If the F-22A Shoe Fits: Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) puts the blame where it’s due—squarely on the Office of the Secretary of Defense—in describing what he calls “one of the most unusual year-to-year budget changes I think I have ever seen.” Hunter, as Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, on Wednesday was decrying the procurement life of the F-22A at the first budget hearing with the Air Force’s top two leaders. Duncan repeatedly referred to “OSD action” in the turbulent and questionable Raptor acquisition saga. Hunter says that last year’s decision to cut F-22A production and this year’s plan to extend the line both will lead to “a billion dollars more in program cost.”
House, Senate Unveil Competing Proposals for 2026 Budget
July 11, 2025
Lawmakers from the House and Senate laid out competing versions of the annual defense policy bill on July 11, with vastly different potential outcomes for some of the Air Force’s most embattled programs.