Bill would bring airplane projects to the state

Congressman Dana Rohrabacher is trumpeting a $3.9 million earmark he has inserted into a defense bill passed by Congress last week, which would bring a major airplane construction project to the state. It’s the largest earmark attached to the bill, according to Rohrabacher’s staff.

The earmark requests 15 more Boeing C-17 cargo planes, used in everything from military actions to disaster relief. According to Rohrabacher’s office, building C-17 planes helps keep 10,000 jobs in the state and 5,000 in a facility in Long Beach, part of Rohrabacher’s congressional district.

Rohrabacher said in a statement that he complied with all ethics guidelines to report earmarks.

— Michael Alexander