Democrats seek investigation into Pentagon’s COVID-19 fund
Money was not spent as Congress stipulated in CARES Act
Congressional Democrats sharply criticized a Defense Department decision to repurpose a $1 billion coronavirus fund into an economic stimulus for defense contractors, a change the lawmakers say violated congressional intent. Two lawmakers asked for an investigation and public hearings on the matter following a Washington Post article that revealed the change.
The funds, set aside under the CARES Act economic stimulus package passed in March, were given to the Pentagon to “prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus.” But the Defense Department, acting in consultation with the White House Office of Management and Budget, as well as other federal agencies, decided to divert most of that funding toward long-standing defense concerns such as drone technology, body armor and dress uniforms.
Reps. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., and Barbara Lee, D-Calif., called for a formal investigation reviewing the legality of the Defense Department’s decision to use any of the coronavirus funding for defense industry stimulus.
“For the Administration to choose to use funds Congress made available to fight COVID-19 on the wish lists of defense contractors, instead of first protecting troops and the general public from the spread of the coronavirus, is unconscionable and should be investigated fully and prosecuted if warranted,” Pocan and Lee wrote in a letter to House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C.; Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., and House Armed Services Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash.
Jessica R. Maxwell, a spokesperson at the Department of Defense, said “as with all congressional correspondence, we will respond directly to the authors of the letter.”
Shortly after they decided to repurpose the funds, top Defense Department procurement officials explained their reasoning to members of Congress, arguing that the $1 billion could be diverted because the Department of Health and Human Services had accessed other funds. And in a statement to The Post on Monday, they argued that funding niche defense capabilities is essential to maintaining the economic and national security of the United States.