BATH, Maine — An effort by Illinois Rep. Mike Quigley late Wednesday night amend a major defense appropriations bill — and cut nearly $1 billion from the DDG 51 program — was defeated thanks in large part to the work of Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine.
Today, Bath Iron Works lauded Pingree’s efforts in helping to lead an effort to defeat a vote that would have eliminated funding for the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.
In a release today, Pingree said Quigley introduced an amendment to the defense appropriations bill that would have cut nearly $1 billion — and eliminated an entire ship — from the DDG 51 program.
“This was a last-minute attempt to sneak in and cut funding for a DDG-51 and that could have had some pretty dire consequences for Bath Iron Works,” Pingree said in the release. “But these ships are the workhorses for the Navy, they are a key part of our military strategy and BIW is getting them to the Navy on time and on budget. I think in the end we convinced my colleagues that it didn’t make sense from a strategic or a fiscal point of view to cut this ship.”
Quigley’s amendment was defeated by a vote of 60-359, according to Pingree.
In a statement Thursday afternoon, BIW spokesman Jim DeMartini said, “The Navy’s plan for meeting its national defense obligations is based on full funding for the DDG 51 program. The Maine delegation has always demonstrated an ability to balance budget pressures with the need for affordable shipbuilding capability to provide the Navy with the ships it needs. Congresswoman Pingree’s leadership in defeating last night’s attempt to reduce DDG 51 Program funding in the 2013 House Defense Appropriations Bill exemplifies this leadership and commitment.”
What a relief…for a moment I thought there was going to be a reduction in government spending. Man, that was close.
BDN/Times Record: “…BIW spokesman Jim DeMartini said, ‘The Navy’s plan for meeting its national defense obligations is based on full funding for the DDG 51 program.'” Now a mouthpiece for the contractor speaks the Navy’s position?
The Burke-class of destroyer’s has been on the drawing board’s now for the last 5 years and is in production. To suddenly stop this building is gonna cause both BIW and the Navy a huge number of headache’s, and weaken the Navy, since these new destroyer’s are being built to replace a lot of older, and in some case’s, dangerously outmoded vessel’s that have been kept sailing simply because their replacement’s weren’t available. Ship replacement and renovating is a huge issue since the Navy has to factor this in to their operating plans and the mission’s they have to accomplish. Quigley obviously knows nothing of the Navy’s requirement’s and mission cycle. Maybe it’s time he spent some time out off the coast of Somalia and found out for himself just what it takes to make the Navy work. Then he might have some knowledge of what he complains about since to this point all he’s shown is his ability to shoot himself and the Country in the foot !
The Burke Class destroyers went into production at BIW 24 years ago.
And the next class is the “Zummy’s’ Thanks for the save !!!.
No prob. I figured that’s what you meant.
Of course BIW is essential to Maine’s economy. Many in my family for generations have been proud shipbuilders. So, good for Congresswoman Pingree.
But do we really need to keep a navy that’s larger than the next ten navies combined? Wouldn’t some of that money be better spent on teaching American children and college students, modernizing our infrastructure and paying for better health care so that we can catch up with the rest of the world in those areas??
Kevin Raye is for cutting the program. Too bad he is against Maine unionized workers.