In a constituent email, Rep. Randy Forbes rails against fiscal mismanagement at the Department of Homeland Security, and touts his support for legislation that “requires the DHS to streamline its acquisition process and hold its programs accountable.”
Forbes concludes his missive this way
When it comes to national security, our federal agencies have a responsibility to keep our nation safe from those who would wish us harm, whether they are from within the United States or from other countries seeking to get into our country. However, national security must not come at the cost of the fiscal integrity of our country.
Quite right. But it also leads us to consider the points Sen. Tom Coburn raises about the even more wasteful Department of Defense. Where is Congress on this issue? Playing the role of accomplice:
Sadly, few in Congress seem to care that untold billions are squandered every year through wanton mismanagement and neglect. The sad reality is that while Congress feigns shock at yet another revelation that is the result of the Pentagon’s poor accounting — a weapon-system cost overrun or an information-technology system failure — Congress is fully complicit in this scam on American taxpayers.
Year after year, the Pentagon recycles the same excuses it has used since the 1950s, but now promises it is finally making progress toward meeting its statutory deadlines. Year after year, Congress appropriates hundreds of billions of dollars without requiring the Pentagon to comply with the law and the Constitution.
Our military leaders understand this dynamic very well. They know that politicians too often see our defense budget as a jobs program and parochial playground rather than a tool to protect our national interests and freedom. For example, in the past two years, our military leaders have described the parochial impacts of sequestration with great precision and clarity, knowing full well that few in Congress would ever call out the Pentagon for its ignorance of its own spending.
I look forward to Mr. Forbes and other members of the Virginia congressional delegation addressing this matter, and joining the legislative effort to audit the Pentagon.
