On the recordMay 17, 2012
I thank the chairman for yielding me this 1 minute. Again, all of the points about why this program, which was struggling a couple of years ago, has now really shown great promise in terms of the tests that show that a lot of the criticisms that we've heard on the floor are, to some degree, out of date, with all due respect to the proponents. I think it is important for people to recognize that we made a decision as a country a number of years ago to cancel the F 22 program, that the fifth generation program of the future is going to be the F 35. And there are many other nations around the world, frankly, that are watching this debate--Australia, our European allies--who are all going to participate in the Joint Strike Fighter program. I think it is critically important that we make a statement that we are going to move forward with this program. Their navies and their aircraft carriers are also going to be investing in these platforms. And, again, with the progress that is being made, I think it is important for us to send a strong signal internationally that this is a program that America is going to continue to invest in. Again, I respectfully rise to oppose this amendment and urge a ``no'' vote. Mr. McKEON. I yield back the balance of my time.
