NewsBytes December 29, 2023
In this issue:
FRA 2024 Benefits Survey
Pentagon Fails Audit
FRA NHQ Closed on January 1
FRA 2024 Survey on Military and Veterans Benefits
As part of its mission to convey enlisted concerns to Capitol Hill, the FRA is conducting an online survey to determine the most crucial military and veteran benefits for active duty and Reserve personnel, retirees, veterans, and their families. The brief survey invites current and former members of the uniformed services, as well as their spouses, to rate various benefits and quality-of-life programs linked to their service to our nation.
The FRA urges all current and former military personnel and their spouses to share opinions on the programs they value most. Survey responses and participant comments offer the legislative team vital reference information for Congressional testimony and one-on-one meetings with lawmakers and their staff. Survey results are shared with elected officials on Capitol Hill, key committee staff, and leaders within the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the sea service perspective. Access the survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/K2BXMRL
Pentagon Fails Audit
The Department of Defense (DoD) failed for the sixth consecutive year to score a clean financial audit. Pentagon officials nonetheless claimed significant progress in tracking its assets and correcting hundreds of deficiencies in its accounts. The failure “is not a surprise,” Pentagon Comptroller Michael McCord told reporters at the Pentagon. About 1,600 auditors and 700 site visits were needed to review the DoD’s business processes and activities. The DoD spent $187 million on the audit, a small slice of its $853 billion budget. The Pentagon’s inspector general’s office has been overseeing the audit work and will issue its own report.
“Auditing the Department’s $3.8 trillion in assets and $4.0 trillion in liabilities is a massive undertaking,” McCord said in a news release. But he said, “the improvements and changes we are making every day as a result of these audits positively affect” every military member and civilian employee.
Lawmakers have been pressing the Pentagon to produce a “clean” audit by 2027. But the Pentagon sought to put part of the blame on unreliable budgeting by lawmakers, saying that “Congress can further help by stabilizing the budget process and avoiding continuing resolutions and government shutdowns.” McCord said this would be the 14th year with the Pentagon funded by continuing resolutions. The most current stopgap proposal would provide funding for the Pentagon until Feb. 2, 2024.
FRA Headquarters Holiday Closures
The FRA National Headquarters (NHQ) staff wishes everyone a very happy New Year! Our offices will close on Monday, January 1, 2024, in observance of New Year’s Day.