House committee tries to save F-22

Wall Street Journal:

A House committee threw a wrench in the Obama administration's plans to end Lockheed Martin Corp.'s F-22 Raptor fighter program, voting instead to add $369 million in extra funding to keep production of the Air Force's most advanced jet alive.

The vote by the House Armed Services Committee is a surprise opening move in the Congressional contest over the Pentagon's weapons spending plans, which Defense Secretary Robert Gates is using to rebalance the U.S.'s ability to fight insurgent enemies in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Mr. Gates wants to cut back many of the costliest weapons programs, such as the $143 million F-22 fighter jet, a highly maneuverable fighter designed to sneak into enemy airspace. The plane came to symbolize the Pentagon's traditional focus on conventional conflict against big foes, such as Russia and China.

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But in a showdown early on Wednesday morning, the Committee voted 31 to 30 on the extra funding amendment, which is part of its 2010 Defense Department spending bill mark up. The measure will now have to wind its way through the House and the Senate.

One of the proponents was Utah Republican Rep. Rob Bishop, who believes that 187 jets is "frighteningly low," according to a spokesman. Some lawmakers wanted to commit to buying 12 more F-22 jets, but others in the group thought that option would be too expensive. The new funding is, in effect, a down payment on 12 additional jets to be bought in the fiscal year 2011.

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It sounds like it is barely enough to keep the program alive in case there is a new President elected in 2012. While I think keeping the F-22 in production makes much more sense than most of the items in the President's stimulus program, I am not optimistic that this mark up will survive passage in Congress. Democrats would rather spend money on boondoggles than defense.