President Obama has signed a new continuing resolution into law that will keep the federal government running at least through March 18, giving lawmakers more time to try to hash out a spending bill for the remainder of Fiscal 2011. This new resolution cuts $4 billion from the previous stopgap spending measure that was set to expire Friday. However, the Defense Department does not have to absorb any of the cuts. Nonetheless, DOD still lacks an enacted appropriations bill for the current fiscal year and this is having detrimental effects, according to the Pentagon’s leadership. “Some programs may take years to recover if the continuing resolution is extended through the end of September,” Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen told House defense appropriators Wednesday. (AFPS report by Terri Moon Cronk and AFPS report by Jim Garamone) (See also CR Woes from the Daily Report archives)
The KC-Z4, a blended wing body tanker concept being developed by startup JetZero, could fuel larger groups of aircraft at longer range to hold more targets at risk, company officials say.