From
http://www.house.gov/kingston/rls_Sodexho.htm
WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Jack Kingston (R/Ga-1)
has asked U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to reconsider allowing a
French company to continue to profit from feeding U.S. troops. In a letter
mailed March 28th, Congressman Kingston asked Secretary Rumsfeld to
"immediately review the contract between the United States Armed Services and
SODEXHO" and to "consider renegotiating all contracts with this French based
company."
Recently, the French owned company SODEXHO
signed an eight year, $881 million dollar contract to provide the meals for
U.S. Marines in 55 garrison mess facilities in the United States. "We urge you
to consider transferring this lucrative contract to a United States based firm
with emphasis on offering more contracts to small, disadvantaged, Veteran, and
minority owned businesses," Kingston wrote.
Kingston's letter to Secretary Rumsfeld was co-signed by 59 other Members of
Congress. "My colleagues and I abhor the idea of continuing to pour American
dollars into a French based firm when those dollars could be feeding our
wartime economy," Kingston stated in the letter. "Additionally, termination of
the relationship between SODEXHO and the US military will send a tangible
signal to the French government that there are economic consequences associated
with their international policies."
When gathering
co-signatures for the letter to the Defense Secretary, Kingston stated to all
other House Members, "I think you will agree that it is inconsistent for us to
continue to pour billions of dollars into the French economy in the face of the
recent French failures even to consider support of the U.S. position on the
disarming of Iraq. It is particularly disturbing that this French company
should benefit so much from a contract that serves our men and women in
uniform."
SODEXHO has reacted by saying thousands of
Americans could lose their jobs, but Rep. Kingston responds, "The bottom line
is that the jobs will remain in America, because the food for the U.S. Marine
garrisons will continue to be prepared and served in America, by Americans,
regardless of who would take over the contract."
Kingston said the reason he headed this effort has nothing to do with the
American employees of SODEXHO whom he calls "good, hardworking Americans." "It
has been a national pastime in France over the past four months to bash
America, and we've reached the point where we've had about all the bashing we
can stand.
I think it is an outrage that a French
company is profiting from feeding U.S. Marines, especially while the French
government continues to prop up Saddam's regime and allow its companies to
supply the Iraqi military." |
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Special thanks to the office of Congressman Jack
Kingston
http://www.house.gov/kingston
2242 Rayburn House Office
Building, Washington, D.C. 20515
Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee
Chairman Legislative Branch
Vice Chairman, House Republican Conference |
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| Other articles submitted and web sites by our
readers: |
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| http://www.publicintegrity.org/wow/bio.aspx?act=pro&ddlC=55 |
| http://www.sodexhousa.com |
| http://www.sodexhousa.com/military.asp |
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