A bipartisan Senate bill is proposing to redistribute unobligated COVID-19 relief funds to a Federal Communications Commission program to remove and replace purportedly risky network equipment made in China, the office of Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., announced Friday.

Sens. Fischer and John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., led the introduction of the Defend Our Networks Act, which aims to pull out 24,000 Chinese-made communications systems across the United States to protect national security.

FCC’s Rip and Replace Program was established to reimburse small communications companies that dispose high-risk equipment made in the Asian nation. The project is experiencing a budget shortfall of $3.08 billion as of 2022.

The new legislation would use roughly 3 percent of unspent budget originally allocated for emergency COVID-19 relief efforts to finance the Rip and Replace initiative.

“The current program shortfall is preventing eligible carriers from accessing the resources they need to cover the costs of replacing dangerous network gear,” Fischer said. “I’m proud to introduce the Defend Our Networks Act with Senator Hickenlooper to prioritize protecting our nation from rising threats posed by the CCP and supporting our rural communities.”

President Joe Biden signed an executive order that reinforces environmental justice initiatives, especially in tribal and overburdened communities.

The White House announced the EO on Friday, essentially creating the Office of Environmental Justice.

The presidential directive requires all executive branch agencies to embed environmental justice in their missions. This includes preventing and addressing uneven impacts of pollution and other climate-related factors on the health and ecosystems within communities.

Agencies are also directed to conduct tribal and other public consultations with regions that have environmental justice concerns. 

Under the EO, the Office of Science and Technology Policy’s National Science and Technology Council will have a new subcommittee that will oversee a coordinated strategy for identifying and resolving gaps in environmental justice research, data and science. The panel will work with government agencies to conduct cumulative impact assessments and ease public access to information about nature and health concerns.

In line with the signing of the EO, the Environmental Justice Scorecard was published by the Office of Management and Budget, White House Council on Environmental Quality, and U.S. Digital Service. The scorecard is based on recommendations from the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council, as well as sector experts, stakeholders and the public.

The Small Business Administration is investing in the development of veterans business outreach centers in seven new locations to expand entrepreneurial training and counseling services for veterans and military spouses who own and operate small businesses.

SBA said Friday it will award $3.5 million in grant funding to create the VBOCs in Alaska, California, Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Nevada and South Carolina to assist veteran-owned small businesses in business planning, loan application and marketing and outreach efforts.

Grants will support Boots to Business classes to help active duty service members transition determine whether entrepreneurship is a practical transition strategy.

“With this expansion of our veteran-focused network of small business centers, we can help more transitioning service members, veterans, National Guard and Reserve members, and military spouses start and grow their businesses and advance our economy,” said Isabella Casillas Guzman, administrator of the SBA.

Airbus Helicopters has added two new U.S-built vehicles to its portfolio of H125 military helicopters.

The AH-125 and MH-125 Ares will offer a variety of militarized options to best meet the demands of military and parapublic allies and partners worldwide, Airbus announced from Grand Prairie, Texas on Monday.

Scott Tumpak, vice president of Airbus U.S. Space and Defense’s military business arm, said that these additions to the company’s lineup have the capability, reliability and flexibility necessary to serve U.S. allies and partners across a wide range of rotary wing missions, such as light attack, disaster response and other parapublic missions.

He said that the aircraft will be constructed at an Airbus Helicopters facility in Columbus, Mississippi.

To complement the company’s current set of military helicopters, including the H125M, the AH-125 Ares will be configured as the armed version of the helicopter while the MH-125 Ares will be built to fill multiple roles spanning different operations. This family of helicopters is intended to be transformed for different mission sets in under 30 minutes.

Weapons installation design, engineering, certification and manufacturing will be performed by MAG Aerospace. The helicopters will support a number of weapons, including a .50 caliber gun and unguided rockets, and offer an option for precision-guided weapons. The installation enables doors-on flight throughout the mission.

“MAG Aerospace is thrilled to team with Airbus to combine our unique platform engineering and modification capabilities with the world-class leader in the single-engine helicopter market. It’s an honor to work with Airbus and expand our ability to serve our partners in the U.S. and around the world,” said MAG Aerospace President Matt Bartlett.

U.S. federal and law enforcement agencies have already adopted the H125 aircraft. With over 100 of these helicopters currently being used by Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. represents the largest customer and operator of the vehicle.

The U.S. military utilizes other Airbus products, including the UH-72A and UH-72B Lakota helicopters. Since 2006, more than 480 of these vehicles have been delivered to the Army and National Guard.

Airbus has also provided nearly 100 MH-65 helicopters to the Coast Guard, which are used in the organization’s homeland security, drug interdiction and lifesaving missions.