http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/07/23/us/politics/AP-US-Defense-Spending.html The Senate voted Thursday to eliminate spending on a jet engine program the defense secretary says is superfluous, moving in step with Obama administration assertions that it is time to stop spending military dollars on programs that are not needed.
The voice vote on an amendment to eliminate funds for a backup engine for the F-35 next-generation fighter plane came as the Senate neared completion of a $680 billion bill that authorizes defense programs for the fiscal year starting in October.
Just two days ago, the Senate went along with Defense Secretary Robert Gates' campaign to change the way the Pentagon buys weapons by stripping from the bill $1.75 billion to produce more F-22 fighters, the high-tech aircraft that eventually will be supplanted by the F-35 as the military's main attack plane.
The White House has said that President Barack Obama would issue what would be the first veto of his presidency if the defense bill contained money for either of those programs.
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