Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Money
  • Election 2020
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Money
    Election 2020
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism

Connecticut fares well in military funding bill

  • by Ana Radelat
  • May 25, 2012
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

Washington — The $631 billion defense bill approved Thursday by the Senate Armed Services Committee rejects Pentagon cuts that would have slowed the flow of business to Connecticut’s defense industry and eliminated a mission of its Air National Guard.

“What we have is really a very robust budget even in the face of challenges,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.

Unlike a defense bill approved by the House last week that exceeded budget caps on defense spending, the bill approved by the Senate panel  is  $6 billion less than this year’s budget, meeting the budget caps.

But like the House-approved bill, the Senate legislation rejects Pentagon plans to cut the number of Virginia-class submarines built by Electric Boat in Groton, Conn.

The bill also rejects the Air Force’s plan to reduce the numbers of Air National guardsmen. The Pentagon’s proposed cuts to Air Guard personnel would likely have affected the Connecticut Air Guard.

The Senate Armed Services Committee, whose members include Blumenthal,  and Joe Lieberman, I-Conn,. approved the $631 billion bill unanimously. A vote on it in the full Senate is expected next month.

Like the defense bill approved by the House last week, the Senate legislation also would overturn an Air Force proposal to retire all of its C-27 cargo planes, which were slated to be flown by the 103rd Airlift Wing based in Connecticut.

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Michigan, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said the Pentagon’s proposed cuts hit the Guard disproportionally and Air Force officials were not the “least bit convincing” in explaining why the reductions are necessary.

The Senate Armed Services Committee agreed to allocate $1.3 billion for the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, built by Sikorsky in Connecticut.

But it did not include a provision, sponsored by Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District, in the House defense bill, that would force the Pentagon to rebid the contract for the helicopters that the U.S. military provides to Afghan forces. A Russian company now holds that contract.

The Senate bill instead calls for a Government Accountability Office study of the Pentagon’s relationship with the Russian  company.

“The end result I believe will be the same,” Blumenthal said.

Unlike the House, the Senate accepted the Pentagon’s cuts to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the military’s costliest program.

The Defense Department wants to save $1.6 billion by eliminating 13 planned fighters, whose engines are built by Pratt &Whitney in Connecticut.

The Senate also maintained the Pentagon’s current policy of holding back the purchase of six Joint Strike Fighters to prevent cost overruns by Lockheed Martin, the prime manufacturer of the plane.

“This continues a policy of tough love,” Lieberman said.

Lieberman also said the Senate  strongly supports the aircraft and has no problems with its  Connecticut-manufactured engine.

The Senate agreed with the House in rejecting the Pentagon’s call for another round of base closings, determined by a new Base Realignment and Closing Commission.

“As we said from the outset, BRAC is absolutely dead,” Blumenthal said.

The Senate bill would also cap at $230,000 — the amount the vice president gets paid — the portion of a salary a defense company  executive could charge the U.S. government.   Currently, hundreds of thousands of dollars in executive salaries are included in defense contracts.

“We just thought that was wrong,” Lieberman said.

The defense bill also includes a proposal sponsored by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., that would order the military to come up with a plan to send women into the front lines of battle. The House bill would not lift the military’s ban on women in combat.

If the full Senate approves the defense bill next month, as is expected, the differences between the Senate and House legislation would be negotiated.

 

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ana Radelat

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
Connecticut’s largest COVID vaccination site is now open. Here’s what you need to know.
by Jenna Carlesso

The state plans to vaccinate 7,000 to 10,000 people weekly at the former Pratt & Whitney airport at Rentschler Field.

Nursing home residents are receiving the COVID vaccination at a higher rate than their caretakers
by Dave Altimari and Jenna Carlesso

Providers attributed workers' reluctance to a variety of issues, from concerns about fertility to uncertainty about the side effects.

Legislative leaders support extension of Lamont’s emergency powers during COVID
by Jacqueline Rabe Thomas

The governor's emergency powers expire Feb. 9 unless he asks lawmakers for an extension within 72 hours of that date.

Weeks after the election, Secretary of the State’s efforts to monitor disinformation campaigns ended
by Kasturi Pananjady and Dave Altimari

For weeks, an intelligence analyst monitored social media for the Secretary of the State's office. Then her contract ran out.

Keeping Connecticut’s music industry alive
by Matt Fitzgibbon

By recently passing the Save Our Stages Act, a bipartisan bill co-sponsored by Connecticut Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, in its COVID relief package, Congress has temporarily protected The Constitution State’s music industry from economic free fall. But are the courts now willing to do what’s necessary to provide the permanent security it needs and deserves?

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion Keeping Connecticut’s music industry alive
by Matt Fitzgibbon

By recently passing the Save Our Stages Act, a bipartisan bill co-sponsored by Connecticut Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, in its COVID relief package, Congress has temporarily protected The Constitution State’s music industry from economic free fall. But are the courts now willing to do what’s necessary to provide the permanent security it needs and deserves?

Opinion A young Black man sees a need for faster racial progress
by Eugene Z. Bertrand

I first learned that I was Black in kindergarten. More importantly, I learned of the negative connotations that come with identifying with my own skin color.

Opinion Sadly, not much has changed since Martin Luther King Jr.’s killing.
by Alberto Cortes

As we approached the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, I took the time to read and watch his “I Had a Dream” speech which he  delivered on Aug. 28, 1963; and as I read through it 57 years later, I realize not much has changed.

Opinion The struggle for racial justice and equality is far from over
by Marilyn Moore

On the eve of the annual celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, I and many others are reflecting on what recently transpired at the U. S. Capitol and how it relates to the injustices that Dr. King and so many others fought to change so many years ago. It is obvious that our nation's fight for racial justice and equality is far from over. In fact, it continues to this day.

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than numbers in a prison and much more than victims of societal dispositions. This piece depicts a melanated young man draped in a cape ascending high above multiple forms of oppression. […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s like to wake up in new skin?”

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is the catalyst to all my work, and plays a major influence in each piece of work.”

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture and Art masterpieces and applying the vintage 1960’s and 70’s classic figures (Fisher Price, little people) to the make an amusing pieces. Here is my homage to Fisher -Price, Yellow […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO