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HASC Roll Call on F-22 Amendment and Logic of 6 Defecting Dems
Travis | Jun 19, 2009 |
0 Early Wednesday morning, the House Armed Services Committee voted 31 to 30 to add $369 million for the advanced procurement of 12 F-22 Raptors. Secretary Gates wants to end the program as scheduled in fiscal year 2010, but some members of Congress are determined to keep it alive. Gates called the Committee’s F-22 funding increase “a big problem.”
Here are printouts of the razor-thin F-22 vote (Thanks to Marie Rietmann!)
Democrats:
Republicans:
Below I summarized the rationales of the six Democrats who broke ranks and voted for more F-22 funding. Their votes make sense in context. Yet because the F-22 is built in something like 44 states, there are many lawmakers who face the same predicament.
At some point, you have to quit hedging and just cast a tough vote.
Bright (Alabama) – District includes Maxwell AFB, the home of Air University and the intellectual hub of the Air Force, as well as a Lockheed Martin plant near Troy (Lock Mart is the lead contractor on the F-22). He is also a freshman from a conservative district who is considered politically vulnerable and has already bucked the Democratic leadership this year.
Courtney (Connecticut) – The F-22’s F119 engine is built by Pratt & Whitney in Middletown, Connecticut. United Technologies Corporation has estimated that ending production of the F-22 will cost Connecticut between 2,000 and 3,000 jobs. Courtney also wants to keep F-22 production alive by selling the planes to Japan.
Giffords (Arizona) – Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems produces several of the air-to-air missiles - like the Sidewinder and AMRAAM – used by the F-22. Giffords is also a Frontline (aka vulnerable) Democrat in a conservative district.
Marshall (Georgia) – District includes Robins Air Force Base, home of the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center that supports the F-22’s avionics. Robins “is the largest industrial complex in Georgia, employing a workforce of over 25,584 civilians, contractors, and military members,” according to the website.
Massa (New York) – The Lock Mart plant in Owego, NY is near Massa’s district. This facility will be more affected by the VH-71 cancellation than by the F-22 halt, but the F-22 must impact the local community, too. Regardless, Massa is a Frontline Dem and his district leans conservative.
McIntrye (North Carolina) – State is home to a ton of defense installations, including F-15s at Seymour Johnson AFB that help train F-22 pilots.
Security Matters, Congress (all tags)
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