WASHINGTON D.C. - Citizen Works today echoed Rep. Henry Waxman's (D-Calif.) concerns (expressed in a letter to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld) that Halliburton, one of the leading contractors in the war on terrorism, has itself conducted business with countries that sponsor terrorism. Waxman asked Rumsfeld whether the Defense Department was aware of Halliburton's work in Iran, Iraq, and Libya and whether the Department is taking any steps "to ensure that taxpayer dollars do not go to companies that do business with state sponsors of terrorism." (For the complete text of Waxman's letter, go to http://www.house.gov/reform/min/pdfs/pdf_inves/pdf_admin_halliburton_contract_april_30_let.pdf

"It's extremely troubling that our government is using taxpayer money to deliver lucrative contracts to companies like Halliburton that have used offshore subsidiaries to maneuver around restrictions on doing business with state sponsors of terrorism," said Charlie Cray, director of Citizen Works' Campaign for Corporate Reform.

Citizen Works supports efforts to enact contractor responsibility standards to ensure that taxpayer money does not go to corporations that avoid paying taxes, have a history of violations of law, or conduct business with state sponsors of terrorism.

For a Citizen Works backgrounder on Halliburton see: http://www.citizenworks.org/corp/halliburton.php

For a Citizen Works backgrounder on corporate abuses of offshore tax havens see: http://www.citizenworks.org/corp/tax/taxbreif.php