What to do with $139,000..If Your Ryan Zinke You Spend it on Doors

[bigtex]

WASHINGTON, March 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Interior spent $139,000 to fix three sets of doors in Secretary Ryan Zinke's office, a spokeswoman said on Thursday, a move quickly criticized as wasteful by activists.

Interior spokeswoman Heather Swift said that the project to fix the three double doors was requested by career facilities and security officials as part of a decade-long overhaul of the historic building, which was completed in 1936.

Zinke "was not aware of this contract but agrees that this is a lot of money for demo, install, materials, and labor," Swift said in an email about the work, first reported by the Associated Press.

Joe Nassar, the director of Interior's office of facilities, said the work was needed to stop water from coming into Zinke's office during rain storms, which was damaging wooden floors in the office. Nassar said bottom panels of the old doors had been temporarily fixed with cardboard and duct tape and were replaced by fiberglass doors with new locks.

Swift blamed the cost of the fix on rules for historic preservation and procurement.

Environmentalists decried the expense, which was more than double the median U.S. household income in 2017, according to the Census Bureau.

Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group, said, "Taxpayer dollars don't grow on trees, but Mr. Zinke and his fellow grifters in the Trump administration repeatedly raid the federal treasury like it does."

Zinke is being investigated by the U.S. Office of Special Counsel on whether be violated the Hatch Act, which bars executive branch employees from engaging in political activity, when he gave a speech to a professional hockey team owned by a political donor last year.

He is also being investigated by the Interior Department's inspector general in connection with travels and the use of private charter flights.

https://www.aol.com/article/news/2018/03/08/us-interior-dept-pays-dollar139000-to-fix-doors-in-zinkes-office/23381097/

[olyguy79]

#draintheswamp?

Come on Bigtex, it's Zinke, he's pro-hunting, he can do no wrong to the members of this site. 

[JimmyHoffa]

He just goes from one blunder to the next.  $139K, nobody in his chain raised any flags? 

[bigtex]

He just goes from one blunder to the next.  $139K, nobody in his chain raised any flags? 

Speaking of raising flags: "Interior Secretary Makes His Staff Raise a Special Flag When He's Around" http://time.com/4980898/ryan-zinke-interior-department-flag-ritual-donald-trump/ 

[Stein]

Hey, it's the sound of the swamp being drained.

[ctwiggs1]

Just think, those same doors probably would have been seven figures with the last administration.

Of course, they never got investigated because they just didn’t hire IGs.

 

Oh, Zinke sucks.

[olyguy79]

Just think, those same doors probably would have been seven figures with the last administration.

Of course, they never got investigated because they just didn’t hire IGs.

 

Oh, Zinke sucks.

Tell that to the people who have been investigated by Inspector Generals for the past decades. Each department has their own IG staffed by investigators.

[lord grizzly]

You guys have obviously never worked on any government contracts. I’ve literally seen guys get paid 80 bucks and hour to sweep the floor. You can thank your local union

[Knocker of rocks]

I’ve literally seen guys get paid 80 bucks and hour to sweep the floor. You can thank your local union

If he was getting $80/hour, he wasn't in a union

[JimmyHoffa]

You guys have obviously never worked on any government contracts. I’ve literally seen guys get paid 80 bucks and hour to sweep the floor. You can thank your local union

I've known guys with the national park that had to drive from a head quarters to more remote work location, just under 4 hrs each way.  Get there and do an hour of work, then drive back.  Park had a cabin there, but weren't authorized to use because of per diem.  Took 3 weeks to do a 2 day job.   

[bigtex]

You guys have obviously never worked on any government contracts. I’ve literally seen guys get paid 80 bucks and hour to sweep the floor. You can thank your local union

I've known guys with the national park that had to drive from a head quarters to more remote work location, just under 4 hrs each way.  Get there and do an hour of work, then drive back.  Park had a cabin there, but weren't authorized to use because of per diem.  Took 3 weeks to do a 2 day job. 

The NPS is famous for that.  They actually have a cap on how much each park can spend on travel/per diem each year.

[KFhunter]

Interior spokeswoman Heather Swift said that the project to fix the three double doors was requested by career facilities and security officials as part of a decade-long overhaul of the historic building, which was completed in 1936




So this was well in the works looooong before Zinky,  it's not like he was putting in rape doors and came up with this project all on his own.  Why all the fuss?

Still, I'm curious why so much $     That's a question for the facilities and security officials

[Knocker of rocks]

Still, I'm curious why so much $     That's a question for the facilities and security officials

Without knowing anything about the doors, it's impossible to guess.  Large, period correct double doors could run in the tens of thousands per set if they had to be custom made. 

[KFhunter]

Still, I'm curious why so much $     That's a question for the facilities and security officials

Without knowing anything about the doors, it's impossible to guess.  Large, period correct double doors could run in the tens of thousands per set if they had to be custom made.

Hence my curiosity, rather than condemnation.

[olyguy79]

So this was well in the works looooong before Zinky,  it's not like he was putting in rape doors and came up with this project all on his own.  Why all the fuss?

Maybe because Zinke has been the advocate for cuts within DOI, yet apparently he forgot to ask for cuts on his door replacement.