Washington » If there's one piece of legislation that almost every member of Congress supports regardless of party or politics, it's the annual bill funding the military and Department of Defense.
But Wednesday, Utah's two GOP House members -- Reps. Rob Bishop and Jason Chaffetz -- cast rare votes against the $636 billion package, in large part to protest funding cuts for new F-22 fighters. Utah's Hill Air Force Base performs maintenance on the aircraft.
Bishop and Chaffetz were two of only 11 Republicans to oppose the bill, which passed on a vote of 395 to 34. Utah's third House member, Democrat Jim Matheson, supported the measure.
"This latest version of the defense spending bill cuts programs that America needs to remain safe, misallocates the funds that were left, and has bad, unrelated provisions tacked onto it," said Bishop, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. He voted for the House defense bill earlier this year, before the Senate amended it.
Chaffetz summed up his feelings this way: "Love the troops, hate the bill."
Utah's federal lawmakers have fought to continue production of the stealth F-22 Raptor, saying the fighters are needed to maintain the nation's air superiority.
But President Barack Obama, the Defense secretary and the Democratic and Republican leaders on the Senate Armed Services Committee fought to end production. They say the money would be better used on other Air Force programs, such as cheaper and more versatile unmanned drones.
The Air Force already has 145 of the Raptors, while 42 others are paid for and in production. The Defense bill ends the program there, over Bishop's objections, who cites past military reports that called for 240 Raptors.
He pushed an amendment in committee that would have allowed for seven more F-22s. It passed, but in late July the Senate killed the funding.
Hill Air Force Base, which is located in Bishop's district, has more than 100 employees involved in maintenance on the Air Force's most advanced fighter. Despite the funding cuts, Hill officials don't expect any short-term job losses.
Chaffetz, a House freshman not only criticized the F-22 funding cuts, but also the number of earmarks, or pet projects, and the lack of transparency about them, as well as a provision paving the way for Guantanamo Bay detainees to be transferred to the United States.
Chaffetz also railed against Democrats for using the bill as a way to achieve other, unrelated legislative priorities, such as an extension of unemployment benefits and food stamps.
Despite these concerns, an overwhelming majority of Republicans supported the bill. Chaffetz didn't want to comment on why, but wanted to make clear his vote against the Defense funding had no bearing on his feelings toward the military.
"We want our troops to know we love and care for them, but we also need to do the responsible thing," he said.
The bill gives military personnel a 3.4 percent pay hike and pays for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, though not for President Barack Obama's proposed troop surge in Afghanistan.
