CONGRESSWOMAN FUDGE STRONGLY SUPPORTS CONTINUING PRODUCTION OF ALTERNATE ENGINES FOR THE F-35, WHICH SUPPLIES OVER 2,500 JOBS IN OHIO

CLEVELAND, OH-- Today, Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge made this statement in regard to the stop-work order halting production of alternate engines by General Electric Co. (GE) and Rolls-Royce Group Plc (RR/) for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter:

"This order will cost 2,500 American jobs, with the majority of them in Ohio.  The impact will be detrimental for my constituents, and many other Ohioans. 

"This decision cannot only be about cutting spending; we need to consider the effect on people, technological advances, and security.  We must maintain competition in the defense contracting industry to ensure we are providing the best resources for our armed forces.

If GE and Rolls-Royce reach their projected peak production, they could require as many as 4,300 jobs, according to a spokesman for GE Aviation. 

GE made a statement today explaining that the company will keep funding their operations despite the stop-work order issued by the Pentagon.  A Pentagon spokeswoman said the order would last 90 days while the department weighed options, a decision that will ultimately be up to Congress.

Background

Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp. (UTX), is the main supplier of engines for the Joint Strike Fighter.  The General Electric Co. and Rolls-Royce Group Plc provide alternate engines to maintain competition in the biggest U.S. arms acquisition program, preventing a monopoly on defense contracting and lowering security risks. 

The Pentagon has tried to end the program, but Republican and Democratic lawmakers have repeatedly added it back into the budget, citing concerns about associated jobs and use of one engine design to power thousands of the fighters.

According to the organization, GE / Rolls-Royce will not walk away from a $3 billion taxpayer investment on what the Senate has called a “near model program.” 

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