politics @lemmy.world Raphael @lemmy.world 12mo ago

Pentagon blasted for failing five audits and missing 61% of assets: 'All gone to Zelensky!'

Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) ripped the Department of Defense's finances for failing its fifth consecutive audit and inability to account for 61% of its $3.5 trillion in assets.

"The most ravenous Leviathan of our government that devours the people's wealth is the Department of Defense," Higgins said in an impassioned speech during a House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing on the DOD's failed audit, financial management practices.

27 comments

That’s a loaded headline. It makes it sound like all of the missing funds went to Zelensky but that’s just a guys opinion.
- As someone who’s witnessed the US Military’s “use or lose” budget in action, I’d put $100 on a lot of it being jammed in a closet, sitting at the bottom of an ocean, or conveniently lost to fire in a desert somewhere.
  
  Or lost somewhere in a logistics facility unaccounted for.
- This is just a GOP propaganda hit piece. The DOD does need a audit, but don't act like it all went to Ukraine.
  
  Or even like the GOP would ever even CONSIDER cutting it's funding down.
- Especially considering it's been a DoD problem for many, many years now. The audits they talk about in the article date back to as far as 2017... this isn't a new issue.
  
  Sheesh, one of the conspiracies about 9/11 was that the location of the pentagon hit was where they had just failed an audit. It's a gigantic pit we've been 'losing' money in for decades, if not a full century.
- The state of the DoDs finances is a legitimate concern, but OP and the ‘Pub the article cites are just bad faith trolling.
  
  The truth is that in 1990, Congress passed a law directing all federal agencies to produce regular, audited financial statements. More than thirty years later, the Department of Defense is the only agency that has never passed a single audit. That’s under both Dem and Pub administrations.
  
  The shot at Zelensky and the current geopolitical situation is just silly, stupid, and frankly the kind of thing a tankie would say 🙄
- but that’s just a guys opinion.
  
  About all we can have since the funds are unaccounted for.
  
  Do you think the pentagon has EVER passed an audit?
  
  Do you think a government paying for black projects would discuss these black projects with an accountant just to pass an audit?
  
  Politicized speculation is not better than an unknown.
  
  Maybe if Congress stopped automatically green-lighting every military expenditure request without question, instead of demanding concise monthy reports on service/equipment purchases AND verified location, the US taxpayer could feel confident that their leadership actually gives a shit about them.
  
  You could certainly form a better opinion based on an overall understanding of military practices, rather than one pulled out of an ass.
Wait. Since when are Republicans so anti-military and pro-Russian oppression? Saint Reagan is weeping over this cruel betrayal.

27 comments