Waxman's committee shows how Blackwater saves taxpayer $100 millon per year

Great news for taxpayers: Blackwater is saving about $100 million of their hard-earned tax money, according to a Federal Times account of documents from Congressman Henry Waxman's probe of the company and to State Department figures.

At Waxman's October 2 hearing, the Federal Times reports, "Richard Griffin, assistant secretary for diplomatic security, told the committee it would cost at least $500,000 a year to field one security employee [in Iraq]. Griffin said the work was outsourced because the surge in security work was temporary and did not warrant the long-term costs of creating new federal positions."

"According to the committee, the average Blackwater employee costs the government $400,000 a year," the Federal Times says.

That means that Blackwater is saving the American taxpayer $100,000 per year per private diplomatic security contractor it puts in the field in Iraq. Blackwater fills about 1,000 private security contractor slots in Iraq. The math is simple: $100,000 in savings per guard times 1,000 guards equals $100,000,000 in savings per year.

But Waxman isn't interested in how much Blackwater saves the taxpayer. He insists on knowing how much profit Blackwater makes.

The cost-saving figures are a big story. So why did Federal Times reporter Elise Castelli bury this news at the bottom of her article? Here's her email address to get the answer: ecastelli@federaltimes.com.