House Democrats release updated Heroes Act

By John Liang / September 29, 2020 at 10:20 AM

House Democrats have introduced a $2.2 trillion economic stimulus package that, as with an earlier version of the bill, doesn't contain Pentagon stimulus funds for the defense industrial base.

According to a summary of the legislation, the bill contains a section that "would expand the use and oversight of Defense Production Act (DPA) authorities to: increase the production and supply of critical medical supplies and equipment, such as diagnostic tests, treatments, and personal protection equipment; focus efforts on supply chain mobilization; decrease the disruption of critical deliveries to state and local governments; and require assessments for both immediate and longer term needs and plans to meet those needs, as well as requiring longer-term planning to ensure that the United States is better prepared for future pandemics."

For the Defense Health Program, the bill would provide $705 million "to complete expansion efforts of manufacturing capability to quickly maximize doses of prophylactics and therapeutics needed to protect the warfighter population from COVID-19, as well as acquiring personal protective equipment for medical personnel and patients in military treatment facilities," according to the summary.

Additionally, the legislation would allocate $320 million in operations and maintenance funding "for supplies of personal protective equipment for military services and $1.4 billion for salaries and other needs of over 55,000 base employees of childcare centers, lodges, food operations, exchanges and other recreational activities that are normally paid by revenue generating accounts that have been detrimentally impacted by the pandemic."

House Democrats passed an earlier version of the bill in May that was opposed by Senate Republicans.

Read the full text of the legislation introduced this week.

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