Deficit Hawk Explains His Vote on the Alternate Engine

Influential fiscal conservative and Armed Services Committee member Senator Ben Nelson explains his vote to cancel funding for an alternate engine in today's McCook Daily Gazette, his hometown newspaper:

I voted with 58 other senators against an amendment funding an alternate engine for the military's new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Senators supporting the program--again from states where the alternate engine is under development--argued it would push competition. That makes sense sometimes...but not in this case.

They suggested paying for the alternate engine by taking money from Marine Corps' helicopters to be used in Afghanistan. They also proposed taking money from Air Force special operations C-130 aircraft used to transport military personnel and materials to Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world.

Full story here.