Reminiscent of Chris Dodd being against every single defense weapon except nuclear submarines
/Senators Blumenthal and Murphy rush to defend F-35 after after Trump criticizes its $trillion + cost.
Both representatives suggested that Trump was just being his usual addled twitterer and would't dare kill such a valuable plane. It's doubtful Congress would ever go along with a decision to stop production: that's why weapons manufacturers dole out assembly jobs to as many states as possible, but Trump's description of the plane as a disaster is hardly new, nor is it a view restricted to just the Man in the Tower. Ever since politics dictated that a single new fighter would have to serve the disparate requirements on the Navy, the Air Force and the Marines, an elephant designed by a committee - a camel, in other words - was inevitable.
Back in February, Blumenthal boasted, “Last year I fought to ensure a greater number of F-35s were allocated than the President requested, and that he "plans to work “just as hard this year” to maintain the program. I'm sure he will.
And this August, Murphy issued the following press release on the F-35 being declared "operational"
“Thanks to the hard work, dedication, and innovative ideas of Connecticut’s defense manufacturers, the Air Force’s F35 is ready to defend our nation,” said Murphy. “Congratulations to all of the men and women in Connecticut who made the F35 one of the most reliable aircraft in the world – this announcement is a testament to the bright future in store for them and Connecticut’s defense manufacturing industry.”
Talk about fake news. The F35 is no more ready to defend our nation than I am. In fact, it's less ready: my guns work.
If you haven't been following the travails of this abortion, here's a snap shot of just the first page of a Google search for "troubles with F-35'. There are many more pages, many more links to scathing analysis, going back to the inception of the program.