Bill Text: IL HR0073 | 2011-2012 | 97th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Encourages the members of the Illinois congressional delegation to vote against the F-35 alternate engine appropriations measure.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2011-04-06 - Resolution Adopted [HR0073 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2011-HR0073-Introduced.html
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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The federal government, now more than ever, needs | ||||||
3 | to eliminate wasteful spending programs from its budget; and
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4 | WHEREAS, The federal deficit recently hit $13.5 trillion; | ||||||
5 | and
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6 | WHEREAS, The Department of Defense will spend $708 billion | ||||||
7 | on defense spending in the 2011 fiscal year for both base | ||||||
8 | defense programs and overseas contingency operations to | ||||||
9 | promote the safety and welfare of our nation; and
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10 | WHEREAS, Congress has planned to appropriate $465 million | ||||||
11 | for an alternate GE F136 engine for the F-35 Joint Strike | ||||||
12 | Fighter program in the Defense Appropriations Bill; and
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13 | WHEREAS, The Department of Defense has already contracted | ||||||
14 | the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine, which has gone through | ||||||
15 | multiple series of testing and development; and
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16 | WHEREAS, No military aircraft in the past three decades has | ||||||
17 | been procured with multiple engine suppliers; and
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18 | WHEREAS, Developing the alternate engine would cost $2.9 | ||||||
19 | billion dollars over the next two to three years; and
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1 | WHEREAS, Having multiple engine suppliers will require | ||||||
2 | additional spending for two sets of parts, two production and | ||||||
3 | maintenance lines, and additional personnel and training, | ||||||
4 | which will lead to the production of fewer Joint Strike Fighter | ||||||
5 | planes; and
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6 | WHEREAS, President Barack Obama, with urging from military | ||||||
7 | officials and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, vows to veto the | ||||||
8 | Defense Authorization Bill if the alternate engine | ||||||
9 | appropriation is included in the bill; and
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10 | WHEREAS, Defense spending can be used more efficiently for | ||||||
11 | more vital military programs; therefore, be it
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12 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
13 | NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
14 | we encourage the members of the Illinois congressional | ||||||
15 | delegation to vote against the F-35 alternate engine | ||||||
16 | appropriations measure; and be it further
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17 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
18 | presented to President Barack Obama, the Speaker of the United | ||||||
19 | States House of Representatives, the President pro tempore of | ||||||
20 | the United States Senate, and the members of the Illinois | ||||||
21 | congressional delegation.
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