WASHINGTON — Around 50 new-start Air Force programs are in jeopardy if the Pentagon is forced to operate under a stopgap spending measure, including upgrades for the B-2 stealth bomber and a replacement for the Huey helicopter.
The Air Force would feel the impact of a yearlong continuing resolution, or CR, across the fleet, service spokeswoman Ann Stefanek told Defense News on Friday. A stopgap spending measure would not only derail the B-2 upgrade and Huey replacement programs, but also limit funding for other Air Force priorities: the F-35 fighter jet, the KC-46J tanker, the C-130J Super Hercules and the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle.
The CR has often been used as a short-term budget measure to fund the government at the previous year's funding levels when lawmakers cannot reach a budget agreement. But this year, sources tell Defense News that Congress is mulling a full-year CR for the first time, which would cause a ripple effect throughout the Pentagon. Most pressingly, a CR does not allow new start programs unless the service can reach a waiver agreement, a complicated process.
Under a yearlong CR, the Pentagon would wind up with $35 billion less than it requested, according to an analysis by former Pentagon Comptroller Bob Hale.
Such a money crunch would trickle down to programs across the Air Force, Stefanek said.
Platforms currently in production would be limited to last year's funding levels and last year's quantities, she said. This creates a particular problem for programs about to ramp up production, such as the F-35 and KC-46 efforts.
"Under a yearlong CR, these new starts, unless expressly exempted by Congress, would delay a year. Moreover, programs currently in production would be limited to FY15 quantities, and would also, along with programs in development, be limited to FY15 funding as enacted," Stefanek said. These limitations would more than double the number of programs impacted. Those programs in production that could be impacted include: F-35A, KC-46A, C-130J and EELV."
Aaron Mehta contributed to this report.
Email: lseligman@defensenews.com
Twitter: @laraseligman
