Of course.

Back in March, Congress authorized $1 billion in emergency funding for the Department of Defense to help boost domestic production of PPE and other medical equipment needed to battle the coronavirus.

But the Pentagon instead funneled most of the money to defense contractors — for military hardware and supplies unrelated to the pandemic that the DOD wanted before the onset of COVID-19.

Including:

• $22,000,000 to the British company Rolls-Royce for a factory in Mississippi that makes propellers for the Navy.

• $2,000,000 to a Connecticut company that makes fabric used in Army dress uniforms.

• $13,400,000 to five companies in the “small unmanned aerial system” — that’s drones in plain English — industry, with one objective being to “improve human-machine teaming.” In a press release, the DOD touted that this “saved 14 jobs” (not a typo).

Meanwhile, our country STILL has a severe shortage of N95 masks, nine months into the worst public health crisis humanity has faced in at least a century.

Tell Congress:

Investigate the Pentagon’s use of emergency funds meant for building up our nation’s supplies of critical PPE on military equipment unrelated to the coronavirus.

Thanks for taking action.

Stay safe.

- Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen

P.S. Public Citizen — like many nonprofits and small businesses — is feeling the financial strain of the coronavirus emergency. If you can, please make an emergency donation to support the critical work we’re doing together or even join our popular Monthly Giving program. Thank you.
 
 
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