Just when you thought it couldn't get more interesting at the General Services Administration - it did - as the GSA evidently paid for over 100 interns to go to a week long conference at a Palm Springs, California resort.

Go ahead. Read that lead paragraph again.

"Interns in Congressional offices often work out of small storage areas or spaces cleared out in a hallway," said House Transportation Committee Chairman Rep. John Mica R-FL, adding that "they do not get sent to resorts and spas for a week on the taxpayers’ dime."

The May 2010 conference was at the Palm Springs Riviera Resort and Spa, which says on its web site that its own Starlite Lounge at the resort is on Playboy Magazine's list of "America's Greatest Bars."

Not only did the GSA run up the tab with interns, but also evidnetly used travel semantics to get around limits on food which are designed to hold down on travel costs by labeling certain food "light refreshments" in order to make sure it didn't count against the $71 daily per diem for food.

This was the Q&A by the Inspector General's office of the GSA with one GSA employee about the intern conference and its food arrangements:

GSA employee: Yeah. So I asked after the intern conference because I -- I was thinking about how much it must have cost for that stand-up finger food award thing. And it was –

IG’s office: I’m sorry. Which conference are we talking about?

GSA employee: Intern conference.

IG’s office: The intern conference.

IG’s office: Okay. Thank you.

GSA employee: And I estimated out of my mind that they spent $100 a person on finger food, and nobody had to deduct it off of their voucher. Nobody had to deduct it. And we spent $100 probably per person on finger food.

IG’s office: Because it wasn’t considered a meal?

GSA employee: Yeah.

IG’s office: When you call it light refreshments.

GSA employee: You call it light refreshments. They had pasta. How do you eat pasta with your fingers

IG’s office: Yeah.

GSA employee: They had a carver. How do you pick up prime rib with your fingers? They had oysters on the half shell. Yeah, you can pick them up, but why are we eating that?...

It was another preview of what's to come next week with hearings on the spending ways of the GSA.

"The extent of waste and misuse of taxpayer dollars by GSA appears to have no end,” said Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA), who demanded "serious action taken for this type of blatant waste of tax dollars."

Republicans on another panel meanwhile released data showing how much the GSA had spent on its Western Region Conferences in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010.

Western Region Conferences Review

Amounts identified as of Wednesday, April 11, 2012 at 11am

2010 GSA Western Regions Conference

Where:               The M Resort Spa Casino, Las Vegas, NV

When:                 10/25/10-10/29/10

Attendees:       280

 

Planning Costs1   :	$                  70,953
PlanningTravel:	$               101,710
Hotel/SiteCosts:	$               151,976
Other Event Costs:	$               188,826
Event Travel:	$               327,151
Total Cost	$               840,616

1$70,953 in planning costs includes $39,768.29 to the M Resort labeled as a Director's Meeting, Leadership Council Meeting, and Western Regions Conference planning.

2010 Definitions:

Planning Costs: Includes room rental and A/V equipment rental for 10 conference planning trips.

Planning Travel: Includes travel for 10 planning trips (1 in Denver, 2 in San Francisco, and 7 in Las Vegas).

Hotel/Site Costs: Includes food, A/V equipment rental, meeting rooms, business center, and airport shuttles.

Other Event Costs: Includes miscellaneous purchases such as printing materials, shipping, lanyards, shirts, and session facilitators/presenters.

2008 GSA Western Regions Conference

Where:               Marriott Convention Center, New Orleans, LA

When:                 10/20/08 - 10/25/08

Attendees:       268

Planning Costs:	None Found
PlanningTravel:	$                  43,224
Hotel/SiteCosts:	$               145,380
Other Event Costs:	$                  45,859
Event Travel:	$               420,562
Total Cost	$               655,025

Planning Travel: Includes 3 trips.

 

2006 GSA Western Regions Conference

Where:               Sheraton OKC, Oklahoma City, OK

When:                 6/5/06 - 6/9/06

Attendees:       210

Planning Costs:	$                    8,191
PlanningTravel:	$                  40,336
Hotel/SiteCosts:	$                  61,145
Other Event Costs:	$                  32,863
Event Travel:	$               181,320
Total Cost	$               323,855

Planning Travel: Includes 6 trips.

 

2004 GSA Western Regions Conference

Where:               Hilton Portland & Executive Towers, Portland, OR

When:                 8/23/04 - 8/27/04

Attendees:       262

Planning Costs:	$                  12,448
PlanningTravel:	$                  75,460
Hotel/SiteCosts:	$                  70,912
Other Event Costs:	$                  10,567
Event Travel:	$               231,637
Total Cost	$               401,024

Planning Travel:   Includes 3 trips.