{"id":1971052,"date":"2023-07-12T16:46:01","date_gmt":"2023-07-12T20:46:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawmakers-launch-bill-to-prevent-more-accounting-errors-at-pentagon-after-6-2-billion-flub\/"},"modified":"2023-07-12T16:47:36","modified_gmt":"2023-07-12T20:47:36","slug":"lawmakers-launch-bill-to-prevent-more-accounting-errors-at-pentagon-after-6-2-billion-flub","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawmakers-launch-bill-to-prevent-more-accounting-errors-at-pentagon-after-6-2-billion-flub\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawmakers introduce bill to curb Pentagon&#8217;s $6.2 billion accounting mishap."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flawmakers-launch-bill-to-prevent-more-accounting-errors-at-pentagon-after-6-2-billion-flub%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1971052&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"post_content\">\n<div class=\"aplayer_app\" data-source=\"https:\/\/vs1.youmaker.com\/assets\/2023\/0712\/5bc9299e-0386-4f64-9586-cce6c7a7814a\/audio.mp3?length=5024781&#038;duration=419\"><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<h2>Sens. Vance and Hawley Introduce Legislation to Prevent Accounting Errors at the Pentagon<\/h2>\n<p>Sens. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) have introduced legislation to prevent further accounting errors at the Department of Defense (DOD) after a \u201cvaluation error\u201d came to light recently at the Pentagon amounting to over $6 billion.<\/p>\n<p>The draft bill (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawley.senate.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2023-07\/Hawley-Bill-Preventing-Further-Accounting-Errors-At-DoD.pdf\">pdf<\/a>) aims to amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to require the Pentagon to use accounting methods that capture the true cost to taxpayers of sending weapons to other countries from U.S. stockpiles.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis legislation will save American taxpayers from footing the bill for shoddy accounting at the Pentagon,\u201d Mr. Vance said in a statement. \u201cThere should be no excuse for accounting errors with a seven<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hunter-biden-paintings-worth-less-than-his-mounting-legal-bills\/\" title=\"Hunter Biden Paintings Worth Less Than His Mounting Legal Bills\">-figure price tag<\/a>. With this bill, Congress can ensure that the cost of our military aid is properly and consistently calculated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Specifically, the legislation would clarify the term \u201caggregate value\u201d for the purposes of Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), which is a mechanism the Biden administration is using to expedite the transfer of weapons and other equipment to Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>It would require that the total value of weapons and other equipment sent abroad under the PDA framework is calculated by using either the original acquisition cost to the U.S. government plus the cost of improvements, or the replacement cost, whichever is greater.<\/p>\n<p>A separate provision in the draft bill would require that the Pentagon calculate the full cost to the U.S. government of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-allows-former-intel-military-who-hacked-for-foreign-country-to-pay-to-escape-prosecution\/\" title=\"DOJ Allows Former Intel, Military Who Hacked For Foreign Country To Pay To Escape Prosecution\">providing defense services<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In response to an inquiry from The Epoch Times about the proposal, the DOD said it does not comment on draft legislation as a matter of policy.<\/p>\n<p>The legislative action comes in context of a broader push for greater accountability for the DOD over a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawmakers-launch-bill-to-prevent-more-accounting-errors-at-pentagon-after-6-2-billion-flub\/\" title=\"Lawmakers introduce bill to curb Pentagon's .2 billion accounting mishap.\">multibillion-dollar accounting error relating<\/a> to military aid to Ukraine that came to light last month.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4987066\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/01\/15\/GettyImages-1445610650-1200x800.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a><br \/>\n    The Pentagon is seen from a flight taking off from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Nov. 29, 2022. (Alex Wong\/Getty Images)<br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<h3>\u2018Valuation Errors\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>On June 20, a DOD spokesperson <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/pentagon-admits-6-2-billion-accounting-error-in-military-aid-for-ukraine_5345656.html\">announced that<\/a> the Pentagon had overcounted the value of the weapons it sent to Ukraine over the past two years by $6.2 billion, calling the incident a series of \u201cvaluation errors.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The spokesperson said that the mistake occurred because U.S. military officials didn\u2019t count the actual value of depleted weapons stockpiles but instead used the value of replacing the weapons.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn a significant number of cases, services used replacement costs rather than net book value, thereby overestimating the value of the equipment drawn down from U.S. stocks and provided to Ukraine,\u201d said Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh.<\/p>\n<p>Specifically, there was an error of $2.6 billion in the 2022 fiscal year and $3.6 billion in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/most-of-bidens-1-9-trillion-coronavirus-relief-bill-has-nothing-to-do-with-public-health\/\" title=\"Most Of Biden\u2019s .9 Trillion Coronavirus Relief Bill Has Nothing To Do With Public Health\">current fiscal year<\/a>, which ends on Sept. 30.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have confirmed that for FY23, the final calculation is $3.6 billion, and for FY22 it is $2.6 billion, for a combined total of $6.2 billion,\u201d Ms. Singh added.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese valuation errors in no way limit or restricted the size of any of our PDAs or impacted the provision of support to Ukraine,\u201d the spokesperson added, referring to the acronym for the Presidential Drawdown Authority mechanism.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5282216\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/05\/22\/id5282216-GettyImages-1234651969-1200x780.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a><br \/>\n    A plaque of the Department of Defense seal is seen at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 26, 2012. (Mandel Ngan\/AFP via Getty Images)<br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<h3>Legislative Action and Demand for Accountability<\/h3>\n<p>The final calculation of the accounting error was almost twice as high as what the Pentagon estimated in May.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe so-called \u2018valuation errors\u2019 around U.S. aid to Ukraine is a transparent attempt to bypass Congress for additional funds, while continuing to prioritize Ukraine over more vital U.S. interests, including deterring China in the Pacific,\u201d Mr. Hawley said in a statement on July 12 that accompanied the announcement of the legislation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe must force the DoD to appropriately account for any future aid, not only for Ukraine, but also for all U.S. security assistance going forward,\u201d the Republican senator added.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this week, Hawley and several of his Republican colleagues sent a letter (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawley.senate.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2023-07\/Hawley-et-al-Letter-to-Austin-Ukraine-Aid.pdf\">pdf<\/a>) to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, demanding an explanation of the accounting errors in U.S. security assistance to Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese so-called \u2018valuation errors\u2019 are particularly concerning given the nature and scope of U.S. aid to Ukraine\u2014over $113 billion thus far,\u201d the GOP senators wrote. \u201cThis is a transparent attempt to bypass Congress for additional funds, while continuing to prioritize Ukraine over more vital U.S. interests, including deterring China in the Pacific.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hawley earlier introduced the Special Inspector General for Ukraine Assistance Act in order to establish the watchdog position of Special Inspector General to oversee military and other forms of assistance to Ukraine amid questions about whether the aid serves vital American interests or is a needless burden to taxpayers.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5353619\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/06\/23\/id5353619-06232023-DSC02624-Josh-Hawley-1200x800.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a><br \/>\n    Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) speaks during the Faith and Freedom Road to Majority conference at Hilton in Washington, D.C., on June 23, 2023. (DSC02624\/Getty Images)<br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sens. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) propose a bill to address accounting errors at the Department of Defense (DOD) following a $6 billion &#8220;valuation error&#8221; at the Pentagon. The draft bill aims to amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, mandating the Pentagon to prevent such errors in the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1971053,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1971052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1971052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1971052"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1971052\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1971053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1971052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1971052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1971052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}