The Pentagon made no apologies for giving a major award to a contractor that owed millions in back taxes.

The owner of Leonie Industries owed more than $4 million dollars to the Internal Revenue Service when the Defense Department awarded the multimillion-dollar contract for military propaganda in Afghanistan, USA Today reported.

Defense officials said back taxes weren’t an issue. The contractor had made a deal with the IRS to repay them and did so last month.

Lawmakers said the Defense Department needs to do better research on its contractors and avoid funding those who owe taxes.

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