Based in Washington, Jen managed Aviation Week’s worldwide defense, space and security coverage from 2013 to January 2024.
Prior to taking on the Executive Editor role, Jen was Aviation Week's Congressional Editor. Jen came to Aviation Week in March 2011 from Politico, where she covered the intersection of defense and politics. She also worked as a reporter and editor for Defense Daily, Inside the Army, The Other Paper and The Columbus Dispatch.
Jen received a Master’s degree in journalism as a Kiplinger Fellow at the Ohio State University. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in history and journalism from the University of Michigan.
The Senate Appropriations Committee yesterday approved the fiscal 2012 transportation, housing and urban development appropriations bill that will fund the FAA in fiscal 2012 as a freshman senator issued a warning about the current strategy for passing spending bills. The bill’s aviation-related portions remained largely unchanged from Tuesday’s subcommittee markup, in which senators agreed to fully fund the Next Generation air traffic management system and provide $3.5 billion for the Airport Improvement Program.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) hopes to force the White House to sell F-16 C/D aircraft to Taiwan, even if the Obama administration would rather upgrade the island nation’s existing fleet. Cornyn says his bill that would require the sale of 66 aircraft could come up Tuesday or Wednesday for debate on the Senate floor. It has been filed as an amendment to a larger trade bill. The administration has indicated it will not back the sale, but Cornyn and his staff maintain that it would be a boon to the U.S. economy and the nation’s security.
Aviation appears to be escaping the brunt of Washington’s deficit reduction push—at least in fiscal 2012 appropriations. The Senate Appropriations subcommittee on transportation and housing on Tuesday approved a bill that, if enacted, would provide 19% less funding than similar legislation proposed two years earlier. Still, it fully funds the FAA’s Next Generation air traffic modernization system and increases funding for the FAA’s operations. By contrast, high-speed rail projects were gutted.
