
Lawmakers have reached a deal on a $2.3 trillion spending package that includes a pandemic relief stimulus bill and $696 billion for fiscal year 2021 defense appropriations, covering funds for 96 F-35s and an additional Virginia-class submarine. The $900 billion emergency relief package in the bill includes a provision extending the deadline for defense contractors to submit pandemic-related claims for reimbursement through the end of March 2021. Defense industry CEOs and industry associations had urged lawmakers to push back the…