House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, suffered a significant defeat yesterday when 110 members of his own party joined with 123 Democrats to kill $450 million in funding for the alternate engine, which would create jobs in his home state of Ohio.
But if Boehner was flummoxed or irritated by the vote, he didn’t show it on Thursday. When asked how he’d explain the possibility of job losses in Ohio, where General Electric, the maker of the alternate engine has a plant, Boehner shrugged off the query.
“The House spoke,” he said. “It wasn’t about me imposing my will on the House…. This is a legislative process that’s going to continue.”
Asked if he would push for inclusion of the $450 million provision when the Senate crafts its spending bill, Boehner said, “I have no comment.”
Meanwhile, supporters of Connecticut-based Pratt & Whitney, which makes the main engine, are planning a big celebration Friday at the Pratt & Whitney Museum Hangar, with Connecticut lawmakers and Gov. Dannel Malloy expected to attend.