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| | HR0073 | | LRB097 10520 GRL 50844 r |
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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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| | HR0073 | - 2 - | LRB097 10520 GRL 50844 r |
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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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