Wire: Senate Panel Votes for Military Cuts Sought by Obama

Off the Wire:

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10, 2009 -- Newswire services this evening reported that Senate Appropriations Committee voted unanimously on Thursday to kill the F-22 fighter, the most advanced U.S. fighter jet, and largely backed other program cuts sought by President Barack Obama.

The Reuters news service said by a 30 to 0 vote that took 15 minutes and featured no debate, the panel approved a $636.3 billion defense budget for fiscal 2010, which starts October 1.

The measure also would kill a combat search-and-rescue helicopter, a presidential helicopter and a missile-defense project called Kinetic Energy Interceptor, Reuters said.

The bill includes $128.2 billion for "overseas contingency operations."

The legislation would cap the F-22 "Raptor" fleet at 187, down from an original Air Force Cold War-era plan to buy as many as 750.

The bill, which must be reconciled with the House of Representatives' version, provided no funds for a second, interchangeable engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, Reuters said.

The alternate engine, which Obama considers wasteful, would be veto bait, the White House has said.

See link below for additional details.

(Report from newswire sources.)

Source: Senate panel votes to kill F-22 fighter

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