[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 183 (Tuesday, December 10, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H6545]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE CAN'T PASS AN AUDIT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bean of Florida). The Chair recognizes 
the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Hoyle) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. HOYLE of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to state my opposition 
to the National Defense Authorization Act.
  First, let me be clear, I support any funding to keep Americans safe, 
protect and fairly compensate our troops for their sacrifices, and to 
improve our national security. I also support some of what is included 
in this act: pay raises for our servicemembers, expanding access to 
contraceptives for female servicemembers under TRICARE, and properly 
funding the replacement of poor and failing military housing and 
barracks.
  However, it is simply irresponsible to give more money to an agency 
that accounts for half of our discretionary spending but can't pass an 
audit. This is an agency that spends over half its budget on defense 
contractors who have no incentive against price gouging, some who 
overcharge the Department of Defense by 40 to 50 percent with no 
accountability and no consequences. Year after year, we dump money into 
defense contractors that grow fatter while our servicemembers and their 
families struggle to scrape by.

  Since the election, we have heard a lot of talk about improving 
government efficiency and cutting waste, and I agree. It is incumbent 
upon us to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars, but instead of 
proposing cuts to Social Security benefits for seniors or cutting 
veterans' benefits to our servicemembers, benefits that they have 
earned, let's start where there are clear savings to be had.
  In this NDAA, the Pentagon would get $10 billion more than last year. 
Simply put, the Pentagon just failed its seventh audit, and it is 
getting nearly $900 billion already. Why should we keep writing blank 
checks and expecting things to change when there is no incentive to do 
so?
  Without robust accountability, all this is, is a transfer of wealth 
from hardworking American taxpayers to private defense contractors in 
the military industrial complex. Without meaningful oversight for how 
my constituents' taxpayer dollars are spent, I plan on voting no.

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