Congress, White House fight over funding for tanks

In this undated photo released by the General Dynamics Land System shows the production of an Abrams tank in Lima, Ohio. Rows of sand-colored armored vehicles ready for deployment are parked outside the nation’s only tank manufacturing plant. It’s where welders and machinists for more than three decades have built the Abrams tank. But the Pentagon says it will soon have enough tanks and wants to halt production for several years as it wrestles with deep cuts in military spending over the next decade. (AP Photo/HO, General Dynamics Land System)

By John Seewer

Associated Press / July 4, 2012

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LIMA, Ohio—Fighting on Capitol Hill over funding for the nation's only tank manufacturing plant is leaving hundreds of workers caught in the middle.

The Pentagon says it will soon have enough tanks and wants to halt production at the northern Ohio plant for a few years.

But some members of Congress are attempting to restore funding for the tanks in a defense spending bill. The White House is threatening to veto the bill because it says adding more money to the budget will trigger deeper cuts.

The military's plan is to halt production of the tanks for about three years until it's ready for the next generation of battle tanks.

But plant operators say that would mean the loss of many skilled trade workers who would most likely be forced to leave Ohio for work elsewhere.