The Air Force explanation left many Congressmen still in the dark. Rep. Jim Saxton (R-N.J.), for one, said that “five minutes” was not enough time to have a “real discussion” on this issue. Whereupon Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), House Armed Services Committee Chairman, said he would schedule an “informal” session in the next week or so “to really talk this thing through.” Discussion did not end there, though. Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.) flatly stated that she did not understand “why the President’s Budget doesn’t fund the extra C-17s.” To which, Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne replied, “The problem is actually not on us this year. … It’s a direction … that we’re stuttering around with.” And, then he added, “The actual [production line] closure doesn’t occur until FY ’08, so, we’re anxious but we’re not panicked.”
Active-duty Airmen and Guardians haven’t missed any paychecks yet as a result of the ongoing government shutdown. But with tens of thousands of military spouses working as civilians for the federal government, many families still face financial strain and stress.
