The U.S. General Services Administration is under scrutiny this week after the Inspector General released a report on its 2010 conference and training session that featured a "mind reader" and lavish after-hour receptions in resort suites for federal workers.
But the highlight of the conference may have been the music video with tongue-in-cheek references to lavish government spending created by a Honolulu-based federal worker who took home the GSA talent award.
On its website Opens in a new tab, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform included the video by Hawaii GSA employee Hank Terlaje.
The committee labels the video "Winning Video Skit from Taxpayer Funded Luxury Las Vegas GSA Convention Opens in a new tab."
Lawmakers are looking into the agency following the Inspector General’s report criticizing the lavish conference in October 2010 near Las Vegas that cost more than $820,000.
The White House accepted GSA chief Martha Johnson’s resignation after she dismissed two deputies and suspended other career employees over the conference.
Terlaje’s talent award-winning video shows him singing about what he would do if he were head of the agency. The video is titled "Federal Worker ‘American Idle’" and is set to the tune of "Billionaire" by Travie McCoy and Bruno Mars.
The video depicts Terlaje sitting in an office cubicle, playing an ukulele and daydreaming about all the spending he would do if he were GSA commissioner and how he would never be subject to an investigation by the Inspector General. The daydream ends when a co-worker drops a stack of paperwork on his desk.
The emcee at the Las Vegas awards ceremony, identified by the committee as Deputy Commissioner of the Public Building Service David Foley, presents the singer with a hat and jokes that he should pay for the party that was held in the commissioner’s suite.
When reached by the Star-Advertiser on Friday, Terlaje, originally from Guam, said he had "no comment" regarding the video. Co-workers on Friday confirmed that Terlaje is still an employee at the GSA office in Honolulu, but he was not working Friday. They were unable to make further comments.
"I saw the video produced by the Hawaii General Services Administration office, and I must say it was not in good taste. I’m not sure what purpose it served," Sen. Daniel K. Inouye said Friday in a statement.
"It was surprising to say the least but not indicative of the experience I have had with the agency throughout my career. I have always known the GSA to deliver on their promises in a timely and efficient manner. I have never known them to be wasteful.
"The agency’s administrator has resigned and the region nine administrator has been terminated. The Inspector General’s office is continuing its investigation into this indefensible behavior, which has placed a cloud over GSA’s mission and the important work they do for the federal employees in Hawaii and our nation," Inouye said.
Calls made to GSA’s Pacific Rim Region office Friday were transferred to the national office in Washington, D.C., which responded that it would not able to answer questions regarding the nature of the video until Monday.
Terlaje works with GSA’s Public Buildings Service, whose office is located at 300 Ala Moana Blvd. in the Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Federal Building. The building’s sign was featured in the video, with Terlaje posed sitting and standing atop it.
In addition to the Inspector General’s report, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee are starting investigations of the agency’s wasteful spending.
Congressional investigators reported Friday the agency developed an employee awards program that spent more than $438,000, far exceeding the agency’s per-gift limit of $99.
Investigators for the House Transportation panel said the "Hats Off Program" initially gave out items of nominal value. Over time, the awards became iPods, digital cameras, GPS devices and other electronics. The spending occurred between fiscal years 2007 and 2010, the report said.
The GSA, the real estate agency for federal buildings, said in a statement that the program has ended. "Operations have been suspended pending a continuing top down review of all spending," the statement said.
The House transportation panel has scheduled a hearing for April 19 to examine spending habits at the agency.
"To see a misuse of taxpayers’ dollars at any time is appalling and irresponsible, but now when our families are watching every penny is beyond belief," U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono said in a statement Friday. "The people of Hawaii, as well as the many dedicated federal workers who work so hard every day, expect our tax dollars to be spent wisely, and they deserve better than this."
Terlaje’s musical pursuits go back to at least 2005 when his reggae-inspired band called the Trade Roots first created a MySpace profile to showcase their work. The page boasts more than 10,000 views but has not seen action since early 2009.
An online search on Friday for the controversial video showed that it was first uploaded to YouTube on July 10, 2010, by a user with the moniker "traderoots," but clicking on the link leads to an error message reading, "This video is no longer available because the uploader has closed their YouTube account."
