Moment Rep. Mike Waltz holds up a $90,000 bag of insulator joints as stumped USAF Secretary admits he has NO IDEA such basic parts cost that much for taxpayers

US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall suffered an awkward moment in Congress as he was stumped over a question about military overspending. 

The military leader was questioned by Florida Congressman Mike Waltz over the 'exorbitant' amounts spent on regular inexpensive items, using a bag of bushings as an example. 

Despite the small bag of electrical bolts costing average Americans around $100, Waltz said the military forks out $90,000 a bag. 

'This is literally driving us out of business,' he said. 'The interest on our debt alone is now exceeding, for the first time in American history, the entire defense budget.' 

Waltz began his grilling of the Air Force secretary by holding up the small bag of bushings, which only contained a handful of bolts. 

'This, Mr. Secretary, is a bag of bushings,' he began. 'This bag of bushings, stamped out by machines, don't need a high school diploma, nothing high tech about this, all of this bag is compliant with the FAA specifications. 

'How much do you think the Air Force pays for this bag of bushings?'

Kendall responded that he 'didn't know', leading Waltz to quickly clarify: '$90,000.' 

Waving the small bag in the air, the exacerbated representative continued: 'This is a $90,000 bag of bushings, that you need for any jet turbine engine.' 

Bushings are essential components of engines, and the small rotating parts are typically placed between joint mounts for vibration absorption, rotation support and thermal resistance. 

Branding the cost 'exorbitant', Waltz noted that the Department of Defense sources all commercial parts directly from original equipment manufacturers, meaning they should be cheaper than off-the-shelf items. 

However, while everyday Americans can expect to pay roughly $100 for the bag of bushings, Waltz questioned why the taxpayers were footing the bill for the huge markup. 

'This is literally driving us out of business,' he said. 'The interest on our debt alone is now exceeding, for the first time in American history, the entire defense budget.' 

Waltz's remarks sparked backlash towards the military after it circulated on social media, with viewers feeling it is 'pretty insane how the taxpayer is ripped off by the MIC (military industrial complex).' 

'A $90,000 bag of bushings courtesy of the DOD,' commented another. 'Typical American government waste and fraud.' 

Another said: '$90,000 for a small bag of “bushings.” Should be like $90!

'Privatization just means private contractors fleece the US government! Of course, some of this money cycles back into the pockets of politicians.' 

The issue was raised as military spending shows no signs of slowing down, with the cost of militaries around the world topping $2.24 trillion in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 

It is not the first time that Waltz has slammed military leaders, after previously introducing legislation to audit the military's DEI policies that he argued were 'harming our military readiness.' 

Last June, the congressman, a Green Beret veteran, introduced the WARRIOR Act to combat what he perceived as left-wing ideology infiltrating the military. 

Alongside ending DEI, Waltz also lobbied against critical race theory being taught in military academies, and hoped to launch an investigation into the effect of Covid-19 vaccines on troops. 

'Under the Biden Administration, the Pentagon has diverted its focus from lethality and have instead pushed initiatives that have politicized our warfighting ranks and harmed our military readiness,' Waltz said at the time. 

'Our military faces the worst recruiting crisis since the Vietnam War because young Americans don’t want to join what was once a trusted institution that has become overly politicized and hyper-focused on DEI initiatives.

'The reforms proposed in this legislation will restore a merit-based culture to our ranks, audit unnecessary and political DEI programs, and require cost-benefit analysis reports for green-energy-focused proposals.'