The Shocking Truth Behind the Pentagon's $850 Billion Mismanaged Budget

Pentagon's $850 Billion Mismanaged Budget: United States Deputy Secretary of Defense Loses Composure During Interview with Jon Stewart
The United States Department of Defense has been federally mandated to perform audits since 1994, but it wasn't until 2017 that it ran its first audit. And since then, it has performed five audits, each of which it has failed. According to a recent report by the Government Accountability Office, the Pentagon has at least $220 billion in unaccounted-for government-furnished property, but the estimate is likely "significantly understated."
These staggering figures became the subject of a contentious interview between United States Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks and Jon Stewart on Thursday. The interview turned heated when Stewart began to question Hicks about potential waste, fraud, and abuse within the department.
Hicks appeared to be condescending throughout the exchange, but Stewart wasn't having any of it. He pressed her on whether it was fair to ask about the audit and whether she understood the link between audits and uncovering corruption. Hicks laughed off Stewart's comments, but the tension continued to rise.
Stewart argued that the department's failure to have an accurate inventory is considered waste, and if he gave the department a billion dollars and they couldn't tell him where it went, that to him is wasteful. Hicks attempted to change the subject to food insecurity issues, but Stewart insisted that it was all connected.
The crowd erupted into cheers and applause as Stewart declared, "I'm a human being who lives on the Earth and can't figure out how $850 billion to a department means that the rank and file still have to be on food stamps. To me, that's f***ing corruption."
The interview sheds light on the mismanagement of the Pentagon's budget, and the need for greater transparency and accountability in government spending. The fact that the department has failed five audits raises serious questions about how taxpayer dollars are being spent and highlights the urgent need for reform.
The exchange between Jon Stewart and Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks has brought to light some troubling issues regarding the management of the Department of Defense's budget. As Hicks attempted to deflect from Stewart's line of questioning, he remained persistent in his pursuit of answers, and the crowd responded with enthusiasm.
It is unacceptable that the DOD has failed multiple audits, leaving billions of dollars unaccounted for. This is a gross mismanagement of taxpayer funds, and the American people deserve transparency and accountability from their government.
Stewart's criticism of the Pentagon's budgetary practices is not unfounded. With so much money at stake, it is essential that the DOD is held to the highest standards of financial responsibility. The fact that service members are struggling with food insecurity while the department wastes money is unacceptable.
It is time for the DOD to take responsibility for its budget and work to correct the systemic issues that have led to such massive waste and mismanagement. The American people have the right to know how their tax dollars are being spent and that they are being used effectively to support the nation's defense.
icks appeared visibly agitated and defensive throughout the interview as Stewart pressed her about the Pentagon's mismanagement of its budget. When Stewart pointed out that the department had failed five audits since it began performing them in 2017, Hicks attempted to downplay the significance of the audits.
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But Stewart wasn't letting her off the hook. He argued that an $850 billion budget to an organization that can't account for its spending is, by definition, wasteful, fraudulent, or abusive. He pointed out that this waste and mismanagement have real consequences for the military personnel who are struggling with food insecurity on military bases.
The crowd erupted into cheers and applause as Stewart spoke truth to power, exposing the Pentagon's mismanagement of its budget and its impact on military families. Hicks may have tried to change the subject to food insecurity, but Stewart was not letting her off that easily. He saw the connections between the budget mismanagement and the very real problems facing military families.
This interview highlights the need for greater transparency and accountability in government spending, particularly within the Department of Defense. It's not enough to simply perform audits and ignore their results. The Pentagon must take action to address the waste and mismanagement of its budget and ensure that military personnel and their families are not left struggling to make ends meet.
As taxpayers, we have a right to know how our money is being spent, and we have a responsibility to hold our government accountable for its spending decisions. The Pentagon's mismanagement of its budget is unacceptable, and it's time for Congress and the American people to demand greater transparency and accountability from our government.

As the exchange between Jon Stewart and Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks grew increasingly heated, it became clear that the Pentagon's mismanaged budget was a topic that struck a nerve. The fact that the Department of Defense had ignored its federal mandate to perform audits for over two decades and then failed five of them when they finally did conduct audits was alarming to say the least. But what was perhaps even more concerning was the estimated $220 billion in unaccounted-for government-furnished property.
Stewart's line of questioning was spot on - if the military can't account for billions of dollars of taxpayer money, it's difficult to justify the continued allocation of such astronomical sums. The fact that food insecurity is still an issue on military bases despite the Pentagon's $850 billion budget is simply unacceptable.
Hicks' attempt to shift the conversation to the department's efforts to tackle food insecurity and provide child care was a transparent attempt to dodge the issue at hand. While it's commendable that the DOD is taking steps to address these issues, it doesn't excuse the fact that the agency is failing to properly account for billions of dollars in taxpayer money.