Faux conservative comedian Stephen Colbert on Tuesday highlighted the story of the Abrams tank — the tank that lawmakers have devoted nearly $500 million to over the past two years, but one that the U.S. Army does not want or need. 

New attention to the story comes at a time when deep, automatic, and across-the-board spending cuts known as the sequester have begun taking their toll, in the form of long lines at airports, cuts to cancer treatment, and more. 

"Conservatives like me know that in a budget crisis, everything non-essential has to go — whether it's food for kids that aren't mine, or some other stuff for people I don't know," Colbert said.

"But there are some things the government spends money on that are worth spending money on. And as usual, those things are tanks. They are so important that we need them even when we don't need them."

Support and funding for the tank program comes largely because of politics — especially in Ohio, which is home to the nation's only tank production plant. Two of the biggest deficit hawks in Congress — Republican Rep. Jim Jordan and Sen. Rob Portman — support the funding, as well as Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown.

"It's a brave stance for these fiscal conservatives," Colbert said. 

Watch the clip below, courtesy of Comedy Central:

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