Coronavirus Forces US House to Delay Drafting Defense Budget for 2021 - Committee Chair

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st March, 2020) The House of Representatives Armed Services Committee postponed writing a US defense budget for fiscal year 2021 to comply with novel coronavirus (COVID-19) mitigation recommendations by health authorities and a 30-day extension of guidelines from the Trump administration, Committee Chairman Adam Smith said in a press release on Monday.

"The House Armed Services Committee has been, and will continue to be, in strict compliance with the guidance we have received from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Sergeant at Arms, and the House Attending Physician.

Given the new 30-day extension of the administration's guidance, the Committee has postponed the previously scheduled mark up of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021. A new mark up date will be announced at a later time," Smith said.

Smith added that strict adherence to social distancing and other guidelines is vital to the success of any national response to the novel coronavirus pandemic, including compliance with the Trump administration's extension of their initial 15-day period.

At least five lawmakers in the House of Representatives have contracted the novel coronavirus.