In the 21st of a long series of hearings upon contractor abuse in Iraq, the Democratic Policy Committee looks at the case of burn pits at bases in Iraq. Burn pits are waste disposal mechanisms, and are by law intended to be used only as a temporary measure, but many bases continue to use the pits. The health risks come from the large clouds of toxic black smoke emitted into the open air. The Committee examines the adverse health effects upon troops, in addition to the failure of Kellogg, Brown and Root to create a better means of waste disposal.

The subject of the Qarmat Ali Water Plant was covered in two hearings, Hearing 44 in 2008 and Hearing 49 in 2009. Specifically, the hearing covered an incidence of poor water treatment by the contractor Kellogg, Brown and Root in which soldiers and civilians were exposed to hazardous amounts of sodium dichromate. The panel also documents KBR's use of a Cayman Islands subsidiary to avoid paying payroll taxes for its American employees. 

This hearing, the 17th in a series upon contractor fraud and waste by the Democratic Policy Committee, addresses the poor quality of contractor installed wiring in Iraq. The faulty wiring resulted in deaths of American soldiers by electrocution. Several witnesses at the hearing attest to the loss of their sons and also to the lack of safety in many of these buildings. The contractor Kellogg, Brown and Root of Halliburton is the core focus. 

This hearing discussed the abuses by contractors during the course of the Iraq War, and the subsequent mistreatment of those whistleblowers calling attention to the problem. Bunnatine Greenhouse, former top civilian contracting officer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, testified at the multiple and egregious contracting abuse. Ms. Greenhouse also discussed the consequences speaking out has had upon her job and on the contracting community as a whole.

In this hearing upon contracting abuse, the Committee hears testimony from one person – Mr. Charles Smith, Director of the Army's Field Contracting Division. Mr. Smith describes the contract he objected to in the case of Kellogg Brown and Root, and the summary removal from his position as a result. 

Chairman of the Democratic Policy Committee, Sen Dorgan, asks further questions upon the ways in which corruption and waste are undermining the U.S. mission in Iraq. From three witnesses, the Committee hears of the significant waste going on in Iraq, as well as the redirection of U.S. money into the hands of organizations which are fighting U.S. troops in the country. 

In response to reports in the media and from the Inspector General about contractor problems in Iraq, the Democratic Policy Committee held a series of meetings upon contractor-related issues, of which this is the fourth. A witness from the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq came to discuss the problems of management and oversight of reconstruction funds coming into the country. 

In a continuation of earlier hearings upon contract fraud and abuse by the company Halliburton, the Democratic Policy Committee invited several witnesses to this hearing to elaborate upon the subject. Two employees involved in contracting for Iraq reconstruction projects appeared, as well as a Washington law professor on procurement, and two executives from the Coalition for Government Procurement and the Project on Government Oversight, respectively. 

In a follow up to Hearing 27 of 23 January 2006 on water treatment in Iraq, the Committee hears testimony upon Halliburton's failure to provide safe water to U.S. troops in Iraq. A doctor, soldier from Iraq, and an advocacy group for troop health all testified before the Committee. 

In this hearing, the DPCC members discuss the readiness of the Iraq forces to take over positions from the United States. Particular attention is paid to the academies and training of Iraqi police and military forces. The report covers a mix of contractor training as well as U.S. military training of Iraqi forces. 

In the first of a long series of hearings upon contractor problems in Iraq, Senator Dorgan established his role as the lead Senate investigator for contractor waste in the reconstruction efforts. Members of the Committee all expressed concern for the methods in which contracts were being awarded, and found that the level of fraud and waste occurring in Iraq was unacceptable. 

In the sixth of a series of hearings upon contractor related abuses and fraud in Iraq, the Committee discusses the punishment of whistleblowers in the government. The people who have identified and revealed fraud faced retaliation from their employers. The Committee focuses upon the case of Bunnatine Greenhouse, who eventually lost her job for speaking out against the problems with contracting. 

In the first of a two part series on water treatment in Iraq (see Hearing 30), the Committee hears testimony upon Halliburton's failure to provide safe water to U.S. troops in Iraq. Several former Halliburton employees appear before the Committee to discuss the misconduct and deliberate failures of Halliburton to provide clean water to U.S. troops. 

In the 10th hearing upon contractor related fraud in Iraq, the Committee continues to investigate the practices of Halliburton and its subsidiary company, KBR in its contracting in Iraq. The hearings receives testimony from several former Halliburton employees upon contractor waste. It also discusses at length the accountability of Halliburton for the safety of its workers in the field. 

In this hearing, testimony from the senior contracting officer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers documents the extensive fraud and abuse conducted by Halliburton subsidiary KBR in their operations in Iraq. The hearing includes witnesses from a dining facility as well as a fuel supplier to Iraq. At the hearing, Senators Dorgan and Waxman released a report that included a recent review of Pentagon audits revealing the extent of Halliburton overcharges under the Restoring Iraqi Oil (RIO) and Logistic Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP) contracts. 

This hearing focuses upon the contractor Halliburton and its subsidiary, Kellogg Brown and Root in Iraq. The hearing discusses the widespread fraud and waste by the company, and interviews a procurement manager for Halliburton in Kuwait, an Army oil purchaser, and two other witnesses.