Sen. Jeff Flake wants answers over alleged $125B waste by Pentagon
Dec 8, 2016, 5:57 AM | Updated: 11:49 am
(AP Photos)
(AP Photos)
PHOENIX — U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) demanded answers Wednesday in a letter sent to Defense Secretary Ash Carter about the Pentagon wasting an alleged $125 billion in unnecessary administrative costs.
The alleged waste was first reported by the Washington Post earlier this week. It said an internal report put together by the Pentagon in January 2015 showed nearly one-quarter of the agency’s budget went to overhead and core business operations, such as accounting and human resources.
The report recommended several steps — attrition and early retirement to streamline its bureaucracy, cutting down on the use of high-priced contractors and making better use of technology — to save the wasted funds. The Post said officials attempted to bury the report in fears that Congress may use it as an excuse to cut the Pentagon’s budget.
But that may have failed. In his letter, Flake said the Pentagon’s report shows is could easily trim the fat without posing a danger to military operations.
“More resources for the troops and weapons could be achieved by simply reallocating billions of dollars currently being wasted on excessive bureaucracy,” he wrote. “This is a win-win scenario for taxpayers and the military.”
Flake then asked Carter what he planned to do about the report. He wanted to know if the Defense Department had undertaken any actions to carry out the report’s recommended actions, if there was anything Congress could do to speed the process along and what, if any, spending reductions should be included in the 2018 budget.
Flake said he plans to release his own annual report next month that details wasteful spending in Washington and he plans to mention the Pentagon report.
