Washington, D.C. — Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, released the following statement on House passage of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019.

“Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act, fully funding our Armed Forces for Fiscal Year 2019. This funding will help the military continue to rebuild its equipment and improve training, after far too many years of neglect. President Trump has made this a priority for his Administration, and I stand with him to give American soldiers the best we can offer.

“At the same time, I am grateful that my Audit the Pentagon amendment was included in this year’s defense authorization. It is astonishing that the Department of Defense has not accounted for its taxpayer-funded resources. The Department of Defense is the only major agency that has not produced auditable financial statements, as required by the Chief Financial Officers Act passed 28 years ago. Congress must hold the Defense Department accountable as it works toward justifying how each taxpayer dollar is spent. We must ensure that our men and women in uniform have the resources they need to protect Americans at home and abroad.”

The Department of Defense is the only major federal agency that has not completed an audit as required by the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990. The Audit the Pentagon amendment would require the Department of Defense to rank its entities in order of audit readiness.

Read the full amendment here.