GOP Lawmaker Claims U.S. Government Wasting Tax Dollars On Unused Vehicles

A top U.S. lawmaker is concerned that the government isn’t using the vehicles it owns enough, potentially leading to a waste of taxpayer dollars for cars that are just sitting around. Representative John Mica, Florida Republican and Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Government Operations, sent a letter to the head of the General Services Administration (GSA) in early-September calling on the agency to turn over documents related to its stewardship of the federal vehicle fleet.

"In recent years, Congress and the President have raised concerns about the size and cost of the federal vehicle fleets," Mica said in a letter. Mica has asked for new documents after initial information provided to Congress raised concerns "as to whether GSA is doing enough to ensure the federal vehicle lease program is run in an efficient and cost-effective manner."

Data from the GSA and investigators has shown that many vehicles are being driven far less than some government standards. Out of the agency’s nearly 200,000 vehicles, roughly 47 percent are being driven less than 6,000 miles a year, according to Mica. "I assume that there may be legitimate reasons for maintaining certain apparently underutilized vehicles, such as those intended for law enforcement-related activities or patient care," Mica wrote. "But there is no effective process in place that allows for the identification of unnecessary leases or the quantification of excess fleet size."

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