McKeon blasts cuts to missile defense

Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, R-Santa Clarita joined up Wednesday with fellow hawks to fight proposed cuts to missile defense.

He is among 35 lawmakers in the newly-formed Missile Defense Caucus, created in response to cuts to the Pentagon’s $3.8 billion Airborne Laser program. The House of Representatives recently voted to slash $250 million from President Bush’s $549 million budget request, a decrease that the Boeing Corp. – the program’s prime contractor – would set it back as much as three years.

“The proposed drastic cuts to the defense budget could cost our country more than we are willing to pay in the negative impacts to our safety, security, and preservation," McKeon said. "I joined this Caucus because I will not stand by without working to salvage the technology we have built."