HHS payment records for presidential appearances incomplete

The Health and Human Services Department paid the White House at least $250,000 for President Bush's participation in various events, but have scant data on what the charges covered, according to the General Accounting Office.

HHS entered into a memorandum of agreement with the White House, which required the department to pay more than $523,000 for the president's attendance at 15 agency events between January 2001 and January 2003. As of May, the department had been charged $252,000 for eight of the 15 events, which took place in various cities around the country, including Charlotte, N.C.; Columbus, Ohio; Milwaukee, Wis.; Pittsburgh, Chicago, Little Rock, Ark.; Charleston, S.C., and Washington, D.C. The bill for the Washington event totaled $20,878.

However, in the report (GAO-03-791R) compiled for Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., GAO discovered that HHS did not have records or invoices detailing the expenses despite a GAO mandate that all transactions be clearly spelled out and maintained in department financial records.

"The limited billing documentation provided by HHS included actual amounts charged by the White House to HHS for the events, the specific offices to be billed and generally brief descriptions of the subject matter covered during the events," the report said.

The watchdog agency also discovered that the president attended various political fundraising events that coincided with the HHS events.

GAO could not compare similar payments the department made to President Clinton because HHS records were incomplete. But GAO did identify about $100,000 in payments to Clinton for 37 events.

To remedy the situation, GAO recommended that HHS leaders develop a written policy requiring specific information from the White House regarding payments for presidential appearances, including copies of invoices or other itemized statements that provide detailed support for the final charges billed to the department. Department leaders should also ensure that the records are maintained and readily accessible for review, GAO said.

GAO said that HHS officials agreed with the recommendations.