News & Opinion

The Veterans Affairs Department held 948 conferences attended by 50 or more employees between January 2009 and June 2012, according to a contract notice posted Friday on the Federal Business Opportunities website seeking outside help analyzing the department’s conference planning and spending practices after VA Secretary Eric Shinseki ordered a comprehensive review. Read more »

Representative Jeff Miller paid a visit to the Jobs Plus One-Stop Center in Fort Walton Beach on Thursday. The Congressman asked for the the tour, as part of an effort to improve services for job seekers. Read more »

Did the Department of Veterans Affairs overspend – and waste taxpayer dollars -- last summer when it paid $5 million for two training conferences in Orlando? Read more »

The Veterans Affairs Department paid $52,000 to produce a video parodying the war movie “Patton” that was shown at two training conferences last year. The spending and contracting associated with the two conferences — which had a combined price tag of $5 million — are now subject of an inspector general’s investigation. Read more »

Ever since news broke earlier this year about the General Services Administration spending $823,000 on a conference in Las Vegas, we have wondered whether this was just a GSA thing, or were there other examples of large amounts of travel spending elsewhere in the federal government. Read more »

It turns out the General Services Administration isn’t the only government agency throwing opulent events on the taxpayer’s dime. Expenditures at two conferences held in Orlando last year for Human Resources employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs totaled up to $9 million, according to an investigation by the House Veterans Affairs Committee. Among these expenditures were $84,000 for branded promotional items, such as pens, $3,000 for two event photographers, and a whopping $52,000 to produce a pair of eight-minute videos spoofing the film “Patton” that were shown at the conferences. The videos, provided by the committee, are below. Read more »

The Veterans Affairs Department allegedly spent $52,000 to produce an 18-minute video parodying the movie “Patton” as part of two training conferences now being investigated for wasteful spending. Read more »

Gen. George Patton probably would not be pleased with a parody video paid for with tax dollars by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). But there is no doubt about where U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa stands on it. Read more »

It turns out the General Services Administration isn’t the only government agency throwing opulent events on the taxpayer’s dime. Read more »

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs spent about $5 million for conferences that are drawing scrutiny from Congress and the agency's internal watchdog amid concern about potentially lavish government conferences and improper gifts to planners. Read more »