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Congressional Democrats sharply criticized a Defense Department decision to repurpose a $1 billion coronavirus fund into an economic stimulus for defense contractors, a change the lawmakers say violated congressional intent. Two lawmakers asked for an investigation and public hearings on the matter following a Washington Post article that revealed the change. The funds, set aside under the Cares Act economic stimulus package passed in March, were given to the Pentagon to “prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus.” But the Defense Department decided to divert most of that funding toward long-standing defense concerns such as drone technology, body armor and dress uniforms. (Gregg and Torbati, 9/22)

A $1 billion fund Congress gave the Pentagon in March to build up the country’s supplies of medical equipment has instead been mostly funneled to defense contractors and used to make things such as jet engine parts, body armor and dress uniforms. The change illustrates how one taxpayer-backed effort to battle the novel coronavirus, which has killed more than 200,000 Americans, was instead diverted toward patching up long-standing perceived gaps in military supplies. (Gregg and Torbati, 9/22)

Two House Democrats are pressing for an investigation and public hearings following a report that the Pentagon redirected most of its $1 billion in COVID-19 funding to projects that had little to do with the coronavirus. In calling for congressional action, Reps. Mark Pocan (Wis.) and Barbara Lee (Calif.) cited a Washington Post article published Tuesday that said the Defense Department funneled a large portion of its money from the $2.2 trillion CARES Act in March to buying jet engine parts, body armor, dress uniforms and other military needs. (Mitchell, 9/22)

The partisan battle shaping up over the confirmation of President Trump’s nominee to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg has barely begun. But it is already vacuuming up enormous attention on Capitol Hill and overshadowing negotiations to provide desperately needed aid to workers, businesses, and state and local governments struggling because of a pandemic that now has killed more than 200,000 Americans. It leaves the path to passing another stimulus bill before the election narrower than ever. “I don’t see it now,” said Richard Shelby of Alabama, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, following a six-second pause when a reporter asked about prospects for a deal. (Bidgood, 9/23)

Senate Democrats want to create a task force to investigate any political interference in government health agencies' coronavirus response. Legislation introduced Tuesday would create a task force within the Pandemic Response and Accountability Committee — an independent body created by the CARES Act — to investigate what Democrats argue are clear examples of the Trump administration impeding scientific work by agencies like the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Lim, 9/22)

"We've seen the deliberate undermining of public health over the course of this outbreak for political purpose," said Khan, Dr. Ali Khan, who used to direct the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response at the CDC and is now the dean of the College of Public Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. "And we have seen numerous examples now of deliberate change of guidance that's not evidence-based. ... Unfortunately, it's becoming harder to trust what CDC tells us." (Doubek, 9/22)

Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) received a round of applause from fellow lawmakers on Tuesday after delivering an emotional speech on the House floor regarding her life with alopecia areata, a condition that causes hair loss. In the five-minute speech, the freshman congresswoman shared intimate details about coming to terms with the reality of her condition and urged support for a bill authored by herself and Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) that would allow seniors to purchase medical wigs using Medicaid funds. (Bowden, 9/22)