High price tag: The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, unveiled at a ceremony in Washington yesterday, is part of the most expensive weapons program in history. Photo: APFrom Reuters:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Thursday handed President Barack Obama another victory on defense spending when it stripped funding for an alternate fighter-jet engine the Pentagon has said it does not want.
On a voice vote, the Senate removed $439 million to develop the second engine for Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter from a $680 billion defense bill.
The Senate later passed the bill, which sets military spending priorities, by a vote of 87 to 7.
The vote is a blow to General Electric Co and Rolls-Royce Group PLC, which had been developing the engine before Defense Secretary Robert Gates asked Congress to stop funding it earlier this year.
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Update: Senate sides with Obama, defunds jet engine -- AP
My Comment: The Senate vote was not even close.