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Rep. Jayapal calls for slashing Pentagon budget
"Year after year, the bloated Pentagon budget continues to increase as education and health care programs across the country struggle to get the funding they need," Jayapal tweeted.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal / Image- jayapal.house.gov
Rep. Pramila Jayapal has called for substantial cuts to the Pentagon's budget, which is heading the 1 trillion mark, citing the need for increased funding for domestic programs such as education and healthcare.
"Year after year, the bloated Pentagon budget continues to increase as education and health care programs across the country struggle to get the funding they need," Jayapal tweeted.
"It’s time to #AuditThePentagon, rein in defense spending, and invest in our communities,” she said
Other prominent legislators like Rep. Mark Pocan also highlighted the imminent House vote on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), urging his colleagues to demand accountability. "As the Pentagon's budget nears US$ 1 trillion, vital programs here at home remain critically underfunded," Pocan tweeted. "No more blank checks for failed audits. It’s time to demand accountability from the Pentagon."
Year after year, the bloated Pentagon budget continues to increase as education and health care programs across the country struggle to get the funding they need.
— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) June 12, 2024
It’s time to #AuditThePentagon, rein in defense spending, and invest in our communities. https://t.co/uJwvTTvwYw
Jayapal further elaborated on the issue, stressing the lack of accountability within the Department of Defense (DoD). “Right now, there's no consequences. The Pentagon fails an audit. They just failed another one. Nothing happens. We increase funding for the Pentagon. I mean, we're not even giving what the Secretary of Defense is asking for. We're giving more than that.”
The push for fiscal oversight of the Department of Defense (DoD) has gained traction, with the Pentagon being the only federal department that has yet to pass an independent audit. Despite laws requiring such audits since the early 1990s, the DoD has failed repeatedly, unable to account for over half of its assets, which total more than $3.1 trillion.
The most recent increase in military spending, outlined in a debt ceiling deal between President Biden and Speaker McCarthy, raised the budget to $886 billion for fiscal year 2024, nearly $50 billion more than the previous year. Critics argue that such spending has not translated into better quality of life for the majority of Americans, with issues like poverty and food insecurity still prevalent.
In a video tweeted by Rep. Pocan, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) underscored the impact of excessive military spending on domestic resources. "At the core of so many of the reasons that Americans are underserved, from health care, housing, education, a lot of it comes down to this argument of scarcity, that there aren't enough resources. Meanwhile, we have this massive part of the U.S. budget that is completely unaccountable, that has not passed an audit ever,” she stated.
Ocasio-Cortez also pointed to the significant influence of defense contractors and lobbyists in Washington, D.C., suggesting that the financial interests of a few companies often take precedence over national needs. "I don't think most people know that half of the U.S. defense budget goes to essentially five private companies,” she noted.
In a similar vein, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) remarked, "Excessive military spending, and in many cases just grossly wasteful military spending, has not improved the quality of life for the vast majority of people in this country."
Rep. Mark Pocan emphasized the potential benefits of redirecting defense funds to social programs. "A small fraction of that money would keep every child out of poverty," he said.
Legislators advocating for the "Audit the Pentagon" initiative seek to impose stricter financial scrutiny and accountability measures on the DoD. The proposed Audit the Pentagon Act would mandate each DoD component to pass an independent audit by Fiscal Year 2024, with financial penalties for those that fail.
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