The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye may have been victimized in last year's budget process. Whether the program was really in trouble was, at best, ambiguous. But Congress slashed the program's budget by one-third anyway for both Fiscal 2009 and 2010. Those seemingly arbitrary cuts not only halted the program's momentum, but also delayed the in-service date by at least a year and dramatically raised unit costs per aircraft.
That context helps explain a bizarre earmark request that appeared last week. Most earmarks seek to add something to the budget. But Corrine Brown, a Jacksonville, Florida-based congresswoman, submitted a request to support whatever amount is proposed by the president's budget. The E-2D is made near Jacksonville. Brown's message is clear: This time, don't raid the E-2D budget to pay someone else's bill.
on April 20, 2009 1:55 AM | Reply
I don't know Steve. Since the good representative asked for 103 different earmarks, the E-2D being but one, does that mean that no one better take the budget for the other 102 either? Your observation may be correct but I think you are giving too much credence to one earmark from one of the hundreds of Democratic representatives who all have their pet projects in their home districts. I think this has a long way to go before it is a sure thing. This doesn't fall in Mr. Gate definition of supporting unconventional combat.