bobdina
10-29-2009, 07:58 PM
So much for that veto threat -- Obama to sign NDAA
Posted October 27th, 2009 by Leo Shane
Tucked inside the president's praise and promises to sailors in Florida yesterday was a quick line about the defense authorization bill finalized by Congress last week:
"To make sure you can meet the missions we ask of you, we are increasing the defense budget, including spending on the Navy and Marine Corps. This week, I'll sign that defense authorization bill into law."
That final stamp is expected to come Wednesday, and marks a victory for House members who defied Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates by including money for an alternate Joint Strike Fighter engine in their compromise budget bill. The measure includes $430 million for the second engine, which critics have labeled another example of extravagant government waste.
But House members insist that having the Air Force fleet dependnent on a single engine type produced by a single manufacturer (Pratt & Whitney) is bad policy, and for years have fought to keep funds for an alternate F-22 engine available.
The $430 million set aside for the second engine in the bill comes from sources and cuts outside the larger JSF program, which lawmakers hoped would calm White House fears that the alternate engine was siphoning off needed fleet money.
Of course, that's just a small victory in Gates' larger fight against "wasteful legacy systems." The measure still caps F-22 production at 187 aircraft, lower than what industry and Air Force officials had hoped, and completely eliminates the airborne laser program, the multiple kill vehicle program, future combat systems components, the presidential helicopter program, among other programs.
http://blogs.stripes.com/blogs/stripes-central/so-much-veto-threat-obama-sign-ndaa-law
Posted October 27th, 2009 by Leo Shane
Tucked inside the president's praise and promises to sailors in Florida yesterday was a quick line about the defense authorization bill finalized by Congress last week:
"To make sure you can meet the missions we ask of you, we are increasing the defense budget, including spending on the Navy and Marine Corps. This week, I'll sign that defense authorization bill into law."
That final stamp is expected to come Wednesday, and marks a victory for House members who defied Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates by including money for an alternate Joint Strike Fighter engine in their compromise budget bill. The measure includes $430 million for the second engine, which critics have labeled another example of extravagant government waste.
But House members insist that having the Air Force fleet dependnent on a single engine type produced by a single manufacturer (Pratt & Whitney) is bad policy, and for years have fought to keep funds for an alternate F-22 engine available.
The $430 million set aside for the second engine in the bill comes from sources and cuts outside the larger JSF program, which lawmakers hoped would calm White House fears that the alternate engine was siphoning off needed fleet money.
Of course, that's just a small victory in Gates' larger fight against "wasteful legacy systems." The measure still caps F-22 production at 187 aircraft, lower than what industry and Air Force officials had hoped, and completely eliminates the airborne laser program, the multiple kill vehicle program, future combat systems components, the presidential helicopter program, among other programs.
http://blogs.stripes.com/blogs/stripes-central/so-much-veto-threat-obama-sign-ndaa-law