Out of $225 million collected by the United States Army for a food program for soldiers last year, only $74 million actually went toward food, according to a report.
An investigative report from Military.com found that $151 million of the funds collected from the Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) program for junior enlisted soldiers did not end up on their plates.
“It’s just returned to the big pool of army funds, and it’s used someplace else,” an official told the outlet.
The money collected is basically a “tax on troops” and is taken from their BAS payments, which are approximately $460 per month, according to the report. That money is automatically deducted from service members’ paychecks who live in barracks and is supposed to help cover food costs. The report notes that for junior enlisted troops who earn roughly $30,000 annually, “the cost can be consequential.”