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Pentagon redirected pandemic funds to defense contractors: report:
The Pentagon redirected most of its $1 billion in pandemic funding to defense contractors who exchanged the money for jet engine parts, body armor, dress uniforms and other military needs, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday.
[...] Congress instructed the $1 billion in the CARES Act to go to Defense Production Act (DPA) efforts, which permits President Trump to direct U.S. companies to manufacture necessary products, such as personal protective equipment (PPE).
Months after the funding was allocated, department lawyers concluded the money could be used for defense production, including projects that had little to do with responding to the pandemic, the Post reported. Smaller firms received more than a third of the funding for less than $5 million, but hundreds of millions of dollars went to several large companies.
At least 10 of the about 30 contractors awarded with DPA funding also received money from the Paycheck Protection Program, the Post found.
Jessica Maxwell, a spokesperson for the Department of Defense, told The Hill in a statement that the DPA funding and PPP program are not "in conflict or duplicative."
[...] Defense industry groups said the funding was needed to keep certain contractors in business during the economic downturn caused by the pandemic.
(Score: 3, Redundant) by Phoenix666 on Thursday September 24 2020, @11:48AM (6 children)
The MIC needs help to stay in business? Is that because Trump has refused to go to war with Syria or Iran the way they wanted him to?
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by meustrus on Thursday September 24 2020, @03:52PM
It always has. You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. Biggest source of government corruption in the US right now, and neither party will commit to fight it. I mean, lots of Democratic voters would like to fight it, but Democratic candidates always find a way to weasel out of it. And most Republicans only hate wasteful spending on things Democrats want.
One may have hoped that Trump being too cowardly to go to war would have pulled back the MIC somewhat. I guess the general flourishing of corruption in federal government right now more than makes up for it.
If there isn't at least one reference or primary source, it's not +1 Informative. Maybe the underused +1 Interesting?
(Score: 5, Touché) by DeathMonkey on Thursday September 24 2020, @05:24PM (1 child)
How to "avoid" a war with Iran:
--Unilaterally tear up an existing treaty with them.
--Implement harsh sanctions that had been removed because of said treaty.
--Wait a bit while they all starve.
--Assassinate their equivalent of a Vice President.
--When they retaliate, bomb the shit out of them.
The MIC totally HATES it when you do so much peace with a nation!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 25 2020, @01:36PM
You bring up a good point. One of the few things I can think of that have been good for President Trump is that "he didn't start a new war."
Now that you mention it, though, it seems like he's done much to engage in one. I wonder if an alternative explanation could be in order. Maybe it's more, "the US is very reluctant to unilaterally engage in war. So, having a substantially reduced international credibility and prestige, it can't get even nominal support from others. Therefore, no war."
Which would still mean it was good for President Trump in that the US didn't begin a new war under his presidency... albeit one which is much more mixed.
(Score: 0, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 24 2020, @05:39PM (2 children)
He didn't need to start any as we're still in other countries. He would have had to end conflicts and oull troops out to get any credit as a more peaceful president. And we can't forget how he tried to start a war with Iran against military advice.
You're a sad sad man, traded your disillusionment with the DNC for the true insanity and corruption of Trump.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 24 2020, @06:51PM (1 child)
How the heck did you get that from their post
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 24 2020, @08:11PM
By the magic of memory! Mod off-topic if that last line causes you such confusion.
He can post AC if he doesn't want people remembering and pointing out his flaws. His support of Trump over a centrist like Biden makes zero sense unless he is one of the idiots that brushes off every bad thing Trump does and says with fake news or TDS excuses. At BEST he might be one of those "burn it all down" types who likes Trump's destruction of norms more than he cares about Trump's corruption and fascism. I can only say what, not why, Phoenix says these things.