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Thursday’s statement was designed to counter that criticism, with the Republican lawmakers calling it “short-sighted” not to invest money back into national security needs.
“The Department of Defense cannot afford to incur over twenty billion dollars in unfunded coronavirus impacts without damaging their hard-fought readiness gains and combat capability,” the group wrote. “It would be wrong to ask them to.”
Trade groups are urging lawmakers to extend the window for reimbursing government contractor costs for COVID-19 connected disruptions and cost increases, set to close Sept. 30.
The lawmakers also noted that military leaders have “been on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19 while simultaneously holding the line against terrorists abroad and competitors like Russia and China.”
And they also noted that money assigned to the military can also be directed to “critical small businesses representing thousands of employees” through the department’s Defense Production Act authority, giving a critical lifeline to the defense industrial base.
Whether their argument has any impact on the current negotiations remains to be seen.
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told reporters on Wednesday said he didn’t see any compromise package as realistic if a deal isn’t reached with congressional Democrats by Friday. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said on Thursday the two sides still remain far apart on key issues of unemployment assistance and other issues.
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.