Tag Archives: Senate

The Senate has proposed a COVID-19 pandemic relief package that would earmark at least $7B in funds for the procurement of military aircraft, shipbuilding, missile defense systems and other weapons systems, Defense News reported Monday.

The Senate voted 86-14 Thursday to pass a $740.5B defense policy bill for fiscal year 2021, The Hill reported.

The House on Tuesday voted 295-125 to pass a bill that would authorize $740B in defense budget for fiscal year 2021, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Four lawmakers have proposed a bicameral bill to strengthen U.S. scientific and technological edge through increased investments in the development and commercialization of emerging technologies. The bipartisan Endless Frontier Act would change the name of the National Science Foundation to National Science and Technology Foundation and create a technology directorate within NSTF to advance research in 10 tech focus areas, including artificial intelligence and machine learning; high-performance computing; cybersecurity and data storage; and robotics, automation and advanced manufacturing.

Kenneth Braithwaite, former U.S. ambassador to Norway and a retired Navy rear admiral, has been confirmed as secretary of the service branch after he sailed through a Senate committee confirmation hearing earlier this month, Politico reported Thursday.

The Senate voted 49-44 Thursday to confirm Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) as the new director of national intelligence, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The Senate voted 62-31 Tuesday to confirm Troy Edgar, associate deputy undersecretary of management at the Department of Homeland Security, as the new chief financial officer of DHS.

The House on Thursday passed a potential $484B emergency relief package that would provide additional funds for small businesses and expand COVID-19 testing efforts amid the coronavirus pandemic, The Hill reported Thursday. The measure brings the country’s total coronavirus pandemic response dollars to approximately $2.8T and includes $310B in additional funds for the Paycheck Protection Program, $75B for hospitals and $25B for COVID-19 testing.

The Senate on Wednesday unanimously passed a $2T emergency funding package to mitigate the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, Politico reported. The package would authorize $10.5B in emergency funds for the Department of Defense and another $19.6B for the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to a Military Times report. 

Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, said Senate and House lawmakers have reached an agreement on a defense appropriations bill for fiscal year 2020, Inside Defense reported Saturday.