{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://roby.house.gov/press-release/roby-defends-f-35-program-reassures-community", "Roby Defends F-35 Program, Reassures Community", "2016-12-13", "2016", "2016-12", "Republican", "House", "AL", "Martha Roby", "R000591", "roby.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "U.S. Representative Martha Roby (R-Ala.) on Monday defended the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program and reassured the Montgomery area community about the possibility of landing the F-35 mission after a tweet from President-elect Donald Trump criticized the new aircraft\u2019s long and costly history.  \n\t\u00a0  \n\tRoby, who has been working to bring the F-35 assignment to the 187th Fighter Wing at Montgomery\u2019s Dannelly Field, told WSFA 12 News she welcomed President-elect Trump\u2019s concerns about spending, but explained that cost concerns for the F-35 were mostly in the past. \u00a0  \n\t\u00a0  \n\t\u201cThe F-35 issues took place mainly in the research and development phase of the program, and that\u2019s over and done \u2013 and paid for. The F-35 is in production,\u201d Roby said.  \n\t\u00a0  \n\t\u201cI think what President-elect Trump said was less about the F-35 and really more of a message to the Pentagon that this is something we\u2019re going to take on to ensure that we don\u2019t have these costs overruns with future programs.\u201d  \n\t\u00a0  \n\tLast week, the Air Force announced that the Montgomery-based 187th Fighter Wing is on the short list of five Air National Guard units being considered for the F-35 assignment. The Air Force\u2019s is expected to make a final selection of two Air National Guard units for the prestigious assignment in Spring of 2017. \u00a0  \n\t\u00a0  \n\tRoby\u2019s full statement is below.  \n\t\u00a0  \n\t\"I don't think the President-elect was necessarily threatening the F-35 program itself, but rather using the cost overruns in years previous to send a message to the Pentagon about future procurements.  \n\t\u00a0  \n\t\"There\u2019s no question our Armed Forces need a next-generation aircraft to replace the F-16, and that aircraft is the F-35. What\u2019s important to know about the F-35 is that the cost concerns mostly came in the development stage, which is in the past and already paid for. At this point it would be a mistake to throw away the significant investment already spent on developing this aircraft that is now battle-ready and in production.\u00a0 But, again, I don\u2019t think that\u2019s what he\u2019s talking about. Donald Trump is known for his negotiation skills. It may seem unconventional, but I believe what he is doing is putting the Pentagon on notice that inefficiency and cost overruns won\u2019t be tolerated for future acquisitions. And that\u2019s a good thing. I\u2019ve been an advocate for acquisition reform for some time, so I\u2019m eager to see any specifics he might offer.  \n\t\u00a0  \n\t\u201cI\u2019m glad to see President-elect Trump is concerned about spending, and there have certainly been problems with cost overruns on military programs, including the F-35. The incoming administration and Congress must work together to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars when it comes to military programs. Part of that is not wasting past investments like the F-35, and I\u2019m confident President-elect Trump and his advisers understand that.\u201d  \n\t\u00a0  \n\t###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://roby.house.gov/press-release/roby-defends-f-35-program-reassures-community"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7322497442364693, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}