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To provide for auditing of the Pentagon.
Summary
- Requires Department of Defense departments and agencies to achieve unqualified audit opinions on their financial statements.
- Reduces the budget by 2 percent for any DoD department or agency that fails to achieve an unqualified audit opinion.
- Applies the 2 percent budget reduction proportionally across all programs, projects, and activities within the affected department or agency.
- Directs the withheld amounts to the U.S. Treasury for deficit reduction.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
- Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] (I-VT)
13 cosponsors
- Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI] (D-WI)
- Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] (D-NJ)
- Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA] (R-IA)
- Sen. Kelly, Mark [D-AZ] (D-AZ)
- Sen. Lee, Mike [R-UT] (R-UT)
- Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] (D-MA)
- Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR)
- Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT] (D-CT)
- Sen. Paul, Rand [R-KY] (R-KY)
- Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN] (D-MN)
- Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD] (D-MD)
- Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] (D-MA)
- Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR)
Money behind the sponsor
Top reported contributors to Bernard Sanders’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.
Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Bernard Sanders → · Outside spending →
Actions (2)
- Jul 30, 2026 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services. · senate
- Jul 30, 2026 Introduced in Senate
Text versions (1)
Bills are re-published as they move (Introduced → Reported → Engrossed → Enrolled …). Each stage below is a separate text; pick two to see what changed. Data from Congress.gov.
Full text
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 30, 2026
Mr. Sanders (for himself, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Van Hollen, Ms. Warren, Mr. Booker, Ms. Smith, Mr. Markey, Mr. Lee, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Paul, Mr. Murphy, and Ms. Baldwin) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services
A BILL
To provide for auditing of the Pentagon.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Audit the Pentagon Act”.
SEC. 2. AUDITING THE PENTAGON.
If during any fiscal year after fiscal year 2024, the Secretary of Defense determines that a department, agency, or other element of the Department of Defense has not achieved an unqualified opinion on its full financial statements for the calendar year ending during such fiscal year—
(1) the amount available to such department, agency, or element for the fiscal year in which such determination is made shall be equal to the amount otherwise authorized to be appropriated minus 2.0 percent;
(2) the amount unavailable to such department, agency, or element for that fiscal year pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be applied on a pro rata basis against each program, project, and activity of such department, agency, or element in that fiscal year; and
(3) the Secretary shall deposit in the general fund of the Treasury for purposes of deficit reduction all amounts unavailable to departments, agencies, and elements of the Department in the fiscal year pursuant to determinations made under paragraph (1). <all>
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