out of control. And some of these administrators are out of control. And we’re trying to do that in the House.
BOLLING: So what do we do here?
They go to Vegas. They spend money on sushi and clowns. And here we see -- we’re looking at a picture of Jeff Neely with a couple of glasses of wine. That is on our dime, right?
FORBES: It’s on your dime.
But the biggest thing again is we’re doing that in an overlap when we’re cutting out national defense and our men and women in uniform and putting more and more cost on the back of our veterans. And I think that what we have to do is continue to look at the appropriations process and cut out some of their funding, so we don’t allow them to do these kinds of things.
BOLLING: All right, but you’re certainly not suggesting we don’t -- I think have it’s important for administrators and for them to get away and in conference, right?
FORBES: Well, Eric, we’re not talking about whether they should have conference. Certainly, a lot of times we get some great ideas in these conferences.
What we’re talking about is when they get out of control and they don’t have any limits. And certainly it’s out of control when you’re spending money for hot tubs, $75,000 for the assembly of a bicycle, when you’re bringing in magicians, when you’re dressing up like clowns.
I don’t think anybody can say that that is reasonable or rational. And that’s certainly beyond the limits of what we want to see in our government today.
BOLLING: All right, Congressman, plus, there are per diems. We hand over taxpayer dollars to everyone who is assembling at these conferences, sometimes to $200, $300 a day per person.
FORBES: Well, one of the things we have got to do is get a better control of that. And that is throughout government, too. It’s not just in these conferences.
One of the things we are pushing for is, even with the Department of Defense, to get an audit into where those dollars are going, because taxpayers have a right to know where their dollars are going and to make sure we have got transparency on those issues. And I don’t think $300 a day per diem is going to be considered reasonable to most taxpayers across the country.
BOLLING: Well, that’s what we have you there for, Congressman. You keep an eye on these things, don’t you?
FORBES: We are fighting hard to do that, Eric.
And I think most American people are realizing that it’s important that get it changed around. And we’re going to be working hard to make sure that happens.
BOLLING: All right, Congressman, appreciate your time. Thank you for the work you are doing.
What are you doing this weekend? Its Memorial Day weekend.
FORBES: Eric, I’m doing something very special.
I’m going to spend it with our veterans at Amelia County. That’s just outside of Richmond, Virginia, at a veterans cemetery that we’re going to have a memorial service for our veterans, with wounded warriors and other veterans remembering those men and women who have given their lives so that you and I can celebrate this weekend.
BOLLING: Amen, sir. Thank you very much for doing that. And thank everyone that you see from us here at FOX News.
FORBES: We will do it, Eric. Thank you.
BOLLING: All right, thank you.
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