Bipartisan legislators seek Pentagon spending reform

U.S. Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Tom McClintock (R-CA), Warren Davidson (R-OH), John Garamendi (D-CA) and Seth Moulton (D-MA) recently detailed the Streamline Pentagon Budgeting Act, which would reform wasteful Department of Defense budget practices.

Specifically, the legislation would repeal the statutory requirement military services submit unfunded priorities lists to Congress annually – separate wish lists outside the official budgeting process that pull billions in government resources.

“The Pentagon has never passed an audit and for decades has been plagued by waste, fraud, and abuse – yet we continue to throw billions more at them each year,” Jayapal said. “If the Pentagon needed the items on this wish list, it should be reflected in its budget request. These wish lists are just a tool to further inflate their already bloated budget and strip transparency from the process.”

For Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24), the unfunded priorities list requested by the DoD totaled $16.4 billion in addition to $842 billion requested by the Pentagon.

“The Department of Defense’s budgeting process must be fiscally responsible and prioritize projects that strengthen our national security,” Davidson said. “The DOD’s unfunded priorities list leads to bloated and unnecessary defense spending. Our bipartisan legislation increases transparency and streamlines the budget process by removing the DOD’s requirement to submit an unfunded priorities list to Congress.”

Moulton said deterring adversaries that include China requires focusing on the capabilities that will give the military a decisive edge.

“Unfunded priorities lists distract us from that,” he said. “The Streamline Pentagon Budgeting Act will not only ensure that we spend taxpayer dollars effectively, but that we prioritize the investments that will actually make our military stronger.”