FEMA contractor failed to deliver 30 million meals to Puerto Rico
Staff Writer |
A small FEMA-contracted firm failed to deliver 30 million emergency meals to hurricane victims in Puerto Rico, two Democratic House Reps. said.
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Atlanta-based Tribute Contracting's $156 million federal contract was terminated "with cause" after the one-woman firm delivered only 50,000 of the 30 million meals requested by FEMA, Reps. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., and Stacey Plaskett, D-Virgin Islands wrote in a letter to House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C.
The two Reps. called for Gowdy to issue a subpoena to FEMA seeking documents "relating to its failure to provide tens of millions of emergency meals" to Puerto Rico victims.
"It is difficult to fathom how FEMA could have believed that this tiny company had the capacity to perform this $156 million contract," Cummings and Plaskett wrote.
Tiffany Brown, the owner and sole employee of Tribute, said she was awarded the contract because she was able to submit a proposal to supply the 30 million meals "at the cheapest cost." She added FEMA was aware she was unable to independently finance the production and delivery of the meals in such a short timeframe.
Brown said she "worked 24 hours a day, 7 days a week" and subcontracted two companies, Cooking with a Star and Breedlove Foods, to try to fulfill the order but both companies stopped producing meals after they didn't receive payment in a timely manner.
A FEMA spokeswoman told CNBC there were "ample commodity supplies in the pipeline" at the time of Tribute's termination and food distribution wasn't affected. Brown was ultimately paid $255,000 for the 50,000 meals. ■
A hyperactive weather pattern will bring an expansive low pressure system across mainland U.S., resulting in widespread impactful weather to progress from west to east across the country through the next few days.