Eleanor Holmes Norton Claims ‘Chaos’ From Trump Admin Threatens Progress Towards Clean DoD Audit

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During a House Oversight Committee hearing on Tuesday, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) spoke about progress towards a clean audit from the Department of Defense.

Transcript

00:00from the District of Columbia, Ms. Norton, is recognized.

00:05Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

00:07For over three decades, GAO has maintained a high-risk list

00:14to identify critical government programs and services most vulnerable to waste, fraud, and abuse,

00:21or most in need of transformation.

00:24GAO added financial management at the Department of Defense to that list in 1995,

00:33and it has remained on it ever since.

00:37I have grave concerns that the chaos we are seeing at the Pentagon under the Trump administration

00:44is threatening the progress we have made toward a clean audit.

00:51Secretary Hedgefeth has proven time and again that he cannot be trusted to lead the Department

00:59or with any national security.

01:03The Trump administration has also purged independent expert and nonpartisan leaders at DOD,

01:10including the Inspector General.

01:12President Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency are also decimating the federal workforce,

01:23which serves and protects Americans, and DOD is not exempt from this purge.

01:30Secretary Hedgefeth has announced plans to reduce DOD civilian personnel by 5% to 8%,

01:39which will result in tens of thousands of jobs being cut from the Department.

01:44Mr. Mayo, would you agree that having adequate staffing is important for carrying out your office's important work?

01:56Yes, ma'am, I would agree with that.

01:59Mr. Mayo, have you had any staffers accept the deferred resignation plan that the administration offered?

02:08Yes, ma'am, we did have some people that left.

02:11Mr. McDion, has DOD's speed and responsiveness improved in recent months?

02:24Speed and responsiveness to recommendations, for example?

02:28I'm not sure I understand your question fully.

02:31Apologies.

02:32It's like DOD responding to GAO's requests.

02:37Yes, we have seen some improvement in that regard.

02:40Things are still delayed, but they were delayed over the five or six years of our auditing.

02:48So it's been a pervasive problem.

02:53Well, DOD's high-risk challenges, especially related to financial management,

02:58are pervasive, complex, and intertwined.

03:02The Department needs skilled and committed public servants to effectively address those challenges.

03:09In a hearing this committee held last fall on this topic,

03:14GAO testified about the importance of the, quote,

03:18tone at the top, close quote, in reducing fraud.

03:23Mr. McDion, what does GAO mean by tone at the top?

03:30And what is important to financial management at DOD?

03:34Yes.

03:35Tone at the top comes from the top leader, in this case would be the Secretary of Defense,

03:41to make fraud risk management, financial auditability, one of his top priorities,

03:47and make sure that his subordinates realize that that is a top priority,

03:53and then working from that top level to start instilling a culture of fraud risk management

04:00and auditability, among other priorities, of course.

04:04But unless it, as I mentioned to Mr. Mfume previously,

04:08unless it comes from the very top, it's not going to happen.

04:12I hope this department will hear our concerns and take steps necessary to safeguard taxpayer money

04:22and our national security, and I yield back.

04:27Jim Ullman yields back.

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