Coburn Says Treasury Reply to Data Request Was 'Inaccurate and Incomplete'

I am writing you today requesting clarification on why certain conference expenditure data from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was omitted from the department's response to my request for all conference expenditure data from the Department of Treasury.

On April 16, 2012, I wrote to then-Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner requesting a full listing of all conferences attended by department employees during fiscal years 2010, 2011, and 2012, including the title, location, date, and number of employees who attended. Additionally, the letter requested a full listing of conferences that received financial support from the agency, including those where it was the primary host, a sponsor, or provided some other support.

In response, Treasury provided a list titled "Treasury Departmental Offices Overnight Conferences (1/1/2005 - 6/1/2012) Attended by 50 or more Treasury Staff." On that list, there were only five conferences, with a total cost under $500,000. Only one of these conferences took place during the time period requested in the letter. None were related to the IRS or its employees.

In an accompanying letter, the Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs assured me that the agency was "keenly aware of the need to safeguard limited taxpayer resources," and highlighted several steps the agency was taking to cut back on conference costs.

Recent news reports indicate that the IRS, the largest component of the Department of Treasury, spent some $50 million on hundreds of conferences over the same three year period as the letter request. This information appears to be very relevant to the initial request, but we did not receive it.

In light of these reports, it appears that the response provided by Treasury was inaccurate and incomplete. It did not include any information regarding the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), while we now understand IRS spent $50 million on conferences during this time period.

I have attached my initial letter for your review. In light of recent events, I request your department re-examine its files and ensure that it has shared with me all data responsive to my initial request.

Additionally, I am referring this matter to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) to review why the IRS conference data was omitted from the response.

Between 2000-2006. the federal government spent more than $2 billion on government conferences. As part of an effort to learn more and to update information about these ongoing costs, please provide me with the following information for Fiscal Years 2010, 2011 and 2012:

Please provide this information in hard copy and electronic and searchable format to Kathryn Edelman on my staff. Please contact Kathryn at 202/224-7496 or Kathryn_Edelman@hsgac.senate.gov if you have any questions. I look forward to getting a response no later than May 15, 2012.

I am writing in response to your letter requesting materials about government-funded conferences and travel costs. Your letter raises important issues related to the expenditure of funds and the stewardship of public money. As the agency responsible for managing the finances of the federal government, we are keenly aware of the need to safeguard limited taxpayer resources.

As a department, we have taken care to be judicious in expenditures on travel and meetings. Indeed, over the last several years, we have instituted a number of new policies and technologies that have significantly reduced travel- and conference-related costs. As a result, travel costs in FY 2012 Q1 were 40 percent below the same expenses for FY 2010 Q1. Improvements include:

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need any additional data or have questions about the enclosed information.

Director, Conference Events and Meeting Services

Deputy Director, Special Events and Conferences