The Pentagon Reportedly Blew Its $1 Billion Coronavirus Budget on Body Armor and Planes

 https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/09/pentagon-reportedly-blew-its-dollar1-billion-coronavirus-budget-on-body-armor-and-planes

Hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars Congress intended for pandemic relief were instead diverted for military spending, with bailout cash used to produce products like jet engine parts, body armor, and dress uniforms. For a period of time, the Washington Post reported, the $1 billion fund that Congress gave the Pentagon via the Cares Act to “prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus” was on track to be used for its original purpose, with $750 million for medical resources and $250 million for defense contractors. That was what Ellen Lord, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, told reporters in April. But at a congressional hearing two months later, she backtracked, telling lawmakers that defense contractors had “critical needs as well.” The ultimate spending plan that the Pentagon put forth to Congress in June, the Post notes, prioritized $688 million for the defense industry.