WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) released the following statement today on the President’s proposed elimination of the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV) program in the Fiscal Year 2012 budget. The EFV is manufactured by General Dynamics, which has a plant in Lima. The EFV contributes approximately $144 million to the Ohio economy each year, helping support more than 700 jobs and 25 Ohio-based suppliers.
“The President’s proposed elimination of the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV) program is a wrongheaded move that’s bad for the Marines and for Western Ohio. The Marines need a new amphibious assault vehicle to replace the highly outdated model they now use. It would be penny wise and pound foolish to eliminate a program in which the government has already significantly invested, which is why I have urged the President to hold off on any decisions until the testing phase is complete. Continuing the EFV program through the testing phase is far more cost-efficient in the end than ending the program now and then restarting it later down the road. My priority is to stand up for the Marines – and the Western Ohio manufacturers who help advance the Corps’ mission.”
Last month, Brown led a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to prevent the Department of Defense from cancelling the EFV program. Brown last visited the Lima Tank Plant in August 2010.
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