Tug of War over the F-22

The USAF and Congress are arguing over the procurement of the F22:

The Pentagon's chief weapons buyer on Wednesday defended as a 'prudent approach' his decision to initially provide less money than Congress mandated for Lockheed Martin Corp.'s F-22 fighter jet program until the next administration can assess its aircraft needs.
The Pentagon last week approved the $50 million in 'bridge funding' for the stealth fighter jet until President-elect Barack Obama's administration has time to make a decision on the future of the F-22 program in January. The extra funding will purchase parts for four F-22s beyond the 183 planes under contract.
But some lawmakers, including Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii, said the Pentagon's latest move does not comply with the defense authorization bill passed by Congress earlier this year that included $140 million for advanced materials to keep production lines running.
'It is inappropriate to spend an additional $90 million of advance procurement for 16 aircraft that the nation may not purchase, particularly when that decision can be deferred at limited cost and risk,' John Young, the Pentagon's acquisition chief, said in testimony prepared for the House Armed Services' air and land forces subcommittee.

And the arguing continues:

It’s not often anyone on the House Armed Services Committee invokes the constitution and the rule of law, but today’s hearing on the F-22 featured repeated mentions of the founding document by frustrated lawmakers who knew the Pentagon had outflanked them on the controversial program.
“You are acting in defiance of the law and the will of Congress,” Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.) hurled at John Young, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics.
“The defense bill is the defense bill and you will obey what it says — period,” a moderately unhappy Rep. Neil Abercrombie, chairman of the House Armed Services airland subcommittee, told Young.
Abercrombie and members of both parties made it very clear to Young that they thought the Pentagon had flouted both the spirit and the intent of the law, which directed that $140 million be spent on advanced procurement. The money would make it possible to fund an additional 20 F-22s and, perhaps more importantly, to keep the production lines open.

So basically, Congress is building F22s as a jobs program, even though the USAF doesn't want them. And when the DoD tries to find better uses for the money, Congress chastises them.

By: Brant