Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) called on Congress to forgo its annual August recess in order to work on new legislation that would prevent budget sequestration. “For the sake of our country, can we not come together, give up our respective orthodoxies, and get something done for the American people?” asked Connolly during the July 30 “Stop Sequestration Rally” in Arlington, Va. Mirroring Connolly’s sentiments at the event were senior politicians from the commonwealth, including Gov. Bob McDonnell (R), Rep. Jim Moran (D), Rep. Bobby Scott (D), and Rep. Frank Wolf (R) as well as senior defense industry leaders, like Northrop Grumman’s CEO Wes Bush, and Aerospace Industries Association President Marion Blakey. These speakers noted the steep defense-related job losses that Virginia faces under sequestration—some 122,800 jobs, second only to California’s projected 125,800, according to a new study by George Mason University economist Stephen Fuller. (See also Georgetown Patch report.)
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.