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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The federal government, now more than ever, needs
3to eliminate wasteful spending programs from its budget; and
 
4    WHEREAS, The federal deficit recently hit $13.5 trillion;
5and
 
6    WHEREAS, The Department of Defense will spend $708 billion
7on defense spending in the 2011 fiscal year for both base
8defense programs and overseas contingency operations to
9promote the safety and welfare of our nation; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Congress has planned to appropriate $465 million
11for an alternate GE F136 engine for the F-35 Joint Strike
12Fighter program in the Defense Appropriations Bill; and
 
13    WHEREAS, The Department of Defense has already contracted
14the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine, which has gone through
15multiple series of testing and development; and
 
16    WHEREAS, No military aircraft in the past three decades has
17been procured with multiple engine suppliers; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Developing the alternate engine would cost $2.9
19billion dollars over the next two to three years; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Having multiple engine suppliers will require
2additional spending for two sets of parts, two production and
3maintenance lines, and additional personnel and training,
4which will lead to the production of fewer Joint Strike Fighter
5planes; and
 
6    WHEREAS, President Barack Obama, with urging from military
7officials and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, vows to veto the
8Defense Authorization Bill if the alternate engine
9appropriation is included in the bill; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Defense spending can be used more efficiently for
11more vital military programs; therefore, be it
 
12    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
13NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
14we encourage the members of the Illinois congressional
15delegation to vote against the F-35 alternate engine
16appropriations measure; and be it further
 
17    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
18presented to President Barack Obama, the Speaker of the United
19States House of Representatives, the President pro tempore of
20the United States Senate, and the members of the Illinois
21congressional delegation.