On Thursday the U.S. House of Representatives passed a $716 billion federal defense authorization bill that would bring in a big boost to defense contractors in Connecticut. The Senate is expected to vote on the bill early next week.
The bill would limit the purchase of F-35 fighter jets. The engines for these jets are manufactured by East Hartford-based Pratt & Whitney. Connecticut Congressman Joe Courtney of Connecticut, who serves on the House Armed Committee, says the bill will still bring in a lot of work for the company.
“They’ve got a very strong book of business right now. There’s going to be a real backlog of work, which again is good for the workforce there. There’s not going to be these ups and downs with layoff and furloughs, etc.”
The bill also authorizes more than $3 billion to continue work on the new Columbia-class submarines with Electric Boat in Groton. It also would increase the number of Sikorsky aircraft the Pentagon can buy next year, including 72 Black Hawk helicopters.
Congress still needs to pass a companion bill to authorize the funding for the next fiscal year.