The Pentagon has failed its seventh consecutive audit, further raising concerns about the Department of Defense’s (DoD) financial management. The audit, which cost taxpayers $178 million, revealed that the DoD still cannot account for a staggering $824 billion budget. Despite these ongoing issues, Pentagon officials insist they are making progress, claiming they have “turned a corner” in understanding their financial challenges.

In an attempt to address the continued failures, the DoD brought in 1,700 auditors, with results showing that 15 of the 28 entities undergoing standalone financial statement audits received disclaimers of opinion. A disclaimer of opinion means auditors lacked enough information to form an accurate assessment. Only nine entities received an unmodified audit opinion, the ideal goal for a clean bill of financial health.

The Pentagon failed its 7th straight audit. Our healthcare system siphons billions into waste & fraud. Our Dept of Education blows $$ without accountability. Unelected bureaucrats are the core problem. DOGE is coming. pic.twitter.com/OmtP81i3ch

— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) November 17, 2024

Who else thinks Pete Hegseth will find out why the Pentagon cannot pass an audit?

There should be accountability for $824 billion dollar budget. pic.twitter.com/jbTqd0Rpn8

— Juanita Broaddrick (@atensnut) November 17, 2024

While the latest audit results were troubling, Michael McCord, the Pentagon’s comptroller and CFO, expressed optimism about future audits. He claimed that the department is making strides in improving its financial management practices, with a goal of passing an audit by 2028. McCord attributed the department’s supposed “momentum” to a strong commitment from leadership, including Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who has faced scrutiny over his handling of DoD matters.

Despite these assurances, the failure of the audit has left many taxpayers frustrated. They fund the $824 billion budget but continue to see a lack of accountability and transparency within the department. The inability to fully account for such a massive budget, particularly with billions of dollars untracked, continues to raise alarms among lawmakers and the public.

🚨Joe Rogan laughs hysterically when he realizes the Pentagon has never passed an audit:

"How many times have they missed their audit? WAIT, THEY'VE NEVER PASSED AN AUDIT? REALLY? NEVER?" 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/aH6aYYuAJ1

— Autism Capital 🧩 (@AutismCapital) November 17, 2024

Some say it was legit.
Some say it was staged.
Some say it was humiliation ritual.

But I found it wild that the most anticipated fight of the year just happened to be on the same day the Pentagon failed yet another audit. pic.twitter.com/tTMz7cdcbC

— Shipwreck (@shipwreckshow) November 16, 2024

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, newly appointed heads of the Department of Government Efficiency, have taken notice of the failed audit. Their mandate, under the incoming Trump-Vance administration, is to reduce government waste. Musk jokingly responded to the Pentagon’s failure, suggesting that it might be a task for his cryptocurrency, DOGE. This remark highlights the growing dissatisfaction with the lack of financial oversight in the federal government.

The dismissiveness of Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks in this clip is simply astounding. Jon Stewart points out the Pentagon keeps failing its audits & she literally tries to laugh it off. This is the entrenched mentality the next SecDef will face.pic.twitter.com/2PGjZuxsRC

— Jerry Dunleavy IV 🇺🇸 (@JerryDunleavy) November 16, 2024

With the Pentagon setting its sights on passing an audit by 2028, it remains to be seen whether these claims of improvement will translate into real change or if future audits will reveal similar shortcomings. The pressure is mounting for the DoD to demonstrate more transparency and accountability in managing the vast taxpayer funds at its disposal.