Help for the Rock Island Arsenal is moving through Congress, and might actually be approved by the end of the year. Friday the US House approved the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, and it now goes to the Senate for its consideration.
According to Illinois Congresswoman Cheri Bustos and Iowa Congressman Dave Loebsack, the bill would require the Army to come up with a plan to "ensure the long-term viability of federal military manufacturing facilities, including Army arsenals."
The Army would also have to identify the equipment it buys from foreign countries and companies that could be made by its own arsenals. And it would also have to report "on the manufacturing skills needed to sustain the readiness of US Armed Forces."