U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, released the following statement regarding today's stop work order issued by the Department of Defense that will halt work on the extra engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
"I have long called for the elimination of funding for a second F-35 jet engine which is a wasteful use of taxpayer money," said Senator Collins. "As we begin to tackle the mounting debt, we must eliminate programs like this that are duplicative and unnecessary. I applaud the Secretary of Defense's decision to halt further development of the extra engine."
Senator Collins recently introduced an amendment to two bills on the Senate floor that would fund the Defense Department for the remainder of the current fiscal year, but that would prohibit funding for the F-35 extra engine. Senator Collins, along with her colleagues, also wrote to the Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman and Ranking Member urging them not to fund the extra engine.
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