OMB Gets Tough on Misuse of Government Credit Cards

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But the GAO report suggested that government-wide policies on how agencies should monitor credit-card use need to be improved. It cited numerous instances in which employees and their bosses were not held accountable for questionable purchases.

The GAO estimated that 41 percent of purchase-card transactions were not properly authorized, for example. Agencies also could not account for about $1.8 million worth of goods identified in the audit, such as cameras and computers, that employees may have diverted to personal use.

As an example of the weak controls at some agencies, the GAO cited a Navy employee who purchased more than $900 of general office supplies on a government credit card. As part of the purchase, the employee bought a digital camera for $400 and an iPod for $200.

The employee, the official who ordered the office supplies and the official who approved the purchase "had no recollection of requesting or receiving" the iPod, the GAO said.

Asked to determine whether the camera and the iPod had been converted to personal use or stolen, the Navy told the GAO that the items "were not reported on a property tracking system and therefore could not be located."

Stephen Barr's e-mail address isbarrs@washpost.com.

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