A statement from the Office of
Management and Budget threatens a Presidential veto of the Defense
Appropriations bill if it includes $485 million for the VH-71
Presidential Helicopter program still hanging on in the House
version of the bill. “If the final bill were to include funds
that continue the existing VH-71 program, or would prejudge the
plan to re-compete the presidential helicopter program, the
president’s senior advisers would recommend that he veto the
bill,” OMB said in the statement.
The Hill newspaper reports that the White House does not want to
fund the program, at least until an analysis of the requirements
for the new helicopter is completed by the White House and the
Pentagon. Defense appropriators want to find a way to justify the
$3.2 billion already spent on the program. The money in the bill is
to get the 5 VH-71's that have already been built operational. But
OMB said in its statement that the money included in the bill would
not be enough to achieve that goal. “These helicopters
currently have no mission equipment and would require in excess of
$2 billion to complete and to operate as presidential helicopters,
yet would still not meet full operational requirements for that
mission,” OMB said in the statement.
The helicopter is not the only military program to draw a
Presidential veto threat. President Obama has also said he will
veto any defense spending bill that includes money for additional
F-22 Raptors, as well as the alternate engine for the F-35 Joint
Strike Fighter.
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