The Pentagon announced on Tuesday that an accounting “error” previously revealed in May has more than doubled to $6.2 billion, a surplus that will be used in future aid packages to Ukraine.
Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh announced the convenient error at a press conference. She noted that it took place in fiscal years 2022 and 2023 and was a result of overestimating the value of weapons being sent to Ukraine.
“In a significant number of cases, services used replacement costs rather than net book value, thereby overestimating the value of the equipment drawn down from US stocks and provided to Ukraine,” Singh said.
“We 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,” she explained adding the errors “in no way limit or restricted the size of any of our PDAs or impacted the provision of support to Ukraine.”
If it didn’t effect the provisions to Ukraine and it’s now surplus, why not divert the funds to something that actually benefits the American people?
Instead, Fox News describes the discovery as “an extra stash of money” that will be used to “support Ukraine” in its fight to defend against Russia.
Pentagon announces ‘accounting error’ provides extra $6.2 billion for Ukraine?!?! I AM NEVER PAYING TAXES AGAIN!!! pic.twitter.com/7T0E47nRUk
— Graham Allen (@GrahamAllen_1) June 20, 2023
Pentagon Accounting ‘Error’ Is Incredibly Convenient
As with the announcement of an accounting “error” last month, this particular revelation by the Pentagon is also convenient in its timing.
In May, in the midst of the debt ceiling battle with Congress, the $3 billion mistake allowed President Joe Biden to avoid making an awkward ask for more funding for Ukraine.
Similarly, CNN reports that the new $6.2 billion value “is likely to mitigate the need for Congress to pass an additional assistance package before the end of the fiscal year in September.”
The Associated Press also notes the windfall will come to the benefit of Ukraine without the need to ask for more money.
“The department now has additional money in its coffers to use to support Ukraine as it pursues its counteroffensive against Russia,” they reported. “And it comes as the fiscal year is wrapping up and congressional funding was beginning to dwindle.”
Cue up Dana Carvey’s character the Church Lady – Well, isn’t that convenient!
Weird how there’s never an error when I’m paying taxes.
— Fugedaboutit (@StrtKing) June 20, 2023
Magic Money
The IRS is hiring an army of employees over the next two years to audit your personal finances, but somehow the Pentagon consistently misrepresents the money they’re throwing at Ukraine and nobody bats an eyelash.
The Pentagon failed its fifth consecutive audit back in November, unable to account for more than half of its assets.
A recent video of comedian Jon Stewart interviewing Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks about the Pentagon’s $858 billion budget went viral, amassing over 10 million views.
Stewart challenged Hicks continually on alleged corruption at the Pentagon, resulting in her repeated condescending responses to his accusations.
Incredible clip.
Jon Stewart rips Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks on the Pentagon’s inability to ever pass an audit.
As of last year, the DoD can’t account for 61% of their ~$3.5 Trillion in assets. pic.twitter.com/W9ZYF8T8UP
— Stephen Geiger (@Stephen_Geiger) April 10, 2023
“The ability to pass an audit or, the fact that the DoD has not passed an audit is not suggestive of waste, fraud, and abuse,” Hicks insisted during the exchange.
“If I give you a billion dollars and you can’t tell me what happened to it, that to me is wasteful,” countered Stewart.
Now it’s $6.2 billion. They can’t balance their books so they pull out the ol ‘accounting error’ card to justify it. They can’t balance their books to save their life, but make a minor mistake on your tax returns and those new IRS agents are going to be all over you.
If it looks like money laundering to Ukraine, then it’s probably just money laundering to Ukraine.
Oops. A Pentagon accounting error just cost you, the taxpayer, another $6.2 billion. And it’s going to Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/PQS5XwrRHF
— Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) June 21, 2023
CNN anchor Jake Tapper was shocked by the Pentagon’s admission of a $3 billion error last month.
“That’s a hell of an accounting error!” Tapper told National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. “And it provides a lot of fodder to critics of U.S. aid to Ukraine, and critics who say there’s not enough oversight going on.”
Now it’s doubled. Not only is it a “hell of an accounting error” but it’s shifting based on the need for more money in Ukraine.
Sullivan dismissed the concerns and said, “At the end of the day, not one penny of U.S. Dollars will have gone missing, or have been misallocated.”
Jake Sullivan on the Pentagon’s $3 billion “accounting error” over Ukraine aid: “That is not money that went out the door and disappeared. That is not a waste of that $3 billion.” pic.twitter.com/b8s2BJE1JG
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 21, 2023
The Pentagon has – more than once – “lost” trillions of dollars.
They’re not hiring their best people.
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