Trump’s Criticism Of F-35 Jet’s Price Tag Comes At Wrong Time, Walker Says

Gov. Scott Walker says he still wants a new fighter jet at the Wisconsin National Guard base in Madison despite President-elect Donald Trump raising concerns about the plane’s price tag.

This week, Trump tweeted the cost of the new type of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter was “out of control,” suggesting he’d save billions in “military and other purchases” after taking office next month.

The F-35 jet program is worth $1 trillion, according to NPR, and is the U.S. Department of Defense’s most expensive weapons program.

Walker said Trump’s timing is wrong because the F-35s are already being deployed.

“I think it’s legitimate to raise issues about that,” Walker said of the price concerns. “The time to raise them is when they’re in the early stages. There are a number of projects. I think Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee has raised similar concerns. The time to address those is when they’re early in the process. The F-35s are already in the process of being deployed.”

Last week, the U.S. Air Force announced the National Guard’s Truax Field is one of five finalists to be one of two bases to house the new F-35A Lightning II. Walker said the state has shown there’d be lower operating costs for the fighter jet if based in Wisconsin.

The new planes would arrive in 2022 or 2023 after a decision is announced in spring 2017.