The White House will delay the release of the Fiscal 2012 budget by at least one week until the week of Feb. 14. USA Today reports that the delay likely is the result of two factors: Congress’ inability to finalize the Fiscal 2011 budget and the six-week hold-up in confirming Jacob Lew as Office of Management and Budget director. The 111th Congress was unable to pass Fiscal 2011 appropriations bills for the individual federal agencies. Instead, the government, including the Pentagon, is running on a stopgap spending measure that runs through March 4. As for Lew, Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) held up his confirmation because of objections to a White House moratorium on offshore oil drilling. The Defense Department requested $549 billion in Fiscal 2011, not including war funding, and last year said it planned to request $566 billion for Fiscal 2012, reports Reuters.
The "Air Force One" replacement will be two to three years late due to pandemic issues, testing, and the loss of a subcontractor on the interior, USAF officials reported at a House Armed Services Committee hearing. They were also warned that some HASC members will insist on a competition for…