Just returned from a weekly conservative bloggers' meeting at
the Heritage Foundation, where the guest was GSA Administrator
Lurita Doan, about whom I have blogged here several times in the
past. She is under fire from Henry Waxman (reason enough to rally
around her!), in one of Waxman's regular witch hunts. Anyway, I had
never met Ms. Doan before today's briefing, but I came away from it
more convinced than ever that she is the real deal. Rarely have I
met an administrator more excited about cutting waste, improving
efficiency, bolstering service, and better using the resources of
government where they can be better used rather than letting them
be wasted.
The GSA is huge. Doan said that it is the world's largest
landlord, the world's largest credit card service, the world's
largest fleet service with about 190,000 vehciles, and the world's
largest consrvator of art, among other things. She came in and
immediately tried to get rid of a deficit by targeted cuts
amounting to about 9% of the total budget. "Trips to Australia and
Kuala Lumpur," she explained, would no longer be par for the
course. And so on. Good for her.
Waxman's hearing about utterly piddly complaints about her
management will be next Tuesday. Conservatives should provide
support for her before and after the hearing.