Why It's So Hard To Cut A U.S. Defense Program

F-35 Story Shows Why It's So Hard To Cut A Federal Program -- McClatchy News

WASHINGTON — For all its high-tech stealth and record price tag, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter embodies the droll military motto, "Hurry up and wait."

Conceived in the heady post-Cold War 1990s, the futuristic fifth-generation jet fighter was to be a technological marvel built in a rush and paid for with "peace dividend" dollars.

But now with the economic crash, the fighter is billions over budget and years behind schedule.

Here's part of the problem: axing the F-35 would eliminate tens of thousands of jobs in 47 states. Few members of Congress are willing to go along.

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My Comment: Tens of thousands of jobs, coupled with tens of thousands of jobs tied in with these jobs .... no politician in his right mind would want to cut a program that may end up throwing scores of his voters into the unemployment line. Unfortunately .... with trillion dollar deficits .... this may actually happen regardless of the political pressures on politicians to not cut programs like the F-35..