Blakey Urges Congress to Pass 2010 S.A. Bill

The following is a statement by AIA President & CEO Marion C. Blakey urging congress to pass the 2010 Supplemental Appropriations Bill:

It is extremely important that Congress complete passage of the 2010 Supplemental Appropriations Bill to avoid serious disruptions to ongoing military operations and adverse impacts in the private sector.

The 2010 Supplemental Appropriations Bill was submitted on March 21 and Defense Secretary Robert Gates called for its passage by July 4.  Both the House and Senate have passed versions of the bill.

Unless the bill is passed in final form very quickly, the Defense Department will be required to take dramatic action to fund our obligations to ongoing operations.  This includes delaying or cutting programs and reprogramming funds from other contracts.  The resulting disruptions to industrial supply lines will cause delays in critical equipment delivery, increased costs and could lead to lost jobs in the private sector.

Given the critical stage of our overseas operations, unnecessary disruptions to the Defense Department, industrial supply lines and most importantly, delays in delivering vital equipment to our warfighters must be avoided.  We strongly urge Congress to act immediately to complete passage of the Supplemental Appropriations Bill.