{"id":42124,"date":"2020-04-27T09:00:37","date_gmt":"2020-04-27T09:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2020\/04\/27\/what-the-pentagon-should-and-should-not-get-in-the-next-stimulus-bill\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:32:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:32:36","slug":"what-the-pentagon-should-and-should-not-get-in-the-next-stimulus-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/commentary\/2020\/04\/27\/what-the-pentagon-should-and-should-not-get-in-the-next-stimulus-bill\/","title":{"rendered":"What the Pentagon should (and should not) get in the next stimulus bill"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As Washington begins to draft another stimulus spending bill to combat coronavirus, the Pentagon needs a new plan to articulate its needs to lawmakers. Simply submitting unfunded lists whole cloth comes across as tone deaf and opportunistic. A better plan would be to focus on the health, safety and continuity of all the Pentagon\u2019s workforce: uniformed, civilian and contractor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Capitol Hill is (virtually) busy as ever these days, completing another injection of funds into the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act last week. Congress and the White House will now begin formulating a phase 4 bill. President Donald Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have indicated they would both like to see domestic infrastructure spending inside. Negotiations are just beginning, but this bill will open the spending aperture compared to the CARES Act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For national defense, this legislation must focus on taking care of people and protecting jobs. Even as the U.S. military mobilizes to support the fight against COVID-19, the disease is hitting the Defense Department and its workforce much the same as the rest of America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first order of business is for the Pentagon to ensure health and wellness for service members, their families, civilians and contractors by encouraging safe and flexible work policies. The Pentagon will need additional funding to pay for COVID-19 support deployments, mitigate the effects of stop-movement orders, increase the availability of personal protective equipment and sanitation, and expand its IT infrastructure for telework<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\t