John,

Critical human needs programs that directly benefit people and their families are seeing funding cuts and stringent eligibility requirements that are designed to make it more difficult for people to access the help they need.

But there’s one federal agency that sees its budget skyrocket every year, despite never passing a federal audit, plus numerous reports of price gouging from contractors. Yes, we’re talking about the Pentagon.

Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) have introduced the Audit the Pentagon Act of 2023, which would require the Pentagon to pass an audit or face a penalty.¹

Time and time again we’re told there isn’t any money to invest in nutrition programs, Medicaid, early childhood education, and other essential programs, while trillions of dollars go toward unaccounted military spending. Enough is enough. Send a message to your senators, urging them to pass the Audit the Pentagon Act of 2023.

The debt ceiling deal negotiated by President Biden and Speaker McCarthy increased military spending to $886 billion—a $50 billion increase. The Department of Defense accounts for two-thirds of all federal contracting activity and some contractors were price gouging the DOD by as much as 4,451%.[2]

The Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan determined that $31-60 billion had been lost to fraud and waste. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction found that the Pentagon could not account for $45 billion in funding for repair projects. An Ernst & Young audit of the Defense Logistics Agency found that it could not account for $800 million in construction projects.

Now, imagine the uproar if any other department, from the State Department to the Department of Education, could account for less than half of its assets or allowed contractors to overcharge them by 4,451%.

We believe in the importance of transparency and accountability, especially when it comes to government resources. The U.S. cannot continue to waste billions of dollars while countless children and families go without adequate housing and food.

Click here to send a letter to your senators and urge them to pass the bipartisan Audit the Pentagon Act of 2023.

Thank you for all you do,

Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, Coalition on Human Needs

¹ Sanders-Grassley Audit the Pentagon Act
² Review of Parts Purchased From TransDigm Group, Inc.