Chaffetz said, “It is entirely … inexplicable why the Department of Homeland Security needs so much ammunition.”The hearing itself was unusual, as questions about the department’s ammunition purchases until recently had bubbled largely under the radar — on blogs and in the occasional news article. But as the Department of Homeland Security found itself publicly defending the purchases, lawmakers gradually showed more interest in the issue.Chaffetz, who chairs one of the House oversight subcommittees holding the hearing Thursday, revealed that the department currently has more than 260 million rounds in stock. He said the department bought more than 103 million rounds in 2012 and used 116 million that same year — among roughly 70,000 agents.Comparing that with the small-arms purchases procured by the U.S. Army, he said the DHS is churning through between 1,300 and 1,600 rounds per officer, while the U.S. Army goes through roughly 350 rounds per soldier. Chaffetz noted that is “roughly 1,000 rounds more per person. Their officers use what seems to be an exorbitant amount of ammunition.”

Nick Nayak, chief procurement officer for the Department of Homeland Security, did not challenge Chaffetz’s numbers but tried to counter what he described as several misconceptions about the bullet buys. Despite reports that the department was trying to buy up to 1.6 billion rounds over five years, he said that is not true. The number is closer to 750 million. He said the department, on average, buys roughly 100 million rounds per year, and claims that the department is stockpiling ammo are “simply not true.” Further, he countered claims that the purchases are helping create broader ammunition shortages in the U.S.

Tierney & ChaffetzDemocrat John Tierney (l); Republican Jason Chaffetz (r)

Congressman John Tierney (D-Mass), at the opening of the committee hearing, ridiculed Chaffetz’s and others’ concerns as “conspiracy theories” that have “no place” in the committee room.

While DHS has long said it needs the bullets for agents in training and on duty, and buys in bulk to save money, Republicans say the purchases raise “serious” questions about waste and accountability.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said, “This is not about conspiracy theories, this is about good government.”  Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif), who chairs the full Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said he suspects rounds are being stockpiled, and then either “disposed of,” passed to non-federal agencies, or shot “indiscriminately.” If that is the case, he said, “then shame on you.”

Update:

Republicans in the Senate and House are expected to introduce a joint bill today (April 26) that would limit the amount of ammunition that federal agencies are allowed to buy and stockpile over the next six months, the Washington Free Beacon reports. The bill is entitled the Ammunition Management for More Accountability or “AMMO” Act. (Source: The Blaze)

H/t FOTM’s tina!

~Eowyn