Federal workers abuse purchase cards at public expense

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Federal employees are running amok with government credit cards, making thousands of personal purchases at the public’s expense.

The ongoing spending spree — ranging from fitness centers and hair salons to movie theaters and Starbucks — came to light Tuesday during a congressional hearing on Capitol Hill.

Florida Republican Rep. John Mica, chairman of the Government Operations subcommittee, told Watchdog.org the level of unchecked spending via Government Purchase Cards was “startling.”

Inspectors at the Department of Homeland Security, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Labor acknowledged widespread abuse and lack of controls.

After Hurricane Katrina in 2007, DHS audits found that the sprawling agency was exposed “to fraud and abuse in purchase card use.”

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