Dodd Rallies to Union's Side to Oppose F-22 Budget Cuts

Facing a potentially tough election in 2010, Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd rallied Thursday to the side of union members in his state whose jobs are at risk under an Obama administration budget proposal.

"I'm here today to tell you that I'll do everything I can ... to make our case to our colleagues. That is where the final defense will be for this program," Dodd told members of the Hartford chapter of the International Association of Machinists.

The group would take a big hit under Defense Secretary Robert Gates' budget proposal, which calls for halting production of the F-22 jet -- the jet's engines are made in Connecticut.

But Dodd, along with Connecticut Rep. John Larson, met with union members Thursday to assure them they'd battle Gates over the issue. Dodd has fought before to save the F-22 program, under both Republican and Democratic administrations, and he said Thursday that party distinction doesn't matter to him at a time when his constituents are worried about keeping food on the table.

"I'd much rather have the secretary on my side, but we've beaten him in the past and we'll beat them this time as well," Dodd said.

The tough talk came after Dodd heard the concerns of the union.

"We're very concerned the job base for aerospace would take a blow on this," said Frank Larkin, spokesman for the International Association of Machinists.

He said ending F-22 production would threaten up to 3,000 jobs in Connecticut, and 25,000 nationwide, with many of those job losses affecting his union members. Though the jets are mainly produced in Texas and Georgia, the engines are produced at Pratt & Whitney in Middletown, Conn.

This puts Dodd, a powerful Democrat on Capitol Hill, in a tight spot. Though he is a President Obama ally in a position to be a key cheerleader for his budget proposals, Dodd's poll numbers are at historic lows with an election coming up next year.

Dodd sided with the workers and opposed the F-22 proposal early this week. He co-signed a letter to Obama with other members of the state delegation Tuesday objecting to Gates' proposal and calling for Congress to "fully fund" the F-22s.

"Additional F-22 Raptors are critical to maintaining America's security in the face of new threats," the letter said. "Further, terminating the F-22 will seriously erode our industrial base, leaving our nation with significantly reduced capability to produce advanced fighter aircraft.

"One of our greatest national assets is our highly-skilled and innovative workforce, personified by the thousands of working men and women in Connecticut that maintain America's continued superiority in aerospace," the letter added.

The letter echoed a union argument, claiming Gates' simultaneous proposal to drastically increase production of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter would take too long -- and many jobs would disappear in the period it takes for the F-35 to reach the level of F-22 production.

"These kind of skills are not as easy to bring back once you lose them," Larkin said.

Gates called for F-22 production to stop at 187 jets, which the military has almost reached. The jets cost $140 million a piece, and Gates has called for defense funding to be directed toward more practical military efforts.

But Dodd, one of many lawmakers objecting to Gates' budget over potential job loss, must be mindful of union concerns at a time when his Senate seat looks up for grabs.

He's suffered most recently from a perception that he eased the way for bailed-out American International Group to pay huge bonuses to its employees -- since he stuck a provision in the stimulus bill, at the Treasury's request, exempting companies like AIG from certain pay restrictions.

A recent poll showed Dodd trailing several potential Republican challengers in the 2010 Senate race. The survey, for instance, showed Dodd trailing former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, an announced rival, 50 to 34 percent.

The survey showed just 33 percent of Connecticut voters approve of the job Dodd is doing in the Senate.

Dodd's even got a primary challenger. Roger Pearson, a Democrat from Greenwich, Conn., told a Hartford Courant columnist last week that he has formed a committee to explore a run for his party's 2010 nomination.

Larkin had no comment on how the F-22 issue could affect Dodd politically if he does not give workers in his state his full support.

"Clearly he needs to be attuned to it as the sitting senator -- with these jobs in his district," Larkin said.

FOXNews.com's Judson Berger and FOX News' Shannon Bream contributed to this report.