They could have canceled the B when it was having its issues back in 2009 2010. but they hung with it instead.
They hung with it because the budget could tolerate it, but when $500 billion goes missing from your spending plans, something has to give and a hovering, supersonic, stealthy close air support aircraft quickly becomes the elephant in the room.
They're banking on the economy working fine just for their current spending plans to work...which are currently forcing $1 trillion of defense cuts over a decade, so unless there is another major war then I wouldn't count on more money becoming available.
within ten years it went from "how much!?" to "how many more can we get?"
You mean it went from "how much!?" to cancelled at less than half the number the air force said they wanted, even as late as 2007. At the inception of the programme, the total required was over 500!