The Pentagon is the only federal department that has never passed an audit.

[Nevilledog]

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NPR
@NPR
The Pentagon is the only federal department that has never passed an audit.

Now, lawmakers are introducing a bill that would require any component of the Defense Department that fails to pass a clean audit to forfeit 1% of its budget back to the Treasury.

The Pentagon Has Never Passed An Audit. Some Senators Want To Change That
The Pentagon went through its first independent financial audit in 2017. But after three failed attempts, lawmakers are losing their patience. A new bill could impose financial penalties on the DoD.
npr.org
7:29 AM · May 19, 2021

https://www.npr.org/2021/05/19/997961646/the-pentagon-has-never-passed-an-audit-some-senators-want-to-change-that

When the Pentagon launched its first-ever independent financial audit back in 2017, backers of accountability in government welcomed it as a major step for a department with a track record of financial boondoggles.

But the Defense Department failed that audit – and the next two as well. Now lawmakers are introducing a bipartisan bill that would impose a penalty for any part of the military that fails to undergo a "clean" audit.

"The Pentagon and the military industrial complex have been plagued by a massive amount of waste, fraud and financial mismanagement for decades. That is absolutely unacceptable," said Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who co-sponsored the bill with Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, along with Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Mike Lee, R-Utah.

Despite having trillions of dollars in assets and receiving hundreds of billions in federal dollars annually, the U.S. military has never detailed its assets and liabilities in a given year. For the past three financial years, the Defense Department's audit has resulted in a "Disclaimer of Opinion," meaning the auditor didn't get enough accounting records to form an opinion.

*snip*

[Wounded Bear]

1. It should be 5%, at least...

[Nevilledog]

2. Agreed