There’s a pricey cup of coffee, and then there are the cups the US Air Force has reportedly been purchasing.
Last year, it came to light that the Pentagon had conducted its seventh financial audit, but as in previous years, they did not pass.
Bloomberg reported that the Pentagon Inspector General noted ‘significant work remains and challenges lie ahead’ in sorting out the financial records, but the audit provided a clearer understanding of the issues needing resolution.
Chief Financial Officer, Michael McCord, expressed in a statement: “Momentum is on our side, and throughout the Department there is strong commitment—and belief in our ability—to achieve an unmodified audit opinion,” and further stated: “The path forward is clear.”
However, as President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE team focus on reducing defense spending, past expenditures have been scrutinized.
Fox News reported that a 2018 congressional inquiry discovered that the Air Force was spending large sums on its KC-10 aircraft by replacing coffee cups when their handles broke instead of fixing them – the cups were also reheatable.
In 2018, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley pointed out in a letter to Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson (via Air Force Times) that it was ‘simply beyond reason’ to spend so much on ‘something as simple as a coffee cup that is so fragile that it needs to be constantly replaced’, and questioned whether cheaper alternatives had been considered.
In response to CNN, the Air Force stated it was no longer purchasing these cups ‘used in large transport aircraft as they work more cost-effective solutions’.
The Department of Defense (DOD) Inspector General, during last year’s audit, also identified that Boeing had overcharged the Air Force by almost 8,000 percent for spare parts, including $150,000 on soap dispensers.
The audit conducted over two years, which concluded in October 2024, found the service branch paid $149,072 over market value for the soap dispensers and of 46 select spare parts, the Air Force overpaid approximately $1 million for 12 of them on its C-17 transport planes.
The Independent reported that the soap dispenser tip was evaluated by the Inspector General, while Boeing contested the audit findings, stating that the report seemed ‘based on an inapt comparison of the prices paid for parts that meet aircraft and contract specifications and designs versus basic commercial items that would not be qualified or approved for use on the C-17’.
Social media users quickly voiced their opinions, with one person commenting: “At the expense of the taxpayer.”
Another remarked: “Must’ve been some good cups.”
Meanwhile, some individuals claiming experience within the armed forces were not shocked by the audit findings.
“As a Marine vet myself, I can fully affirm this is standard Air Force behavior,” someone else commented.
In his efforts to reduce costs, Trump has criticized the department for being rife with waste, inefficiency, and financial misconduct, telling Fox News: “We’re going to find billions, hundreds of millions of dollars of fraud and abuse.”
Recent reports indicate that DOGE was given access to the US Treasury Department’s payment system, which manages social security benefits, Medicare, and tax refunds.