Please sign WH petition to Audit the Pentagon.

[lrellok]

Mr. President
At the current time, yourself and members of congress are debating corrections to the federal budget in order to reduce or eliminate the deficit. Among proposals are reforms to social security, taxes, the social safety net, and regulations necessary for the proper and safe operation of our economy. However, one department has been conspicuously left out of the discussion.
In a USA today report http://tinyurl.com/dxomoqm 76% of Americans support cutting the defense budget in some manner. However, objections have been raised that arbitrary cuts might damage our defense capabilities now and in the future. Thus, Americans require a clear assessment of overspending on the part of the DOD/Pentagon, in order to reach clear opinions as to the scope and scale of cuts they wish to have made.
The Chief Financial Officers (CFO) Act of 1990 requires that all government departments conduct an annual audit to ensure their proper use of the taxpayers money. However, in the 20 years since this law was passed, one department has consistently failed to produce and audit, the Department of Defense. Credible reporting http://tinyurl.com/csdpebs indicates that an attempt made late in the Clinton administration found that out of 7 trillion in allocations, 2.3 trillion could not be properly accounted for. If the pentagon does not feel certain transactions are important enough to properly document, why should the taxpayers feel any obligation to continue funding said transactions?
In this time of fiscal constraint and concern over deficit spending, it is utterly and totally absurd that the largest segment of discretionary government spending cannot even be bothered to conduct the most simple of household functions, IE balancing its checkbook. The idea that wasteful and unpopular spending can continue for no other reason then its obfuscation from the public’s eye is unacceptable in a free and democratic society. An audit must be completed. If no significant waist is found, then you have a free hand to state that defense cuts cannot be made without risk to national security. If significant or relevant waste is found, then you now have a clear path to budget reduction without risk to national security. It is imperative both to the protection of our nation and the credibility of your efforts at deficit reduction that an audit of the pentagon be completed immediately. The outgoing Secretary of Defense has assured Americans that an audit can be completed by 2014 http://tinyurl.com/c7syhr7 . We must insist that the incoming secretary be held to this.

Mr President, We humbly ask that if the Department of Defense audit has not been completed and submitted to your office, congress and the public by January 1, 2014, you will order the Department of Justice to begin an external audit of the pentagon January the 2nd, 2014.

http://wh.gov/QKWZ

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/complete-pentagons-audit-them-please/jJ6f16SQ