FY-11 Approps Push

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) is urging Senate leaders to draw up an FY-11 appropriations package for the Defense Department, warning the consequences -- in particular for the Navy's near-term shipbuilding plans -- could be dire if the Pentagon is forced to operate under a yearlong continuing resolution.

Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) and more than a dozen House lawmakers recently sent their leadership a similar letter, warning that thousands of jobs will be lost if the Navy's plan to build a second Virginia-class submarine is derailed by a budget impasse later this month.