Lightning rod on the hill

Durbin is known more for his political skills and his close ties to President Barack Obama than for his acumen on defense issues. As such, his chairmanship of the panel, which distributes roughly half of all federal discretionary spending, marks a new era for a committee that has traditionally been led by far more hawkish lawmakers. Procurement costs get the lion's share of the attention, but they represent just one piece of the overall F-35 price tag-and not even the majority of it. The Pentagon's Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation office in 2011 estimated that keeping the jets flying will cost an additional $1.1 trillion during their anticipated 30-year life cycles. That staggering sum is in inflated then-year dollars and includes everything from related construction projects to 30 years' worth of fuel.