The coronavirus relief bill released by Senate Republicans Monday contains some provisions that appear to have little to do with the pandemic and the immediate economic pain it’s producing. In addition to the roughly $1.8 billion the proposal seeks for a new FBI headquarters building, the bill includes more than $7 billion for various weapons systems.
Here’s a partial list of military items in the bill, which, as Roll Call notes, appears to benefit the country’s two largest defense contractors, Lockheed Martin and Boeing, the most:
- $1 billion for Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft.
- $283 million for Boeing Apache helicopters.
- $650 million for A-10 Warthog attack jet refurbishment, a program run by Boeing.
- $200 million for Boeing’s Ground-Based Midcourse Defense anti-missile system.
- $686 million for Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth jets.
- $720 million for Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules transport planes.
- $1.5 billion for four medical ships.
- $375 million for upgrading Stryker infantry vehicles, a program run by General Dynamics.
A spokesperson for Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL), chair of the Appropriations Committee, defended the inclusion of weapons in the bill. “The Defense Industrial Base (DIB) is essential to our economy and to the defense of our nation," the spokesperson said. "This bill takes steps to ensure that the DIB, along with the millions of jobs it provides, are supported.”
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), vice chair of the Appropriations Committee, criticized the overall bill as inadequate, adding that, “If all of this were not bad enough, the bill contains billions of dollars for programs unrelated to the coronavirus, including over $8 billion for what appears to be a wish-list from the Department of Defense for manufacturing of planes, ships, and other weapons systems.”
The coronavirus relief bill released by Senate Republicans Monday contains some provisions that appear to have little to do with the pandemic and the immediate economic pain it’s producing. In addition to the roughly $1.8 billion the proposal seeks for a new FBI headquarters building, the bill includes more than $7 billion for various weapons systems.
Here’s a partial list of military items in the bill, which, as Roll Call notes, appears to benefit the country’s two largest defense contractors, Lockheed Martin and Boeing, the most:
