Cost-cutting is the order of the day in the halls of Congress, and lawmakers are coming up with new and inventive ways to find money for hurricane relief efforts. One of the ideas was the Republican Study Committees’ proposed closing schools located on stateside bases and transferring the children to nearby school districts. The plan, according to the committee, would save an estimated $788 million over 10 years. The trouble is, many dependent schools—of which there are 64 in seven states and Puerto Rico—are in rural areas with limited tax bases and scarce resources.
Airmen and Guardians in the Active and Reserve component, as well as civilian employees, in “mission critical and high-risk populations” are now required to receive influenza vaccinations annually to “preserve force readiness,” according to a recent Department of the Air Force memo.