Larson and Veasey Condemn DOD Request to Divert F-35 Funding towards Border Wall

Statement

Today, Reps. John B. Larson (CT-01) and Marc A. Veasey (TX-33) condemned the request by the Trump Administration to reprogram $373 million from F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program to fund the Border Wall.

"In December, Congress passed a bipartisan package to fund our military's critical needs. National security experts have said time and time again the border wall is ineffective when it comes to addressing security concerns at the border. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter keeps our military competitive our adversaries and protects our men and women overseas. The Administration's request would be a tremendous setback for the F-35 program and would impair our national security. This would impact the thousands of manufacturers nationwide and the hundreds in Connecticut supporting the F-35 program. It is Congress who holds the power of the purse, not the President," said Larson.

"The fact that the Administration is willing to cut funding from critically-needed defense programs--a move that will jeopardize our national security and put American jobs at risk--is completely unacceptable. The North Texas area that I represent prides itself on being a home for the defense sector that employs many Texans in my district. Today's decision will divert hundreds of millions of dollars from the F-35 program and jeopardize the jobs of thousands of North Texans that work every day to keep our country safe. The Administration must stop these reckless decisions without proper consultation with Congress to fund their bigoted and archaic border wall that both hurts our national security and makes Americans less safe. Plain and simple," said Veasey.

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is our nation's only 5th generation stealth fighter. As Russia and China continue to develop their own stealth fighters and advanced surface-to-air missile systems, it is vital to our national security that these critical investments in the program remain untacked in order to ensure the United States maintains its air dominance.

Last year, Larson and Veasey led a bipartisan appropriations request for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program with record support. In December, the House approved of Defense funding in the National Security Appropriations Minibus (HR 1158) that provided funding for 98 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters.

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