Blumenthal, DeLauro Lead Bipartisan Group of 19 Lawmakers Urging Secretary of Defense to Prioritize Black Hawk Modernization

WASHINGTON, DC (October 17, 2016) — U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) today, joined by the entire Connecticut Congressional delegation, led a bipartisan, bicameral letter to Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter urging him to prioritize UH-60M Black Hawk modernization in the Department of Defense's Fiscal Year 2018 budget request and beyond.

The Fiscal Year 2017 Army Aviation programs—which include the Black Hawk—faced a decrease of $2.3 billion from what was enacted in Fiscal Year 2016. This included a decrease in Black Hawk production by 24 helicopters. In an attempt to remedy the Fiscal Year 2017 shortfall, the Army included 36 Black Hawks on its Unfunded Requests List, and Blumenthal and DeLauro have been working with their colleagues to secure strong funding to ensure stable funding for the year. In today's letter, the lawmakers emphasized that Black Hawk procurement should not be placed at risk in the years to come and requested further information on efforts to ensure a robust, multi-year procurement strategy.

"As you review recommendations from the Services and work to finalize the Fiscal Year 2018 defense budget request, we urge you to continue to prioritize UH-60 Black Hawk modernization, as has been done time and again for this versatile and vital aircraft that has become the backbone of Army Aviation," the Members wrote. "As you continue to shape the Fiscal Year 2018 to 2022 budget strategy, we urge you to consider our concerns, as Black Hawk procurement should not be placed at risk in the years to come. We request that you provide us with a status report as soon as possible on your review of Army Aviation modernization plans. In particular, we seek further information on efforts to ensure a strong and reliable multi-year procurement strategy for the UH-60M in order to give our warfighters much needed capabilities, while also ensuring a stable industrial base."

The letter was also signed by Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) as well as Representatives John Larson (D-CT), Jim Himes (D-CT),Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Mike Thompson (D-CA), Peter King (R-NY), Elizabeth Esty (D-CT), Richard Hanna (R-NY), Jim Costa (D-CA), Joe Courtney (D-CT), and Kathleen Rice (D-NY).

The full letter is available here.