WASHINGTON – While much of the fallout from Rep. Jo Bonner’s decision to leave Congress has been focused on who might be is successor, the impact his resignation could have on the region has been missed, particularly with regard to the Mobile-built Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).
Bonner has been one of the fiercest defenders of the LCS program. Without him in the U.S. House of Representatives, industry experts say the LCS-2 prototype could be in the crosshairs of budget cutters on the Defense appropriations committees.
A May 17 article in Defense News reported the Navy is weighing the possibility of halving the LCS program and going with either the Freedom-class or Independence-class prototypes. The Independence-class ship is built by Austal USA at their facilities in Mobile and has an estimated economic impact of nearly $713 million on the entire state.
Should the Navy choose to go in that direction, an all-out lobbying war could break out between proponents of each of the prototypes. The Freedom-class side would led by Wisconsin Republican Rep. Reid Ribble, a two-term member for Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District. But without Bonner in the mix, it would be up to other members of the Alabama delegation to pick up the fight for the Independence-class side.
During his 11 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, Bonner managed to position himself on the House Appropriations Committee, where he was also on key defense appropriations subcommittees that authorized funding for programs like the LCS.
Craig Hooper, a spokesman for Austal USA, dismissed concerns about the LCS program in a statement and touted Alabama’s representation in D.C.
“He will be missed,” Hooper told Yellowhammer. “That said, we do not anticipate Jo Bonner’s departure from Congress will adversely impact the Littoral Combat Ship Program. Congressional support for the Littoral Combat Ship remains strong, and the staunch commitment of Alabama’s Congressional Delegation to national security remains unshaken.”
“With Sen. Richard Shelby as the ranking Senate Committee on Appropriations member and senior defense appropriator, Sen. Jeff Sessions as a senior Senate Armed Services Committee member and three Alabama members of the House Armed Services Committee, Alabama is well-positioned to continue shaping the defense of this country for years to come,” he added.
Despite publicly saying there is nothing to be concerned about, Yellowhammer has learned Austal reached out to Rep. Martha Roby, whose 2nd Congressional District is adjacent to the Mobile’s 1st Congressional District, to shore up support for the LCS project.
“Martha actually visited Austal a few weeks ago when she was down for the Airbus groundbreaking,” Todd Stacy, the communications director for Roby, said to Yellowhammer in an email. “They are great corporate citizens, not just for Mobile, but for the state of Alabama. Austal’s growth has been impressive, both on the defense side and the commercial side. It was a good opportunity for her to learn more about one of the state’s largest employers.”
Despite only being in her third year as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Roby has had some big wins for her district when it comes to preserving the U.S. military’s presence in her district.
In November 2012, Roby was able to prevent the slated departure of the U.S. Air Force’s 908th Airlift Wing from Maxwell AFB in Montgomery. In addition to keeping the 908th in Montgomery, another C-130 was added at Maxwell.
Roby was also able to preserve 37,000 flight hours and 500 training positions at Fort Rucker that were set to be gutted due to sequestration early this month, which was seen as another huge win for her district.
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