Senators call on Pentagon to reinstate funding for Stars and Stripes newspaper
Source: The Hill
BY JUSTIN WISE - 09/02/20 04:28 PM EDT
Senators call on Pentagon to reinstate funding for Stars and Stripes newspaper
© Greg Nash
A coalition of Republican and Democratic senators are calling on the Defense Department to reinstate funding for Stars and Stripes, the editorially independent military newspaper whose future was put in doubt earlier this year after the Pentagon proposed shifting money away from the outlet.
In a letter sent to Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Tuesday, the senators argued that funding for the newspaper represented a tiny fraction of the department's annual budget and that cutting it could have a "significantly negative impact on military families."
"We understand that DOD plans to cease publication of Stars and Stripes on September 30, 2020 and completely dissolve the organization by January 31, 2021 as a result of the proposed termination of funding in the fiscal year 2021 President's budget," states the letter, which was spearheaded by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). Signatories included Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), a veteran, Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.).
"We urge you to take steps to preserve the funding prerogatives of Congress before allowing any such disruption to take place," the senators said.
Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/514851-senators-call-on-pentagon-to-reinstate-funding-for-independent-stars-and
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