Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Senate is set to vote on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which funds our military annually. Included in this year’s bill is money for 85 new F-35 fighter jets.
The F-35 is considered, even by some Democrats, to be the “most sophisticated stealth fighter in the world.” But in North Carolina, it’s more than that – the F-35 means jobs. According to Lockheed Martin which makes the F-35, the F-35 program generates $49 billion in annual economic impact and employs 2,470 people both directly and indirectly.
These staggering stats are apparently unknown to state Senator Jeff Jackson who back in July ripped the program, saying that he supports significant funding cuts for a program that supports thousands of North Carolina jobs.
Now, as Congress is set to flood his state with money to build even more F-35s, one must wonder if Jeff Jackson still supports scrapping the program?
Statement from NRSC Spokesman T.W. Arrighi: “Advocating to shut down jobs in your own state is an interesting policy position for a state senator and a bizarre campaign tactic for someone running for the U.S. Senate. The more Jackson tries to differentiate himself from the liberal field of opponents, the more he shows North Carolinians he is not up to the task of representing them.”
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