Congress Moves To Tighten Control Of War Contractors
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
WASHINGTON — Emboldened by the Blackwater scandal, congressional Democrats are moving aggressively to tighten the reins on private contractors in Iraq.
The House will consider a bill this week by Rep. David Price that would make all contractors subject to prosecution by American courts. This would close what he says is a dangerous loophole that leaves State Department contractors immune to prosecution.
In the Senate, lawmakers passed a $672 billion defense policy bill yesterday that would require detailed administration reports on the government’s reliance of security contractors. The bill also would establish an independent commission to investigate waste, fraud, and abuse in wartime contracts. The political developments come as the FBI announced it would investigate the role Blackwater USA played in the September 16 shootout that killed 11 Iraqis.
