Senators urge Obama to keep F-22 production lines open

Lawmakers are wasting no time urging the Obama administration to save the Air Force's F-22 Raptor fighter jet, a congressional favorite nearing the end of its production cycle.

In a Jan. 16 letter to President Obama, 44 senators implored the then-president-elect to continue production of the F-22, which they said provides $12 billion in economic activity annually in the United States. The program directly employs 25,000 workers at 1,000 suppliers in 44 states.

House lawmakers who support continuing the Lockheed Martin fighter program have drafted a similar letter to Obama and plan to finish obtaining signatures today so they can try to send it to the White House this week, congressional aides said.

Congress approved $2.9 billion to buy the last 20 F-22 Raptors this fiscal year and also added $523 million in advanced procurement money should incoming administration officials opt to buy 20 more of the fighters in fiscal 2010.

But the fiscal 2009 defense authorization bill limits the obligation of the advanced procurement money to $140 million until administration officials determine whether to continue the program or shut down the line.

The law requires a decision by March 1.

The politically sensitive decision on the fate of the F-22 program is a difficult one for an administration already trying to grapple with a federal budget hamstrung by the costs of addressing the economic downturn.

But the program's boosters on Capitol Hill have contended that, despite the cost, more F-22s are needed to deter and combat future threats.

"The F-22 is optimized to achieve the air dominance necessary to protect our joint fighting forces in any future conflict," the senators wrote. "However, a fleet of 183 aircraft, the current program of record, is insufficient to meet potential threats."

They warned of layoffs if the Obama administration opts to end F-22 production. It would be difficult and costly to reconstitute the work force if the military decides later to buy more of the fighters, the senators wrote.

"Furthermore, certifying continued production by March 2009 will enable production to continue while the Department [of Defense] undertakes a more in-depth analysis of the F-22 requirement in the 2009 Quadrennial Defense Review," they wrote.

Air Force officials have said they need as many as 381 F-22s, but Defense Secretary Robert Gates last year opted to defer any decision on the program to the next administration. Now since Obama tapped him to remain in charge of the Pentagon, Gates knows he must make a decision soon.

Bill Lynn, Obama's choice for the No. 2 civilian post at the Pentagon, last week told the Senate Armed Services Committee in a written response to questions that finding an "appropriate mix" between the F-22 and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is a critical question for the administration.

"If confirmed, I would expect this to be a key issue for the early strategy and program-budget reviews that the department will conduct over the next few months," Lynn wrote.