US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall had an awkward moment in Congress when he was stumped by a question about excessive military spending.
The military leader was questioned by Florida Congressman Mike Waltz about the “exorbitant” amounts spent on cheap and common items, using a bag of shell casings as an example.
Even though the small bag of electric bolts costs the average American about $100, Waltz said the Army shells out $90,000 per bag.
“This is literally putting us out of business,” he said. “The interest on our debt alone now exceeds, for the first time in American history, the entire defense budget.”
Florida Congressman Mike Waltz criticized US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall for excessive military spending, using a $90,000 bag of shell casings as an example.
Kendall was stumped when asked about the “exorbitant” spending, particularly since the Department of Defense sources commercial parts directly from factories.
Waltz began his interrogation of the Secretary of the Air Force holding the small bag of shell casings, which contained only a handful of screws.
“This, Mr. Secretary, is a bag of shell casings,” he began. ‘This bag of shells, die cut by machines, you don’t need a high school diploma, there’s nothing high tech about it, this entire bag meets FAA specifications.
—How much do you think the Air Force pays for this bag of shell casings?
Kendall responded that she “didn’t know,” prompting Waltz to quickly clarify: “$90,000.”
Waving the small bag in the air, the exasperated representative continued: “This is a $90,000 bag of bushings needed for any jet turbine engine.”
Bushings are essential components of engines and the small rotating parts are usually placed between joint supports to absorb vibrations, support rotation and thermal resistance.
Waltz called the cost “exorbitant” and noted that the Department of Defense sources all commercial parts directly from original equipment manufacturers, meaning they should be cheaper than off-the-shelf items.
However, while ordinary Americans can expect to pay approximately $100 for a bag of shell casings, Waltz questioned why taxpayers were footing the bill for the huge margin.
“This is literally putting us out of business,” he said. “The interest on our debt alone now exceeds, for the first time in American history, the entire defense budget.”
Waltz’s comments sparked backlash toward the military after they circulated on social media, with viewers feeling that it’s “pretty crazy how the MIC (military industrial complex) rips off the taxpayer.”
“A bag of shell casings valued at $90,000, courtesy of the Department of Defense,” commented another. “Typical American government waste and fraud.”
Another said: ‘$90,000 for a small bag of bushings.’ It should be like $90!
‘Privatisation just means private contractors displacing the US government! Of course, some of this money goes back into the pockets of politicians.”
The issue was raised as military spending shows no signs of slowing, as the cost of armed forces worldwide surpassed $2.24 trillion following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
It’s not the first time Waltz has criticized military leaders, having previously introduced legislation to audit military DEI policies that he said were “harming our military readiness.”
Last June, the congressman, a Green Beret veteran, introduced the GUERRERO Act to combat what he perceived as leftist ideology infiltrating the military.
Waltz said excessive military spending “is literally putting us out of business,” noting that “the interest on our debt alone now exceeds, for the first time in American history, the entire defense budget.”
In addition to ending DEI, Waltz also lobbied against the teaching of critical race theory in military academies and hoped to launch research into the effect of Covid-19 vaccines on troops.
“Under the Biden Administration, the Pentagon has turned its attention away from lethality and instead pushed initiatives that have politicized our warfighting ranks and harmed our military readiness,” Waltz said at the time.
‘Our military faces the worst recruiting crisis since the Vietnam War because young Americans don’t want to join what was once a trusted institution that has become overly politicized and too focused on DEI initiatives.
“The reforms proposed in this legislation will restore a merit-based culture to our ranks, audit unnecessary and political DEI programs, and require cost-benefit analysis reports for proposals focused on green energy.”