Engine failure

More waste is on the way. Even though the Defense Department issued a stop-work order on the engine in April, General Electric arrogantly announced it would continue developing the engine with its own money. Politicians in states with GE plants kept pushing to keep the congressional door open for GE to foist an engine on us at a later date. Those efforts came to fruition as the new bill now obligates Gates to store backup engine components already produced by GE and its partner Rolls-Royce, and allows GE to come and tinker with them. Gates must preserve the parts in a matter that “allows the development of the F136 propulsion system to be restarted after a period of idleness.’’

This engine symbolizes what is wrong with Congress, and is especially shameful for the Massachusetts delegation.

For all that Democrats howl about Republicans blocking Obama’s agenda, you’d think they would finally let go of the engine and conjure up better earmarks for their districts. But no, in the name of 400 jobs in Lynn, Representative John Tierney calls the new plans for GE “a creative approach to funding weapons systems,’’ while Senator John Kerry tells the Globe, “It’s just common sense to protect the taxpayer investment that’s already been made instead of throwing it away.’’ Kerry and Republican Senator Scott Brown have teamed up to cite the notion that GE’s engine represents a “model program.’’