The Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan is an independent, bipartisan commission of the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 government established in 2008 to study government contracting related to the Afghanistan War

War in Afghanistan (2001–present)

The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...

 and the Iraq War.

Background

The Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan was a response to allegations that billions of dollars had been misappropriated in Afghanistan and in Iraq

Iraq War misappropriations

Iraq War misappropriations refers to allegations that billions of dollars have not been properly accounted for or misappropriated during the Iraq War from funds released by the United States Congress for programmes, including the re-construction and re-building of Iraq, after the war...

. In response to these allegations, on July 18, 2007, Senators

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 Jim Webb

Jim Webb

James Henry "Jim" Webb, Jr. is the senior United States Senator from Virginia. He is also an author and a former Secretary of the Navy. He is a member of the Democratic Party....

 (D

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

—VA) and Claire McCaskill

Claire McCaskill

Claire Conner McCaskill is the senior United States Senator from Missouri and a member of the Democratic Party. She defeated Republican incumbent Jim Talent in the 2006 U.S. Senate election, by a margin of 49.6% to 47.3%. She is the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Missouri in her own...

 (D—MO) introduced a bill to create a commission modeled after the Truman Commission, which oversaw government contracting during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. Rep.

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 John F. Tierney

John F. Tierney

John F. Tierney is the United States representative for . He is a member of the Democratic Party and an advocate for liberal policies and government oversight. A former attorney, he has served since 1997....

 (D—MA-6

Massachusetts's 6th congressional district

Massachusetts's 6th congressional district is in northeastern Massachusetts. It contains most of Essex County, including the North Shore and Cape Ann. It is currently represented by John F...

) introduced a similar bill in the House in September 2007. These bills were subsequently endorsed by the Project on Government Oversight

Project on Government Oversight

The Project On Government Oversight , founded in 1981, is an independent non-profit organization in the United States which investigates and seeks to expose corruption and other misconduct. POGO assists whistleblowers and investigates federal agencies, Congress, and government contractors...

, Taxpayers for Common Sense

Taxpayers for Common Sense

Taxpayers for Common Sense is a nonpartisan federal budget watchdog organization based in Washington, D.C. in the United States. TCS is a 501 non-profit organization; its 501 affiliate is Taxpayers for Common Sense Action . The current president of TCS is Ryan Alexander...

, the Government Accountability Project

Government Accountability Project

The Government Accountability Project is a leading United States whistleblower protection organization. Through litigating of whistleblower cases, publicizing concerns and developing legal reforms, GAP’s mission is to protect the public interest by promoting government and corporate accountability...

, OMB Watch

OMB Watch

OMB Watch is a 501 nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. OMB Watch was formed by Gary Bass in 1983 to lift the veil of secrecy shrouding the White House Office of Management and Budget...

, Common Cause

Common Cause

Common Cause is a self-described nonpartisan, nonprofit lobby and advocacy organization. It was founded in 1970 by John W. Gardner, a Republican former cabinet secretary under Lyndon Johnson, as a "citizens' lobby" with a mission focused on making U.S. political institutions more open and...

, the Public Interest Research Group, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America , is an advocacy group dedicated to United States veterans of the War in Iraq and War in Afghanistan. The group claims to be the nation's first and largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization for veterans of the wars and has more than 200,000 Member Veterans...

.

This bill was passed as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008

National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 is a United States law to authorize funding for the defense of the United States and its interests abroad, for military construction, and for national security-related energy programs. In the signing statement, President George W...

, which was signed in to law by President of the United States

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

 George W. Bush

George W. Bush

George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....

 on January 28, 2008.

Membership

By statute, the commission is bipartisan and is made up of commissioners appointed by bipartisan officeholders. The following chart indicates the current make-up of the commission.

Name	Position	Office Appointed By	Individual Appointed By
Michael J. Thibault	Majority Co-Chair	Senate Majority Leader and Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Speaker of the United States House of Representatives The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, or Speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives... (jointly)	Harry Reid Harry Reid Harry Mason Reid is the senior United States Senator from Nevada, serving since 1987. A member of the Democratic Party, he has been the Senate Majority Leader since January 2007, having previously served as Minority Leader and Minority and Majority Whip.Previously, Reid was a member of the U.S...  and Nancy Pelosi Nancy Pelosi Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi is the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives and served as the 60th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011...
Chris Shays	Minority Co-Chair	Minority leader of the United States House of Representatives Minority leader of the United States House of Representatives The House Minority Leader is one of the party leaders of the United States House of Representatives. This title is currently held by Democratic Representative Nancy Pelosi of California....	John Boehner John Boehner John Andrew Boehner is the 61st and current Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. A member of the Republican Party, he is the U.S. Representative from , serving since 1991...
Clark Ervin Clark Ervin Clark Kent Ervin, currently the head of at the Aspen Institute, was the first Inspector General of the United States Department of Homeland Security . He was appointed on December 26, 2003, in a recess appointment by President George W. Bush. Prior to appointment, he had served as the acting...	Member	Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Speaker of the United States House of Representatives The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, or Speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives...	Nancy Pelosi Nancy Pelosi Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi is the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives and served as the 60th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011...
Grant S. Green, Jr. Grant S. Green, Jr. Grant S. Green, Jr. is a former United States soldier who has held offices in the United States Department of Defense and the United States Department of State.-Biography:...	Member	President of the United States President of the United States The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....	George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
Robert J. Henke	Member	Senate Minority Leader	Mitch McConnell Mitch McConnell Addison Mitchell "Mitch" McConnell, Jr. is the senior United States Senator from Kentucky and the Republican Minority Leader.- Early life, education, and military service :...
Katherine Schinasi	Member	Senate Majority Leader	Harry Reid Harry Reid Harry Mason Reid is the senior United States Senator from Nevada, serving since 1987. A member of the Democratic Party, he has been the Senate Majority Leader since January 2007, having previously served as Minority Leader and Minority and Majority Whip.Previously, Reid was a member of the U.S...
Charles Tiefer	Member	Senate Majority Leader	Harry Reid Harry Reid Harry Mason Reid is the senior United States Senator from Nevada, serving since 1987. A member of the Democratic Party, he has been the Senate Majority Leader since January 2007, having previously served as Minority Leader and Minority and Majority Whip.Previously, Reid was a member of the U.S...
Dov S. Zakheim	Member	President of the United States President of the United States The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....	George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....

External links

• Homepage of the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan