House Retains Jet Engine Funding

The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to retain funding for a second engine for the Joint Strike Fighter program. Connecticut representatives had hoped to benefit engine maker Pratt & Whitney by leaving the company as the sole engine contractor. WNPR’s Harriet Jones reports.

This is the latest of several attempts to kill funding for the alternative engine program on the military’s future jet fighter program. East Hartford based Pratt & Whitney is the prime engine contractor, but a partnership involving General Electric is developing a back-up engine.

Pentagon chief Robert Gates has repeatedly said he doesn’t want the second engine, which he regards as a waste of taxpayer money, and has said he’ll recommend President Obama veto any bill containing the funding.

Connecticut first district representative John Larson, and the second district’s Rosa DeLauro sponsored an amendment to the defense authorization bill currently before the house that would have eliminated the $485 million funding for the second engine, and instead applied the extra cash to paying down the national debt. But the amendment was handily defeated in a vote Thursday evening.

Both Pratt & Whitney and G.E. have mounted public ad campaigns in recent days in addition to congressional lobbying over the multi-billion dollar contract.

For WNPR, I'm Harriet Jones.