Key facts
- The House adopted an amendment by Rep. Andy Biggs to cut the Pentagon's budget by 0.5% if it fails its audit.
- The amendment passed as part of an en bloc package of amendments.
- The Pentagon has failed its financial audit for eight consecutive years.
- The measure exempts funding for personnel, families, and military healthcare from potential budget reductions.
- Rep. Mark Pocan co-sponsored the 'Audit the Pentagon Act' with Rep. Biggs.
The U.S. House of Representatives has adopted an amendment, introduced by Rep. Andy Biggs, that mandates a budget reduction for the Pentagon if it fails to pass its annual financial audit. This measure, passed as part of a larger en bloc package of amendments, aims to increase accountability within the Department of Defense.
The amendment proposes an initial 0.5% cut to the Pentagon's budget for any office that does not achieve an unqualified opinion on its full financial statements in the first year of enactment, with the cut increasing to 1.0% in subsequent years. Funding designated for personnel, families, and military healthcare would be exempt from these potential reductions.
This action comes after the Pentagon has reportedly failed its financial audit for eight consecutive years. According to a GAO report, the DOD continues to be unable to account for billions of dollars in assets. Rep. Mark Pocan, who co-sponsored the 'Audit the Pentagon Act' with Rep. Biggs, stated that the Defense Department is the only federal agency that has never passed an audit and that the act creates a strong incentive for fiscal responsibility.
Rep. Biggs emphasized that the American people demand accountability for taxpayer dollars, especially given the significant annual defense spending and the national debt. He noted that the 'Audit the Pentagon Act' imposes tangible consequences for bureaucratic failure, asserting that a strong national defense requires both readiness and fiscal responsibility.