Obama to eliminate no-bid contracts in Iraq – BBC

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: U.S. President Barack Obama vowed on Tuesday to eliminate no-bid contracts that he said wasted billions of dollars in Iraq, and to reform the U.S. defence budget, the BBC said on Wednesday. “We’ll eliminate the no-bid contracts that have wasted billions in Iraq, and reform our defence budget so that we’re not paying for Cold War-era weapons systems we don’t use,” Obama said in advance excerpts from an address to a joint session of Congress. Republicans said Mr Obama’s plans were “wasteful”, saying they spent “money we do not have on things we do not need”. “Mr Obama has seen Congress pass a $787bn (£545bn) economic stimulus plan and is preparing to announce a budget,” the BBC reported. Reviews of US involvement in both Iraq and Afghanistan were currently ongoing, the president said, and would soon deliver their results. SH (P) 1