House Defense Subcommittee Approves Funding For 5 Helicopters

Even with layoff notices going out to workers at Lockheed Martin's Owego, NY plant, the House Appropriations Defence Subcommittee has tried to breath new life into the embattled VH-71 program, including $485.2 million to build five of the Presidential helicopters.

The $13 billion dollar program had been written off as scrapped as recently as a week ago, but Congressman  Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) is trying hard to keep it going. ""It's taken a lot of hard work to get to this point, but funding for Lockheed Martin's presidential helicopter is back on track," Hinchey said in a statement on his website. "My colleagues on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense today flatly rejected the many false claims made about the VH-71 program.  It's been clear all along that canceling the presidential helicopter project would be an enormous waste of taxpayer money and force the president to continue flying in an extremely old and outdated helicopter.  By providing $485.2 million for Increment 1, we will put people in Owego back to work building a state of the art presidential helicopter fleet that is badly needed.  Providing continued funding for the VH-71 project is the most fiscally responsible step we can take to produce a much-needed helicopter fleet for the White House." Hinchey represents the district where the Owego plant is located.

"There are several legislative steps that the bill needs to go through before the funding for the helicopter is officially allocated," his office told the Elmira, New York Star Gazette. The staff also predicted that "(f)inal approval of the funding would result in the restoration of most, if not all, of the recently announced job cuts associated with the development of the presidential helicopter."

Congressman Hinchey

"We've been trying to encourage Lockheed Martin to keep this congressional process in mind," said Hinchey spokesman Jeff Lieberson. "We hope the Senate can act this month or take it up in September."

The appropriations process is long. From this subcommittee vote, the full House Appropriations committee would have to include the funding, and there is currently no companion bill in the senate, though Senator Charles Shumer (D-NY) has said he would work to keep the program alive on that side of the Capitol. But even if it passes both houses of congress, there is no guarantee President Obama would sign the bill. He has threatened to veto the Defense Appropriations bill over funding for the F-22 and F136 alternate engine for the F-35 JSF.

FMI: http://www.house.gov/hinchey/