The federal shutdown has halted discussions about accelerating the B-21 bomber program, Northrop Grumman CEO Kathy Warden said Tuesday, six months after the company sank hundreds of millions of dollars into speeding up production.

“We are in the midst of those discussions. They've been held up a bit because of the government shutdown and the availability of resources to continue those discussions during this time,” Warden said during the company’s third-quarter earnings call. “We expect those to resume.”

Air Force spokespeople did not immediately return a request for comment.

In April, Northrop Grumman announced it took a nearly $500 million hit to increase production rates. The defense contractor has been working with the service after $4.5 billion aimed at increasing manufacturing

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