Fox News host Jesse Watters and Senator Marco Rubio engaged in a discussion during Monday’s broadcast of “Jesse Watters Primetime” about wasteful spending by the Department of Defense.
“The Pentagon’s budget is more than China, India, Russia, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Germany, France, Japan, and South Korea combined,” Watters told viewers.
The analysis comes as the Pentagon failed its fifth consecutive audit back in November, unable to account for more than half of its assets.
Pentagon Comptroller Mike McCord dismissed news of the failed audit – they’ve failed every single one that has ever been conducted – as a “teachable moment.”
“We give our military almost a trillion dollars a year. So where does the money go?” demanded Watters.
Your yearly reminder that as we say we can’t afford things that help our own citizens we continue to pass obscene military budgets while the Pentagon fails audit after audit. pic.twitter.com/QAHKJhwyPv
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) July 16, 2022
RELATED: Fox News’ Jesse Watters Compares Hillary Clinton To OJ Simpson
Jon Stewart Takes on Pentagon Corruption and Defense Spending
Watters referenced a recent viral video of comedian Jon Stewart interviewing Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks about the Pentagon’s $858 billion budget.
Stewart challenged Hicks continually on alleged corruption at the Pentagon resulting in her repeated condescending responses to his accusations.
The video went viral, amassing over 10 million views.
“The ability to pass an audit or, the fact that the DoD has not passed an audit is not suggestive of waste, fraud, and abuse,” Hicks insisted.
“If I give you a billion dollars and you can’t tell me what happened to it, that to me is wasteful,” countered Stewart.
Incredible clip.
Jon Stewart rips Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks on the Pentagon’s inability to ever pass an audit.
As of last year, the DoD can’t account for 61% of their ~$3.5 Trillion in assets. pic.twitter.com/W9ZYF8T8UP
— Stephen Geiger (@Stephen_Geiger) April 10, 2023
Stewart blasted Hicks noting that the Pentagon’s massive budget isn’t preventing our military servicemembers from being forced to work off of food stamps, something The Political Insider has covered extensively.
“We got out of 20 years of war and the Pentagon got a raise,” Stewart pressed. “I can’t figure out how $850 billion to a department means that the rank and file still have to be on food stamps.”
“To me, that’s f***ing corruption.”
WATCH: @jonstewart confronts arrogant @DepSecDef Kathleen Hicks on military industrial complex, drops mic:
“I can’t figure out how $850 billion to a department means that the rank and file still have to be on food stamps. To me, that’s f***ing corruption.”
— Young Americans for Liberty (@YALiberty) April 7, 2023
RELATED: Marco Rubio Asks the Obvious: Why Can Florida Count Ballots in Hours While Other States Take Days?
Watters Challenges Marco Rubio
Jesse Watters then brought Senator Marco Rubio into the discussion claiming “someone’s getting rich,” and asking the Florida Republican, “Do you have any idea where the money goes?”
Rubio contends that the process of bidding itself opens up the Pentagon to wasteful spending, as they get locked into certain contractors who then alter their prices as the project speeds along.
“Oftentimes in the process of developing it, they’ll come back and say, ‘Hey, this is gonna cost more than we thought when we put that bid out, when we offered that bid. So we’re gonna have to increase the price,’” Rubio explained.
“And then if you don’t fund it or you don’t pay for it, then it’s like, ‘Oh, you’re against national security or national defense.’”
Rubio was one of 83 senators who voted in favor of the $858 billion National Defense Authorization Act in December.
JESSE WATTERS – MARCO RUBIO (R) | FLORIDA SENATOR
WHERE DOES ALL OUR DEFENSE MONEY GO? pic.twitter.com/XdGhumNbay
— Stalin (@StalinCruz) April 11, 2023
Rubio also suggested the defense contractors can essentially charge any amount of money they want.
“There’s very little competition on these contracts, so they can virtually almost charge us anything they want.”
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The post Jesse Watters Challenges Marco Rubio on ‘Corrupt’ Defense Spending: ‘Do You Have Any Idea Where the Money Goes?’ appeared first on The Political Insider.
The Political Insider
Fox News host Jesse Watters and Senator Marco Rubio engaged in a discussion during Monday’s broadcast of “Jesse Watters Primetime” about wasteful spending by the Department of Defense. “The Pentagon’s budget is more than China, India, Russia, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Germany, France, Japan, and South Korea combined,” Watters told viewers. The analysis comes
The post Jesse Watters Challenges Marco Rubio on ‘Corrupt’ Defense Spending: ‘Do You Have Any Idea Where the Money Goes?’ appeared first on The Political Insider.