Replies to post #274177 on Tornado Alley (PROG)

[BOREALIS]

Dem brings paper towels to House floor to mock Trump’s Puerto Rico response

By Cristina Marcos - 10/24/17 05:43 PM EDT

https://youtu.be/zOseckvOpf4

A House Democrat presented a pack of paper towels on the House floor Tuesday as he lamented the Trump administration’s response to the damage caused by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.) said someone sent the paper towels to his office without explanation shortly after President Trump returned from his trip to Puerto Rico earlier this month.

The anonymous sender incidentally chose Viva brand paper towels, which translates in Spanish to the imperative conjugation of “to live.”

“I guess there’s a little irony, maybe because it’s in Spanish,” Gutiérrez said as he held up the 12-roll pack of paper towels.

Gutiérrez, whose family is from Puerto Rico, suggested perhaps the sender was taking a cue from Trump, who threw rolls of paper towels into a crowd during his Puerto Rico visit.

“Maybe after watching the president entertain himself by tossing paper towels at hurricane victims in Puerto Rico, some well-intentioned person thought that giving paper towels to Puerto Ricans was an appropriate sign of respect, the gift you give to Puerto Ricans after a major disaster to kind of cheer us up,” Gutiérrez said. “Viva!”

After returning from Puerto Rico for the second time in the last month, Gutiérrez said, “I can tell you one thing for sure: We need a lot more than paper towels from the president and this Congress.”

He then cast the paper towels onto the House floor and pointed to a poster with photos of the devastation in Puerto Rico.

“Of course the president said he gave himself a '10.' Tell that to the people who have to live there for weeks,” he said.

The official death toll from Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico rose to 51 on Tuesday. Many residents still remain without water and electricity.

The Senate is expected to clear a $36.5 billion package of disaster aid, including for Puerto Rico, later Tuesday for Trump’s signature.

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/356984-dem-brings-paper-towels-to-house-floor-to-mock-trumps-puerto-rico

[BOREALIS]

That $300 million no-bid contract for Puerto Rico forbids any government audit or review

By Mark Sumner
Friday Oct 27, 2017 · 7:57 AM CST



Whitefish Energy, the two-person, office-free company that landed a $300 million contract to repair the 2,400 miles of Puerto Rico’s electric lines, got more than just a big check, they got a very nice clause in their contract.
A leaked copy of the contract [ http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4113619-Whitefish-Contract-Signed-10-17-Copy.html#document/p1 ] ( "Not Found' ) includes a section on just who has access to the records kept by Whitefish in carrying out the work.
That list includes:

PREPA, The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the FEMA Administrator, the comptroller general of the United States, or any of their authorized agents …

Which seems like a reasonable enough list. Except that tucked in a couple of sentences below is something that unwinds most of that authority:

In no event shall PREPA, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the FEMA Administrator, the comprtoller general of the United States, or any of their authorized representatives have the right to audit or review the cost and profit elements of the labor rates specified herein.

Since Whitefish doesn’t exist as a physical company, everything it’s doing is in the form of billing for subcontractors at rates that often exceeds $400 an hour along with daily charges for food and lodging. The contract makes those rates beyond review.

That clause makes it impossible for anyone to tell how much Whitefish is actually paying its workers and how much it is pocketing. It makes almost every line item under the contract proof against review.

There are a few items of the contract that can be seen.

$332.41 per person for accommodations *each day*

$79.82 per person for food *each day* pic.twitter.com/jX51fRDZWf https://twitter.com/kenklippenstein/status/923738930662510592/photo/1
— Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) https://twitter.com/kenklippenstein/status/923738930662510592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
October 27, 2017

Actually, those per diem rates for food and lodging are only what Whitefish bills. What they actually spend on their workers isn’t clear.

Which the crux of the matter. Whitefish has nothing, so their expenses are primarily in the form of paying workers they send to Puerto Rico. By hiding what they actually pay those workers, the profit Whitefish makes from the contract becomes invisible.

It’s worth noting that the contract includes standard language about equal opportunity and union representation. However, there’s scant evidence that Whitefish is following any of these rules, since their entire operation seems to consist of a couple of telephones in Montana.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/10/27/1710275/-That-300-million-no-bid-contract-for-Puerto-Rico-forbids-any-government-audit-or-review#read-more

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House panels investigating $300M Puerto Rico power grid contract

By Timothy Cama - 10/26/17 04:12 PM EDT

http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/357383-house-panels-probe-300m-puerto-rico-power-repair-contract
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Lawmakers asking why small Montana business landed $300M Puerto Rico power restoration contract

Oct 26, 2017, 1:12 AM ET

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/lawmakers-small-montana-business-landed-300m-puerto-rico/story?id=50682108
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Congress to investigate deal that awarded $300M contract to Trump donor

By Mark Sumner
Wednesday Oct 25, 2017 · 9:15 AM CST

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/10/25/1709718/-Congress-to-investigate-deal-that-awarded-300M-contract-to-friend-of-Ryan-Zinke
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Lawmakers seek probe of power contract to Zinke neighbor
By Matthew Daly?|?AP October 24

WASHINGTON — Members of Congress from both parties on Tuesday called for an investigation into a $300 million contract awarded to a small company based in Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s hometown of Whitefish, Montana.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/democrat-urges-probe-of-power-contract-to-zinke-neighbor/2017/10/24/44124fd8-b8fd-11e7-9b93-b97043e57a22_story.html?utm_term=.b329703e6da3