DELAURO VOTES TO SUPPORT TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME
Defense Appropriations bill also includes Sikorsky and Pratt contracts
Washington, DC— Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), Ranking Member on the Labor, Education, Health, and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, voted in support of the final passage of the FY 2012 Defense Appropriations Bill today, which passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 336- 87.
Congresswoman DeLauro praised the inclusion of funding for programs that maintain and create jobs in the third Congressional District, and released the following statement:
“I voted for this bill today not as an endorsement of all the funding and policy decisions included in the bill, but to support our brave men and women in uniform. This bill will ensure that our troops get the funding and support they need and deserve, as well as ensure their families are taken care of. Additionally, it will provide funding that boosts job creation and economic growth in our state.
“But I believe that we need to begin a more significant drawdown of troops in Afghanistan immediately. President Obama has made it clear that while he supports reducing the number of troops there over time, I do not believe that he has gone far enough. It is time to end this war, the longest in American history, and time to bring our brave men and women home. At a time when we should be focused on rebuilding our economy, I cannot support the enormous costs of our continuing commitment in Afghanistan. Now is the time to bring our troops home.”
Congresswoman DeLauro missed a vote on an amendment offered by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) to this bill, as she was chairing a hearing of the Steering and Policy Committee on the debt ceiling that ran longer than expected. She would have voted in favor of this amendment, which would bring all of our troops home from Afghanistan by the end of 2012, and signed a letter to President Obama calling for the same action.
The following are key program descriptions and the amount awarded.
Sikorsky Aircraft, Stratford
Army Black Hawk Helicopters (UH-60): $1.3 billion for 71 aircraft.
Navy Black Hawk Helicopters (MH-60S): $401 million for 18 aircraft.
Navy Black Hawk Helicopters (MH-60R): $780 million for 24 aircraft.
CH-53K Heavy Lift Helicopter: $624 million for research, testing, development and evaluation.
Pratt and Whitney, Middletown
Air Force Joint Strike Fighter (F-35): $3.3 billion for 19 aircraft.
Navy Joint Strike Fighter (F-35): $1.4 billion for 7 aircraft.
Marine Corps Joint Strike Fighter (F-35): $1.1 billion for 6 aircraft.
C-17: $225 million for one aircraft.
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www.house.gov/delauro