NOT FOLLOWING THE MONEY

Report: Pentagon Agency Has No Idea Where $800 Million Went

Audit reveals Defense Logistics unit “lost track” on construction projects.

The Defense Logistics Agency in the Pentagon has reportedly “lost track” of hundreds of millions of dollars that it has spent, according to a Politico report about an internal audit. Accountants from Ernst & Young are said to have conducted the audit and found the agency did not properly document more than $800 million in construction projects—and it’s only one of the audit’s examples of a lack of receipts and unreliable financial tracking system. The documents, according to Politico, renew questions about whether the Department of Defense as a bureau can handle managing its $700 billion annual budget, which President Trump has called to greatly increase. “If you can’t follow the money, you aren’t going to be able to do an audit,” said Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley.