Sat, Jun 27, 2009
Armed Services Committee Defies White House, Approves
Funding
The Senate Armed Services Committee voted Thursday 13-11 to
authorize $1.75 billion for the embattled F-22 Raptor program, as
well as providing $438.9 million to continue development of the
F-35 Joint Strike Fighter alternate engine. President Obama has
threatened to veto the Defense Authorization Bill if those items
are included in the final version.
Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI) said that the bill still
largely reflects the wishes of the President and Secretary of
Defense. In a news release, Levin said "This is a solid bipartisan
bill that supports the men and women of the armed forces, both
active and reserve, and their families, and provides them with the
pay, benefits, equipment, and training that they need. I want to
commend Senator McCain for his steadfast support throughout the
markup process and for his commitment to our national
security.”
But the funding for both the Raptor and the JSF Alternative
Engine program could produce a showdown with the White House over
those programs.
As ANN has previously reported, Defense Secretary Robert Gates
has asked to reduce the number of Raptors built to 187. But some in
Congress think the U.S. Armed Services need more of the stealthy
aircraft, and also have mulled exporting them to other countries.
That would require an additional Act of Congress.
The House Armed Services Committee had already approved
additional money for both the F-22 and the JSF alternative engine,
prompting the veto threat.
The New York Times reports that the SASC also included nine more
FA/-18 Hornets than had been included in the Defense Department
request.
Both the House and Senate versions of the bill will have to go
through their respective full appropriations committees, where
members are likely to come under increased pressure from the White
House to kill the programs.
More News
DETRESFA (Distress Phrase) The code word used to designate an emergency phase wherein there is reasonable certainty that an aircraft and its occupants are threatened by grave and i>[...]
Aero Linx: The International Association of Missionary Aviation (IAMA) The International Association of Missionary Aviation (IAMA) is comprised of Mission organizations, flight sch>[...]
Also: EP Systems' Battery, Boeing SAF, Repeat TBM 960 Order, Japan Coast Guard H225 Buy Despite nearly 100 complaints totaling millions of dollars of potential fraud, combined with>[...]
Also: Viasat-uAvionix, UL94 Fuel Investigation, AF Materiel Command, NTSB Safety Alert Norges Luftsportforbund chose Aura Aero's little 2-seater in electric trim for their next gli>[...]
Also: Moya Delivery Drone, USMC Drone Pilot, Inversion RAY Reentry Vehicle, RapidFlight UAVOS has recently achieved a significant milestone in public safety and emergency services >[...]