Pass a new spending bill or fund the government
The omnibus spending bill, which Congress agreed to Tuesday night, contains $848.5 million toward a mid-life overhaul the aircraft carrier USS George Washington at Newport News Shipbuilding, a ship that at one time seemed in danger of being retired. That detail and others that follow come from a summary of the bill released by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
The bill also sets aside $1 billion to fund a 12th amphibious warship at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, a job that will help bridge a gap in work at that yard. The Navy is transitioning to a new class of ship several years down the road, and the 12th warship will extend the current production line at Ingalls.
Congress has until Thursday night to pass a new spending bill or fund the government at current levels through a continuing resolution. The latter option would have spelled bad news for Huntington Ingalls and other defense contractors, because a continuing resolution doesn't allow for the start of new work.
At a recent financial conference, Huntington Ingalls President and CEO Mike Petters expressed his concern about the possibility of a continuing resolution, noting the company had a contract to de-fuel the nuclear-powered George Washington, but money had not yet been committed for further work.