The Nation - News from Dec. 27, 1988

Sen. William Proxmire (D-Wis.) made his final “Golden Fleece” award as a senator to the Federal Aviation Administration for wasting between $7 million and $22 million on an automation contract. He charged that the FAA awarded a $52.9-million contract for computer work based on faulty cost comparisons with the price of doing the job in-house. The Transportation Department’s inspector general said handling the duties in-house would have been cheaper. In addition, Proxmire said, veteran air traffic controllers went to work for the contractor at higher salaries, leaving the FAA with fewer and less experienced controllers.