Congress

The Government Accountability Office says it is encouraged by the progress the Pentagon has made managing cost growth and schedule delays in its $185 billion portfolio of major acquisition programs, but warns that many programs are proceeding without "fundamental knowledge" or oversight.

Several Senate Democrats are criticizing the Defense Department for spending too little, too slowly to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Pentagon says it intends to send lawmakers a plan today for  using the $10.6 billion in coronavirus relief funds Congress provided in March.

A new report from the Government Accountability Office highlights risks in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program's test schedule and manufacturing practices -- noting concerns with the Pentagon's plans to continue delivering aircraft despite a nine-month operational testing delay.

The House Armed Services Committee is calling on the Defense Department to explain how the contracts for two nuclear modernization programs -- each with only one competitor vying for an award worth tens of billions of dollars -- will offer the best returns to the government.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-WA) said today he is working to include measures that would help the U.S. defense industrial base in an upcoming COVID-19 stimulus bill being crafted by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).

House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Mac Thornberry (R-TX) has unveiled a standalone Pentagon reform bill he hopes to include in the fiscal year 2021 defense authorization bill.

The Pentagon wants Congress to back off a requirement that it establish an unclassified database detailing its five-year budget plans.

The Senate is readying a final $2 trillion coronavirus rescue package that would provide an additional $10.5 billion in defense spending.

As senators remain stalled over a $1.6 trillion coronavirus economic rescue package, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is circulating her own draft bill that would provide more than $2.5 trillion in emergency funding, including nearly $8 billion in supplemental defense spending.