The Defense Department has failed to properly notify Congress of hundreds of millions of dollars in misspent funds, several lawmakers wrote Tuesday in a letter to the Pentagon's chief financial officer and comptroller.
The letter to undersecretary of Defense Robert Hale, written by Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) and co-signed by 12 other senators and representatives cites violations of the Antideficiency Act totaling $817 million. The violations were identified by DoD but were never reported to Congress, the lawmakers wrote, citing reports by the DoD Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office.
The violations were related to budgets in 2005 and 2008, according to a statement from Carper's office.
The Antideficiency Act prohibits agencies from spending or obligating more money than Congress has authorized from a particular fund or for a particular purpose. In the event an agency determines it has violated the act, it is required to report "immediately to the President and Congress all relevant facts and a statement of actions taken."
The act carries both administrative and criminal penalties; knowing and willful violations can bring up to five years in prison.
-Jared Serbu, FederalNewsRadio.com
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