Congress Agrees on Spending Bill
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Lawmakers appeared to agree on a $1.01 trillion spending bill that will keep most of the federal government funded through September, reports The Washington Post. The deal honors spending caps that Congress and the White House agreed to last year and includes $521 billion in military spending and $492 billion for other federal agencies. The bill authorizes a 1 percent pay raise for military service members, allows a 1 percent pay raise for federal employees, and ends a 5 percent discount on tobacco products sold at military exchanges. However, some Democrats are now threatening to oppose the bill over changes to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law included in the legislation, according to The Hill. Democrats have spent years fighting Republican efforts to reduce the impact of the 2010 law.
The House Armed Services Committee announced six new Republicans would be added to the panel, including an ex-Navy SEAL and a former A-10 pilot, according to The Hill.
Aviation Industry Corp of China chairman, Lin Zuomin, said their J-31 fifth-generation fighter is superior to the American F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, reports Bloomberg News. He stated, “The J-31 will finish it off in the sky.” The J-31 made its debut last month at the Zhuhai Air Show and is China’s version of a stealth fighter. The J-31 designer said he considered the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter a “potential opponent” when creating the Chinese plane.
The Senate Armed Services Committee will consider Mr. Ashton Carter’s nomination for DefSec in January, after Republicans take control of the panel, reports DefenseNews. Asked if he intends to finish the confirmation process next month, incoming SASC Chairman Sen. John McCain, (R-Az.) replied, “Yeah, January. Absolutely.”
NAVAIR News provides a photo of a P-8A Poseidon aircraft as it takes off for deployment in Jacksonville, Fla., marking the 20th overall production P-8A. The delivery will help the Navy prepare the next squadron transition to the P-8A from the P-3C Orion.
The Next Generation Jammer, a future Navy electronic warfare tool for the EA-18G Growler, had its deployment plans pushed back from 2020 to 2021 because of funding issues, according to DefenseSystems. Development on the jammer got underway early this year and it performed well during recent tests.
Lt. Cmdr. Bruce McDonald, the executive officer of the Navy Band in Washington, DC, was fired for alleged “personal misconduct,” according to Navy Times.
A Chinese engineer was charged with trying to steal documents on the F135 engine used in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, reports The Washington Times. The contractor was arrested in November after customs officers found him in possession of sensitive information related to the stealthy fighter.
The Navy’s hair rules for women were expanded to allow two-strand twists, relaxing size rules for hair buns and opening the possibility that future female recruits won’t have to cut their hair at boot camp, according to Navy Times.
