WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement today after voting against a bill that increases the level of authorized funding for the Pentagon and other national security agencies by $21 billion in 2016.

“If we are serious about ending waste, fraud, abuse and excessive spending, we have got to focus on all agencies – including the Department of Defense. This bloated Pentagon budget continues to pour money into outdated weapons systems that don’t function properly. The Department of Defense is the only federal agency that cannot pass a clean audit. Many of its major acquisition programs suffer from chronic cost overruns. Virtually every defense contractor has been found guilty or has reached a settlement with the government because of fraudulent and illegal activities. This has got to change.”