Lower Chamber's Bill Includes Funding For VH-71

A statement from the Office of Management and Budget threatens a Presidential veto of the Defense Appropriations bill if it includes $485 million for the VH-71 Presidential Helicopter program still hanging on in the House version of the bill. “If the final bill were to include funds that continue the existing VH-71 program, or would prejudge the plan to re-compete the presidential helicopter program, the president’s senior advisers would recommend that he veto the bill,” OMB said in the statement.

The Hill newspaper reports that the White House does not want to fund the program, at least until an analysis of the requirements for the new helicopter is completed by the White House and the Pentagon. Defense appropriators want to find a way to justify the $3.2 billion already spent on the program. The money in the bill is to get the 5 VH-71's that have already been built operational. But OMB said in its statement that the money included in the bill would not be enough to achieve that goal. “These helicopters currently have no mission equipment and would require in excess of $2 billion to complete and to operate as presidential helicopters, yet would still not meet full operational requirements for that mission,” OMB said in the statement.

The helicopter is not the only military program to draw a Presidential veto threat. President Obama has also said he will veto any defense spending bill that includes money for additional F-22 Raptors, as well as the alternate engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

FMI: www.whitehouse,gov, www.house.gov