Sanders and Grassley Reintroduce Bill to Fine Pentagon for Audit Failures
Audit the Pentagon Act Reintroduced
Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) have reintroduced a bipartisan bill intended to impose financial penalties on the Pentagon if it fails to pass an independent audit. The legislation, named the Audit the Pentagon Act, proposes that if any part of the Pentagon does not pass a clean audit, 2% of its budget would be withheld and redirected to the Treasury to help reduce the national deficit.
“The Pentagon has faced significant issues with waste, fraud, and financial mismanagement for years. Despite failing audits repeatedly, Congress continues to provide it with funding,” Sanders stated.
The bill, first introduced in 2021 and reintroduced during the Biden administration in 2023, comes amid rising military expenditures. Sanders highlighted the administration’s engagement in conflict with Iran and an unprecedented military budget request without proper accounting for expenditures.
Bipartisan Support and Previous Audit Failures
The legislation has garnered co-sponsorship from various senators including Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and several others. The Pentagon has a history of audit failures, with its eighth consecutive failure occurring late last year. However, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth optimistically projected a clean audit by 2028.
Efforts from lawmakers across party lines continue to pressure the Pentagon to fully account for its financial operations. Recently, the House adopted an amendment by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) to reduce Pentagon funding by 0.5% following audit failures.
Other Developments in Defense and National Security
The Army has secured a contract with Lockheed Martin to produce Patriot interceptor missiles, addressing diminishing munitions stockpiles with a seven-year deal worth up to $58.6 billion. This extension follows an earlier one-year, $4.7 billion contract.
Geopolitical tensions have caused volatility in financial markets, with concerns over inflation stemming from conflict in Iran. This comes amid a backdrop of political maneuvers, including Senate Republicans’ recent move to block a resolution aiming to withdraw U.S. forces from hostilities with Iran.
In other news, Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns over ICE’s failure to implement body cameras on officers, highlighting accountability issues in law enforcement interactions.