I'm not against the idea. Will it be a leap over what we have already? Why not just buy more F-35's and restart production of the F-22? The Air Force is only purchasing 25 new F-35s this year and the inventory will be no more than 664 by 2029. So, why not skip a generation since we are already way ahead of everyone else?
Air Force officials are balking at the price tag and as @Dahobbs stated there is a whole new wave of procurement hitting this decade, including upgrading our nuclear triad. Meanwhile, the technology has advanced faster than expected since NGAD began. So, the Air Force is conducting more analysis and considering a redesign with some of the capabilities of unmanned Collaborative Combat Aircraft. We are always in a rush and it seems to me that we compete with ourselves. We release a new jet and the plans are taken so that everyone else can copy and try to improve upon them.