Washington, D.C. – Congressmen John D. Dingell and Henry A. Waxman, Ranking Members of the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Government Reform respectively, issued the following statement in response to the Office of the Vice President’s combative non-response to the General Accounting Office’s (GAO) inquiry regarding the President’s Energy Task Force.

"It is disheartening to note that this Administration has taken such a confrontational stance with the GAO. GAO’s request, made at our behest, simply seeks to shed light on deliberations that were markedly kept from the public purview and then used as the basis to create a far-reaching national energy policy.

"The Office of the Vice President arrogantly seeks to obfuscate its stonewalling by challenging GAO’s authority. Presumably, Vice President Cheney has some familiarity with these matters from his prior government service.

"For the record: ‘The General Accounting Office is the investigative arm of Congress. GAO exists to support the Congress in meeting its Constitutional responsibilities and to help improve the performance and accountability of the federal government for the American people . . . GAO's activities are designed to ensure the executive branch's accountability to the Congress under the Constitution and the government's accountability to the American people. GAO is dedicated to good government through its commitment to the core values of accountability, integrity, and reliability.’ (from the GAO’s website, http://www.gao.gov)

"It is our sincere hope that the President’s Energy Task Force will quickly shed its shroud of secrecy and provide information to the people’s representatives."

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