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.
U.S. lawmakers are still trying to reach an agreement on a new FAA reauthorization bill by the end of the calendar year, if only their party leadership will agree. The issues have been largely whittled down to a contentious National Mediation Board rule and the number of takeoff and landing slots at Reagan Washington National Airport. But the fate of the bill is now in the hands of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). Officially, they have until Jan. 31 to act.
Advocates for LightSquared are using a time-honored Washington technique in arguing that the company should be allowed to proceed with plans to build a 4G wireless broadband network – they’re reframing the debate, painting objections about interference with GPS signals as needlessly complex. “Our opponents have turned basic engineering issues into a political debate,” LightSquared CEO Sanjiv Ahuja told a Capitol Hill audience Dec. 7.
With a week before a continuing resolution funding the Defense Department expires, lawmakers are hoping to reach an agreement to move nine different spending bills together. “We need to act quickly to keep the government operating,” says Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.), the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, during a meeting kicking off the process of reconciling the House and Senate versions of all of the bills.
