Two congresswomen called on Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to stop Blackwater USA's contract in Iraq from being renewed.

"Blackwater USA has clearly exhibited disrespect and disregard for its employees, their families and Iraqi civilians," Reps. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Fla., and Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., wrote in a letter to Secretary Rice today.

Last week, sources told ABC News the one-year extension, worth an estimated $240 million, to Blackwater's contract in Iraq, was requested by officials at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

"We fear that the State Department's renewal of the diplomatic security contract with Blackwater USA is one made out of convenience and not based on the company's track record or the quality of their work," the two congresswomen wrote.

That track record includes allegations of improper use of force, arms trafficking, tax fraud and overbilling. Currently, a federal grand jury is investigating whether Blackwater security guards used excessive force in killing 13 Iraqi civilians in central Baghdad last September. As ABCNews.com has reported, the criminal investigation is focusing on two or three Blackwater guards who opened fire, claiming they perceived a threat. Other Blackwater guards have testified to federal agents, however, that they saw no such threat.

Federal prosecutors are probing allegations that Blackwater personnel smuggled weapons, night-vision scopes and other sensitive material into Iraq. The firm has denied any involvement in such a scheme.
A congressional panel is investigating whether the company illegally dodged millions in taxes by misclassifying its employees as "independent contractors." The allegation, Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell said at the time, was "incorrect."

And a State Department investigation in 2005 found Blackwater sometimes double-billed employees' time, resulting in "duplication of profit."

"The State Department's decision to renew the contract not only puts the lives of innocent Iraqi civilians at risk, but it threatens the safety of our troops and jeopardizes the U.S. mission in Iraq," Rep. Schakowsky, a member of the House Intelligence Committee who introduced the Stop Outsourcing Security (S.O.S.) Act to phase out the use of private military contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan, said last week.

Now she and Rep. Brown-Waite have requested a meeting with Secretary Rice regarding the renewed contract.