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Hoosier Enquirer - March 4th, 2025
By Collin Campbell @ProjectConstitu | February 25, 2025
Washington, D.C. – Buckle up, Hoosiers, because this one’s a gut punch. While you’re pinching pennies to cover groceries in Kokomo or scraping by on a fixed income in Terre Haute, Pentagon bigwigs have been treating taxpayer-funded credit cards like their personal ATM. A bombshell audit from the Department of Defense Inspector General (DODIG) just exposed a scandal that’ll make your blood boil: $1.3 billion—yes, BILLION—squandered on gambling sprees, bar tabs, and late-night parties. And guess who’s picking up the tab? You are.
Taxpayers Footing the Bill for a Pentagon Party
The audit dives into the Government Travel Charge Card (GTCC) program, meant to cover legit travel costs for DoD staff. Instead, it’s a free-for-all cash grab:
- $387,642.66 blown at casinos and mobile app stores—imagine slot machines and Candy Crush, funded by your hard-earned dollars.
- $112,484.69 racked up at bars, lounges, and nightclubs, with spending spiking around holidays and big games like the Super Bowl.
- A jaw-dropping 3.9 million transactions totaling $1.2 billion slipped through the cracks because no one bothered to check the receipts.
This isn’t a rounding error—it’s a heist, plain and simple, and it’s happening while Hoosier families struggle to keep the lights on.
Oversight AWOL
The Pentagon had a shiny tool called the Visa IntelliLink Compliance Management (VICM) system to catch shady charges. So what went wrong? Everything:
- The Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO) turned a blind eye to red flags, letting high rollers swipe away.
- Hundreds of Program Coordinators—supposed watchdogs—couldn’t even be bothered to log in and do their jobs.
- Fraud detection rules? Outdated, ignored, and about as useful as a screen door on a submarine.
It’s like handing out blank checks at the Horseshoe Casino in Shelbyville and telling the bouncer to take a nap.
Same Old Song and Dance
Here’s the kicker: this isn’t even the first time. Back in 2015, an audit caught DoD cardholders dropping cash at casinos and strip joints. The brass swore they’d fix it—crossed their hearts and everything—but a decade later, the party’s still raging. Clearly, promises from Washington are worth less than a wooden nickel.
Your Money, Their Playground
Picture this: You’re juggling rent in Bloomington while some Pentagon hotshot pulls cash from a Vegas ATM or buys shots at a swanky nightclub—all charged to Uncle Sam. Then the DoD has the gall to cry poor to Congress, begging for more cash to “defend the nation.” The audit says $1.2 billion in transactions went unchecked. That’s not a glitch—that’s a grift, and it’s hitting Hoosiers right in the wallet.
Where’s DOGE When We Need It?
Enter the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the Musk- and Ramaswamy-led brainchild promising to slash government waste. This $1.3 billion mess is the perfect place to start. Indiana taxpayers can’t wait another minute for someone to drain this swamp—DOGE needs to step up and shut this nonsense down.
No Consequences, No Shame
Here’s the part that’ll really steam you: not a single official has been fired, fined, or even slapped on the wrist. Zero accountability for billions torched. The Pentagon’s mum, Congress is snoozing, and Hoosiers are left holding an empty piggy bank. Sound familiar?
Time to Raise Hell
This is YOUR money—earned on factory floors in Evansville, taxed from paychecks in Fort Wayne, and now flushed down blackjack tables and beer taps. The Pentagon owes you answers, and Congress needs to stop writing blank checks. Call your reps. Demand an investigation. Shout it from the rooftops—or at least the bleachers at the next Indy 500 tailgate. Hoosiers deserve better than this.