GAO: U.S. Spent $1.6 Billion on Ads, PR.(Government Accountability Office)

Broadcasting & Cable, February, 2006 by Eggerton, John

By John Eggerton Critics call the administration's expenses "unprecedented" and "disturbing" A new study by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the Bush administration has spent $1.6 billion on advertising and public relations since 2003, for items ranging from video news releases to embroidered bowling bags.

The study was requested in the wake of scandal involving Armstrong Williams, the conservative broadcaster paid by the administration to promote its No Child Left Behind education policy. It was released by a California-heavy group of Democrats, including Reps. Henry Waxman and Nancy Pelosi (both California). The study was limited to seven of 15 cabinet agencies and did not include subcontractors, so the figure...

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