US

Despite Pentagon’s Recently Failed Audit, Liz Cheney Rails Against Cutting DOD Budget

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Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming railed against potential cuts to the Department of Defense on “Fox & Friends” Monday and said they amount to a “decision not to defend the nation.”

“The security of the nation’s at stake,” she said.

“We have heard rumors out of the White House and we’ve seen the president say, for example, that every agency has got to take a 5 percent cut,” Cheney continued. “We have not seen the actual budget yet. There’s still a chance that we will not see a cut. I think it’s very important that OMB director Mulvaney help the president understand and support the need to continue to make sure we increase the funding for the military.” 

Cheney’s comments come after the Pentagon failed its first ever audit in November, Reuters reported. About 1,200 auditors reviewed spending on weapons systems, military personnel and property.

“We failed the audit, but we never expected to pass it,” Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan told reporters following the results.

Cheney also said top members of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet are trying to sell the American people on a plan to keep defense spending at current rates and said cutting military spending would harm the nation’s security.

“I know Secretary of Defense Mattis, chief of staff Kelly, national security adviser Bolton, Secretary of State Pompeo, are all very focused on the need to make sure the American people understand that we are in a crisis situation,” she said. “And cutting the defense budget now is basically a decision not to defend the nation, and that’s not a path we can go down.”

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