Noteworthy provisions in the Pentagon budget bill

 

December 14, 2024

Editor’s Note: This is our last edition of Weekly Spotlight for the year. We will be back on January 11, 2025. Happy holidays! The House voted to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) this week, and there are a few provisions for increased accountability at the Pentagon that are worth celebrating. The fiscal year 2025 NDAA includes language that would limit the number of F-35’s the Pentagon can take possession of until there is a plan in place to address a number of the issues with the fighter jets — a win for negotiating accountability for the Pentagon’s incredibly troubled weapons system, albeit a long past due one. Additional provisions would improve tracking of military housing complaints to strengthen oversight of the private companies with the housing contracts, and increase transparency around when former senior government officials take jobs working for foreign interests — a revolving door we’ve highlighted in the past in our investigation into a wave of retired and Reserve military personnel taking highly lucrative jobs working for foreign interests. The massive bill now makes its way to the Senate for its vote. And as worthwhile as it is to note the wins, there are still a number of concerning issues in the NDAA. One is a provision to ban gender-affirming care for service members’ children under the military’s health care program. The Senate must excise the discriminatory provision in its version of the bill — the NDAA should support and protect military families and should not be weaponized against them. Your support will power progress in the months ahead. We’re pushing back against corruption and wrongdoing in the federal government, and we need your help. Donate now to resource the critical work of demanding government accountability in 2025 and beyond. ANALYSIS F-35 Testing Report Reveals Problems with Production Decisions The decision to enter full rate production on the flawed F-35 shows that current statutes do not support sufficient congressional oversight. Read More QUOTE OF THE WEEK “They’re trying to take advantage of President-elect Trump’s popularity and the fact that he just won an election, and see if they can get this business up and running and off the ground.” Scott Amey, General Counsel, in ABC News OVERHEARD ONE LINERS “We’re always very concerned with the sort of trading on the family name stuff that happens in politics and the conflicts of interest that stem from that.” Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette, Director of Government Affairs, in Al-Jazeera   WANT MORE FROM POGO? Eyes on the federal government from every angle:   Paper Trail: Quick links to the news in the world of government oversight The Bunker: Military intelligence from POGO's Mark Thompson Click here to update your newsletter subscriptions.   🎧 Bad Watchdog Podcast 📺 YouTube 📱 Instagram 💸 Support our work

pogo.org The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) is a nonpartisan independent watchdog that investigates and exposes waste, corruption, abuse of power, and when the government fails to serve the public or silences those who report wrongdoing. We champion reforms to achieve a more effective, ethical, and accountable federal government that safeguards constitutional principles.

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The F-35 is the poster child for Pentagon waste and corruption [action needed]

 

                UNINFORMED "R" VOTERS, tRUMP SUPPORTERS REGURGITATE FOX NEWS                     =  FAKE NEWS PROPAGANDA THAT WE SHOULD TAKE CARE OF                              AMERICANS....

                HOW MANY AMERICANS COULD WE CARE FOR WITH THE LOCKHEED                             MARTIN F-35 FOLLIES? 

                THIS IS IRRATIONAL!

    

The last time we alerted you about the F-35, its price tag was $1.7 trillion. Now, the cost of this failed fighter jet program is projected at over TWO TRILLION.

Here’s the deal — if you’re paying that much money, don’t you want to at least make sure that it can get in the air? Soar through the clouds and see the bright blue sky? Because right now, it consistently can’t.

To date, just 30% of F-35s perform as intended. Failure after failure has plagued the program: flawed ejection seats, delays in production, frequent groundings — not to mention that time the plane shot itself.

The kicker? Despite all of these flashing red light warnings, the Pentagon just signed off on a full-rate production of the F-35 — but not before it also moved to classify its own report on the plane’s combat effectiveness.

The Pentagon cannot be allowed to sweep the F-35's massive problems under the rug any longer. Congress must open an immediate investigation into how the Pentagon was able to sign off on full-rate production of an aircraft this deeply flawed.

Add your name to demand that the House and Senate Oversight Committees investigate the F-35 now!

ACT NOW

The only thing the F-35 can reliably do is be a poster child for Pentagon corruption, waste, and mismanagement. Last year, during the debate on the National Defense Authorization Act, key committees across the House and Senate voted to pour BILLIONS more into the F-35 program — buying planes and parts well above what the Pentagon even asked for.

That includes Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, who pushed for hundreds of MILLIONS more for a new F-35 engine that even the Air Force didn’t want. That’s the same Rep. Rogers who has personally raked in millions of dollars in campaign donations from weapons contractors and their lobbyists over the years, and over $694,633 in the 2023 - 2024 election cycle alone. That included thousands from — you guessed it — Lockheed Martin, the maker of the F-35.

The bottom line? This calls for an aggressive congressional investigation into the Pentagon's unfathomable decision to greenlight the F-35 failures. The unredacted reports and data must be made public so there can be a full accounting of any mismanagement.

People deserve to know the ugly truth of how our tax dollars are being squandered — and House and Senate Oversight can help get us the answers we deserve. If you agree, please add your name now:

Tell the House and Senate Oversight Committees to expose the corruption and incompetence behind the F-35’s failures, and investigate the Pentagon's decision to greenlight more waste.

Thank you for working for peace,

The Win Without War team

 

 

 

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Win Without War is a 501(c)4 organization and donations are not tax deductible. If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution, please visit the Win Without War Education Fund here.

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Check out your impact

 

THERE'S A GREAT DEAL OF SIGNIFICANT INFORMATION AVAILABLE & I 

ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO SUBSCRIBE!

If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, our latest Impact Report is now available online. It details how POGO’s work in the latter half of 2023 has made our democratic system stronger and more resilient. That’s the sort of impact we’re proud to measure. In recent months: We’ve trained 567 congressional staff on how to conduct oversight. We successfully sued the Pentagon to obtain a previously unpublished Air Force report that shows what we’ve long argued: The F-35 is not a suitable replacement for the A-10. We broke the news that a top government watchdog’s office had spent $1.17 million taxpayer dollars to settle retaliation claims. The very next day, representatives in Congress began inquiring into the settlement, citing POGO in their statements. We provided testimony to Congress on the need for oversight reforms at Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to improve medical monitoring and ensure the humane treatment of the people the agency interacts with. Following our testimony, CBP created a system to better identify, monitor the health and safety, and expedite the release of those in its custody with the highest medical risk. I encourage you to check out the full report on our website. Looking back on our progress always motivates us to keep demanding change — I know it’ll inspire you to keep up this fight, too. Thank you for believing in, and being a part of, this work to build a better democracy. Best, Danielle Brian Executive Director Project On Government Oversight Contribute

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DYK that you just paid Lockheed Martin $106?

 

Speaker McCarthy stopped by Wall Street earlier this week to confirm he’s ready to CUT spending for critical programs folks rely on – highway construction, housing, public health, SNAP benefits, and more — to KEEP paying for more failed F-35 fighter jets.

This decision is SO out of step with public opinion and public needs that it’s created a CRUCIAL opening to push back on the Pentagon’s blank checks. That’s why we’re jumping into action. Can you join in to help fuel this urgent work now?

— Thank you for working for peace,

Abbey and the Win Without War team

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It’s governance by hostage-taking:

On Monday, Speaker Kevin McCarthy stopped by Wall Street to confirm his refusal to pass a clean bill to lift the debt ceiling. The devil will be in the details of his yet-to-be-unveiled bill, but the cuts he wants are SO deep that critical programs folks rely on — highway construction, housing, public health, SNAP benefits, and more — are likely on the chopping block. 

You know what he’s NOT touching? BILLIONS to buy another 83 F-35 fighter jets, a plane which, after DECADES in development, still struggles to fly.

It’s a decision that is SO out of step with public opinion and public needs that even rank-and-file Republicans are falling away from McCarthy’s plan. The good news is that cracks like these could open up a CRUCIAL opportunity to CUT the Pentagon’s blank checks. 

That’s why we’re mounting advocacy and grassroots campaigns to leverage our assets to push back: Our activist base (you!), our relentless lobbying team, our access to the press, our relationships with key champions in Congress and the White House, and more. It’s all coming to a head in the next few weeks, and with so much on the line, we need you with us.

Even as McCarthy tries to zero-out funding that’s crucial to families across the country with a dangerous partisan stunt, hawkish legislators and weapons contractors are again trying to sell a lie that a $886.4 BILLION Pentagon budget is untouchable. The truth is: Too many families are wondering how they’ll pay for groceries — while footing the bill for weapons contractors’ banner profits.

Our friends at the Institute for Policy Studies’ National Priorities Project ran the numbers, and here’s just a snapshot of how the average taxpayers’ money is spent:

• $19 supports refugee assistance — but nearly FOUR times that, $74, went to nuclear weapons.
• $106 of your tax bill went straight to Lockheed Martin, the proud manufacturer of the failed F-35, while just $43 went to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC).
• Overall the average taxpayer paid $1,087 to Pentagon contractors in 2022.

Let’s pull back on what’s happening here: Taxpayer money is distributed to weapons corporations by the same people in Congress who cash checks from the weapons lobby. It’s corruption, plain and simple — and when you’re talking about weapons and war, the consequences are life or death.

Luckily, right now, there are more bipartisan opponents to blank-check Pentagon budgets than we’ve ever seen before — and the debt-limit standoff provides a key moment to talk about where government waste is really coming from. 

That’s why our team is making a huge time investment to CUT the Pentagon budget and SAVE vital social programs. We’re working tirelessly to get even more lawmakers on board until we reach a tipping point. We can’t do it alone — to drown out the war lobby and push back on ANY attempts to pad the Pentagon budget, and we need you with us, Frank.

Lawmakers have just a short window to negotiate to raise the debt ceiling — and what happens next will have consequences for people’s lives across the globe. 

If you’re one of the millions of people who’re sick and tired of our resources being pocketed by weapons industry CEOs, we need you with us. Please fuel this fight by chipping in now.

Thank you for working for peace,

Amy, Sara, Eric, and the Win Without War team

 

 

 

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A U.S. foreign policy rooted in human rights and justice won’t happen overnight.

Win Without War is a 501(c)4 organization and donations are not tax deductible. If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution, please visit the Win Without War Education Fund here.

© Win Without War 2021
1 Thomas Circle NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20005
(202) 656-4999 | info@winwithoutwar.org 

A significant win for accountability

 

December 3, 2022

This week, we got some positive news, which is always nice. The Senate finally confirmed a permanent inspector general for the Pentagon. The Department of Defense had gone nearly seven years without a permanent independent watchdog in place, which has been a travesty for accountability. We’d been urging the Senate to confirm President Joe Biden’s nominee to fill the position, Robert Storch, for a while. Just one day after our most recent letter urging the Senate to act, the chamber voted on Storch’s nomination. The Pentagon this year failed its fifth audit in a row, demonstrating just how desperately the agency needs keen independent oversight. Without a permanent inspector general in place at the Department of Defense, the Environmental Protection Agency watchdog was splitting their time between the EPA and the Pentagon. It’s clearly not ideal for an agency with a hefty, constantly growing budget to have a part-time inspector general. Though the confirmation was woefully delayed, we’re grateful the Senate did act this week to bring more significant accountability to the Pentagon. WANT MORE FROM POGO? The latest from us, straight to your inbox For updates on POGO’s investigations, upcoming events, and more ways you can get involved, subscribe to our emails. ANALYSIS POGO Applauds Integrity Committee for Increased Transparency The entity responsible for overseeing federal watchdogs, known as the Integrity Committee, just released a new transparency policy and increased their capacity to hold watchdogs accountable. Read More ANALYSIS Pentagon Seeks More Money for Beleaguered F-35 The Defense Department’s F-35 fighter — the most costly weapons system in history — is the grift that keeps on taking. Read More OP-ED Congress must protect the nation from a politicized civil service There is a reason Congress has passed laws to create a federal workforce selected by merit rather than political loyalty. Read More on The Hill OP-ED The Pentagon’s second unfunded priorities list is an accountability travesty, Congress should act With "unfunded" priorities priced at nearly $50 billion this year, it’s past time Congress reigned in the Pentagon wish list. Read More on Breaking Defense LETTER POGO Urges Senate Vote on Defense Watchdog Confirmation The Department of Defense needs a permanent watchdog now. Read More LETTER Coalition to Congress: Protect National Security from Politicized Civil Service Congress must protect the public against a politicized civil service, which would jeopardize our national security and make us less safe. Read More QUOTE OF THE WEEK “It’s easy to say that the B-21 is still on schedule before it actually flies. Because it’s only when one of these programs goes into the actual testing phase when real problems are discovered.” Dan Grazier, Senior Defense Policy Fellow, in the Associated Press OVERHEARD ONE LINERS “A lot of fintechs ... exercised insufficient due diligence in vetting loan applicants, and as a result, are disproportionately represented in the loans that have been deemed fraudulent or potential fraudulent.” Nick Schwellenbach, Senior Investigator, in the Washington Post   “There almost certainly will be some fraud that goes on, some waste that happens. To some extent, it’s unavoidable. But it’s about minimizing it.” Sean Moulton, Senior Policy Analyst, in Bloomberg Law   “You have a lot of people out there saying that there has to be federal legislation that creates a simple process for this provision to apply or to be operative, and we just disagree.” Liz Hempowicz, Vice President of Policy and Government Affairs, in Voice of America   “They don’t want to be raked over the coals like they [were] with the F-35 program, so they’re keeping this as secret as possible.” Dan Grazier, Senior Defense Policy Fellow, in the 1945   “Committee chairs, subcommittee chairs, leadership—I think are all privy to not just massive amounts of inside information with the power to predict where markets are moving, but with the power to move markets themselves with the decisions they are personally responsible for making about committee hearings that go forward.” Liz Hempowicz, Vice President of Policy and Government Affairs, in the Bulwark   “The American Army is five times the size of the Ukrainian army. So, if the Ukrainian army can deplete U.S. stocks in eight months, then how fast would the U.S. Army deplete its own stocks?” Dan Grazier, Senior Defense Policy Fellow, in Grid News Enjoyed this weekend’s edition of the Weekly Spotlight? Forward to a friend. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Welcome! 👋 Subscribe here.   WANT MORE FROM POGO? Eyes on the federal government from every angle:   Paper Trail: Quick links to the news in the world of government oversight The Bunker: Military intelligence from POGO's Mark Thompson The Bridge: Analysis on the latest in government ethics from Walt Shaub Sidebar: Key context on the latest constitutional news from the TCP team Click here to update your newsletter subscriptions.   🎧 The Continuous Action Podcast 📺 YouTube 📱 Instagram 💸 Support our work

pogo.org The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) is a nonpartisan independent watchdog that investigates and exposes waste, corruption, abuse of power, and when the government fails to serve the public or silences those who report wrongdoing. We champion reforms to achieve a more effective, ethical, and accountable federal government that safeguards constitutional principles.

Project On Government Oversight 1100 13th Street NW, Suite 800 Washington, DC 20005 United States