1:01
Mitch McConnell
16:13 - 17:15
"If fielding the F-35 remains an operational necessity, both for the United States and for our allies, there's really no excuse for not placing it squarely in full-year appropriations."
“If fielding the F-35 remains an operational necessity, both for the United States and for our allies, there's really no excuse for not placing it squarely in full-year appropriations.”
- Speaker
- Mitch McConnell
- Timestamp
- 16:13 – 17:15
- Community
- Alaska News
- Captured at
- June 9, 2026
From the transcript
If fielding the F-35 remains an operational necessity, both for the United States and for our allies, there's really no excuse for not placing it squarely in full-year appropriations. So, General Sullivan, I'm glad that we— this request represents a massive opportunity for Space Force procurement of key systems. But I worry whether industrial capacity will be able to meet a sudden surge in spending pending a clearer picture of how the department plans to sustain steadily increasing investment in the out years. So I want to hear from all of you how the Space Force is thinking about long-term scaling. Finally, at a fundamental level, I'm curious to hear from each of you about how the Department of the Air Force is applying the lessons of the modern battlefield.
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