Duval Times

Today, Senator Rick Scott criticized the Department of Defense (DOD) for failing its annual audit. The department could not account for its budget of over $820 billion, which is funded by taxpayers.

Senator Scott expressed his concerns about the DOD's financial accountability, stating, "The Department of Defense has once again failed to account for its MASSIVE taxpayer-funded budget of over $820 billion." He emphasized the importance of smart funding for defense to maintain a powerful military force. According to him, "That is impossible when the DoD cannot tell anyone how it spends its nearly $1 TRILLION budget funded by American taxpayers."

He also commented on the national debt situation, noting that "The U.S. federal government is now more than $36 TRILLION in debt – that’s $9 TRILLION more than when President Biden took office thanks to his addiction to reckless spending." Senator Scott expressed confidence that changes would occur with a new administration: "It’s time for a reckoning and I am confident that when President Trump takes office, the Senate confirms Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense, and the new Department of Government Efficiency gets working, we will finally have accountability to the American taxpayer."

He concluded by addressing what he sees as necessary changes in governance: "After years of the American people footing the bill for the mistakes and failures of the Biden-Harris administration, our government needs the wakeup call and that is what President Trump will soon deliver."