[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 122 (Thursday, July 2, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S4169]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, the Department of Defense is the only 
agency that can't get a clean audit. Sometime around 1990, there was an 
audit law passed directing Departments to get to a point where they 
could get a clean audit. DOD is still the only one that hasn't.
  Sometime around 2010, I believe, we laid down a requirement that the 
clean audit date ought to be met by 2017. Well, that wasn't met. So, 
for decades, DOD has been saying that they are almost there. Now they 
say it will be at least another 5 years before a clean opinion can be 
reached.
  One reason they haven't been able to do that is the outdated mess of 
hundreds of financial management systems. Yet the Department of Defense 
still wants to spend almost $200 million on an annual audit.
  I urge my colleagues to support my amendment to pause the audit 
effort that is doomed to fail anyway and, instead, invest that $200 
million in updating the Department of Defense financial management 
system because, until they get the financial management systems right, 
DOD will never be capable of having a clean audit.
  I yield the floor.

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