Audit the Pentagon Act of 2026

This legislation seeks to ensure the Department of Defense (DoD) achieves unqualified audit opinions on its financial statements, following a history of consecutive audit failures where significant funds were unaccounted for. Beginning in fiscal year 2026, any DoD department, agency, or element that fails to obtain a clean audit opinion will face mandatory spending reductions, starting at 0.5 percent and increasing to 1.0 percent for subsequent failures. These reductions will be applied on a pro rata basis across all programs and projects of the non-compliant entity, with the resulting funds deposited into the General Fund of the Treasury for deficit reduction. Crucially, certain accounts, including military personnel and the Defense Health Program , are explicitly excluded from these cuts to protect vital services. The President retains the authority to waive these reductions if they would negatively impact national security or deployed service members, provided a detailed report is submitted to Congress.