Based in Washington, Jen manages Aviation Week’s worldwide defense, space and security coverage.
Prior to taking on her current 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.
Lawmakers must find a solution to avoid massive federal budget cuts and their potentially debilitating effect on the NextGen air traffic modernization system, Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.) tells Aviation Week. LoBiondo, a contender to replace Rep. Tom Petri (R-Wis.) as chairman of the House aviation subcommittee after Petri steps down at the end of the year, says Congress should work to resolve differences the way it did during disagreements over union rules and airport subsidies earlier this year.
CALL TO ARMS: The leaders of top military service associations are appealing to congressional leadership to prevent sequestration. In a letter being sent Nov. 9 to House and Senate leaders, the retired military officials say the across-the-board cuts would harm the nation’s security and its economy. “The defense-industrial base is a strategic national asset; assuring its survival requires careful planning and foresight – not shortsighted draconian cuts,” write retired Gen. Gordon Sullivan, president of the Association of the U.S. Army; retired Lt. Gen.
Despite lingering disagreement over how to address the nation’s deficit, lawmakers from both parties in Congress are talking openly about a plan to avert sequestration. “I believe that there is a very decent chance that we can come up with a plan to replace the sequester for six months, while we negotiate a longer-term solution,” Rep. Chris Van Hollen (Md.), the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, told reporters after speaking to the World Affairs Council of America on Nov. 8, stressing that replacement is different from postponement.
