Coburn said he was looking into how much ammunition the government was buying because his constituents asked him to.
“That’s what I’m here for” Coburn noted.
“We immediately got on it," the senator continued.
What he found surprised many. "They haven't bought more ammunition than what they have in a long period of time," Coburn began.
"I think if you go through it without fear and actually make a judgement, I think they're probably doing exactly what they need to do."
The senator explained how the report was gathered. “Specifically, the GAO looked at DHS’s history of ammunition purchases and found that purchases have declined considerably since 2009.”
The senator went on to say, “I am pleased DHS has worked in good faith, and in a transparent manner.”
Even if things seem fine now, Coburn promised he won’t stop watching. “I will continue to conduct rigorous oversight of DHS programs and will specifically work with Congress and the GAO to examine how duplicative federal police forces cause excess and waste across the federal government.”
See the chart of Coburn's findings below.
Year | Number of rounds (in millions) | DHS total cost (in millions) |
*FY 2008 | 125.8 | $27.4 |
*FY 2009 | 132.9 | $33.8 |
*FY 2010 | 117 | $31.6 |
*FY 2011 | 100.3 | $30.2 |
*FY 2012 | 96 | $30.3 |
*FY 2013 | 84.4 | $19.2 |
*FY 2014 (planned) | 75.1 | $22.7 |
When asked why there seems to be a shortage of ammo, Coburn and others point to a huge demand from the public.
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