James: Continuing Resolution Would Delay Dozens of Programs

The Air Force will be forced to delay the “new starts” of almost 50 programs if Congress does not pass a budget this year, and instead passes a continuing resolution, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said in an Aug. 24 briefing at the Pentagon. While the service will be able to move forward on the Long-Range Strike Bomber, other unspecified programs, mostly smaller ones, will not be able to begin under a year-long continuing resolution. “If we don’t get a budget, it’s going to affect lots and lots of programs,” James warned. The service still does not have a specific date for when it will award a contract for the LRS-B, but James insisted it will be “soon,” saying the service wants to make sure the contract is awarded correctly instead of quickly. Since funding already has been allocated to the new bomber, James said LRS-B likely would not be considered a “new start.”