Walter Pincus hit the nail on the head with his Aug. 27 Fine Print column, “The defense appropriations shuffle.” There are still billions of wasted dollars floating around the Pentagon, and it is past time for lawmakers to trim the fat. Concerns about the Pentagon’s so-called sequester woes tend to diminish once you get a closer look at how our taxpayer dollars are spent.

Take, for example, the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter. The Senate Appropriations Committee voted to increase program funding, even though the jet — the most expensive weapons system in history — has suffered from technical failures, delays and cost overruns. And it still is not combat-ready. Lawmakers could save hundreds of billions simply by replacing this failed program with cheaper, more effective and proven aircraft.

Congress shouldn’t be adding to the Pentagon’s budget bloat by forcing the military to spend billions on pet projects that it doesn’t want and that do nothing to help our troops.    

As the budget battle heats up next month, Pentagon spending cannot be sacrosanct. Lawmakers must ensure our tax dollars are being spent effectively on defense programs we need. 

-The writer is vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense.