Today, CREW sent a letter to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees requesting an investigation into a Department of Defense $74 million contract awarded to Sioux Manufacturing. The letter can be found here.

The New York Times reported that Sioux Manufacturing, which makes Kevlar helmets, has agreed to pay $2 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that the company had shortchanged the armor in up to 2.2 million helmets for the military, including helmets used by American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Yet, the Department of Defense, aware of both the problem with Sioux's helmets and the company's efforts to cover it up, awarded another contract to Sioux -- a mere 12 days before the lawsuit was settled.

Our letter to the Chairs and Ranking Members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committee concludes:

Outrage is the only reasoned response to learning that the Department of Defense is its responsibility to do its best to protect our troops. This is a situation that cries out for Congressional oversight and we hope we can count on you to immediate investigate this appalling turn of events.

This is an outrage.